THE DAILY PROPHECY NEWS WATCH
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Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Jordan’s King Abdullah on Wednesday discussed US Secretary of State John Kerry’s latest proposals for achieving peace between the Palestinians and Israel.
Abbas said after meeting with the Jordanian monarch in Amman that the two sides agreed on a united response to Kerry’s ideas.
“Kerry is still presenting ideas and we are discussing them,” Abbas said. “He [Kerry] will come soon and we have ongoing meetings with his aides.”
Initiative by Labor MK Hilik Bar would have only allowed land in West Bank, Gaza to be annexed as part of peace treaty leading to two states; Yesh Atid, Hatnua MKs among opposition to legislation.
The Knesset voted down the so-called "Two-State Solution Bill" prohibiting the government from unilaterally annexing land, in a preliminary vote Wednesday.
The bill, proposed by MK Hilik Bar (Labor) would have only allowed land in the West Bank or Gaza to be annexed as part of a peace treaty leading to two states.
"You are reaching a moment of truth, in which you have to look in the mirror of history and realize that we need to separate from the Palestinians," opposition leader Isaac Herzog (Labor) said to the coalition. "If you don't take this opportunity now, history will judge you, because we will become an isolated, binational state."
Reprieve is on the way from the frigid air and the Polar Vortex that has briefly brought life-threatening conditions to approximately 240 million people in the United States and southern Canada this week.
Both will depart during the second half of this week, and a far-reaching January thaw will begin.
The coldest part of the air will rotate through and depart Tuesday night into Wednesday. As this happens, temperatures will climb out of the cellar from west to east from the Plains to the East Coast.
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Featured News  | ||
| Thursday, Jan 09, 2014 01:22:21 AM EST Israel’s Defense Minister Calls Settlers’ Attacks on Palestinians ‘Outright Terror’ | Thursday, Jan 09, 2014 01:18:55 AM EST Officials: Kerry Way Out of His League in Talks | Thursday, Jan 09, 2014 01:16:41 AM EST U.S. points to group led by Guantanamo detainee in Benghazi attack |
| Thursday, Jan 09, 2014 12:43:13 AM EST Israeli Arabs: Palestinian citizenship is for us to decide, not Liberman | Wednesday, Jan 08, 2014 02:26:08 PM EST Papal visit to include ‘political dimension’ | Wednesday, Jan 08, 2014 01:22:10 AM EST State Department Refuses Comment on PA Incitement |
| Tuesday, Jan 07, 2014 01:46:30 AM EST Voices from the vortex: Polar temps have us asking, ‘Is this Antarctica?’ | Tuesday, Jan 07, 2014 01:07:19 AM EST Edward Snowden has more US-Israel secrets to expose, Glenn Greenwald says | Monday, Jan 06, 2014 01:47:28 AM EST Biblical Archaeology's Top Ten Discoveries of 2013 |
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White House News | ||
| Thursday, Jan 09, 2014 01:41:18 AM EST Obama edges closer to decisions on intelligence reforms | Thursday, Jan 09, 2014 01:12:13 AM EST Feds pick Obama supporter to lead probe of IRS tea party targeting | Thursday, Jan 09, 2014 01:07:44 AM EST House GOP group rejects Obama's call for comprehensive immigration reform |
| Thursday, Jan 09, 2014 12:40:17 AM EST Iraqi diplomat wants Obama engagement in al Qaeda crisis | Wednesday, Jan 08, 2014 01:48:15 AM EST Obama calls for unemployment extension as measure clears key Senate hurdle | Wednesday, Jan 08, 2014 01:46:47 AM EST Obama didn't believe his war strategy: Robert Gates |
| Tuesday, Jan 07, 2014 01:34:59 AM EST Mark Obama, Barack's Jewish Brother | Tuesday, Jan 07, 2014 01:30:40 AM EST Obama resubmits more than 80 nominees | Monday, Jan 06, 2014 01:55:17 AM EST White House offers 'grand bargain' on tax cuts and infrastructure |
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Inspired by God 
"The men who have done the most for God in this world have been early on their knees. He who fritters away the early morning, its opportunity and freshness, in other pursuits than seeking God will make poor headway seeking Him the rest of the day. If God is not first in our thoughts and efforts in the morning, He will be in the last place the remainder of the day." - E. M. Bounds
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| Friday, Aug 16, 2013 01:44:04 AM EDT January 9: Made Perfect Through Suffering - Streams in the Desert | Tuesday, Mar 05, 2013 02:57:42 AM EST January 9: Prayerful Inner Searching - Oswald Chambers | Tuesday, Mar 05, 2013 02:56:46 AM EST January 9: Our God of Grace - Charles Stanley |
| Thursday, Mar 12, 2009 10:36:42 AM EDT A.W. Tozer's Daily Devotional | Thursday, Mar 12, 2009 10:35:45 AM EDT Charles Spurgeon's 'Morning and Evening' Daily Devotional | Thursday, Mar 12, 2009 10:34:26 AM EDT Daily Light 'Morning and Evening' Devotional - Jonathan Bagster |
| Friday, Aug 08, 2008 08:36:37 AM EDT Charles Stanley's Audio Messages | Sunday, Dec 09, 2007 08:35:44 AM EST McLean Bible's Internet Services - Pastor Lon Solomon: Services are "live" Sunday' at 9 am, 10:45 am, & 12:30 pm (Eastern-US), rebroadcast Monday at 2 pm (Eastern-US) | Wednesday, Jan 31, 2007 04:14:46 PM EST Pastor Lon Solomon, McLean Bible Church, McLean, Virginia - Sermons by Date, Series and Podcasts |
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--RAPTURE READY NEWS PERSPECTIVE
9 Jan 14
09 Jan 14
Super-Strong Magnetic Pulse Generator Prototype Unveiled
A novel high-tech magnetic pulse generator that shrinks the size of this kind of device from room-sized to tabletop has been developed and demonstrated by Rice University scientists. They dubbed it "RAMBO" - short for Rice Advanced Magnet with Broadband Optics - and it will allow researchers who visit the university to run spectroscopy-based experiments on materials in pulsed magnetic fields of up to 30 tesla. (A high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system is about 10 tesla in strength.)
A novel high-tech magnetic pulse generator that shrinks the size of this kind of device from room-sized to tabletop has been developed and demonstrated by Rice University scientists. They dubbed it "RAMBO" - short for Rice Advanced Magnet with Broadband Optics - and it will allow researchers who visit the university to run spectroscopy-based experiments on materials in pulsed magnetic fields of up to 30 tesla. (A high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system is about 10 tesla in strength.)
War’s darkening shadows: Japan girds for a showdown with China
The latest cause for hand-wringing and teeth-gnashing was Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s decision, in full knowledge of the sentiments of Koreans and Chinese, to visit the Yasukuni Shrine memorializing Japan’s millions of war dead.
The latest cause for hand-wringing and teeth-gnashing was Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s decision, in full knowledge of the sentiments of Koreans and Chinese, to visit the Yasukuni Shrine memorializing Japan’s millions of war dead.
We want a United States of Europe says top EU official
A campaign for the European Union to become a "United States of Europe" will be the "best weapon against the Eurosceptics", one of Brussels' most senior officials has said. Viviane Reding, vice president of the European Commission and the longest serving Brussels commissioner, has called for "a true political union" to be put on the agenda for EU elections this spring.
A campaign for the European Union to become a "United States of Europe" will be the "best weapon against the Eurosceptics", one of Brussels' most senior officials has said. Viviane Reding, vice president of the European Commission and the longest serving Brussels commissioner, has called for "a true political union" to be put on the agenda for EU elections this spring.
Amnesty 'Final Economic Blow' for American Workers
Sixteen House Republicans led by Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL) are demanding President Barack Obama get unemployed Americans back to work before granting amnesty to illegal aliens or bringing unprecedented levels of new immigrants to take jobs away from American workers. “We write to you today on behalf of the 21 million Americans who can’t find a full time job,” the GOP members of the House wrote to President Obama Wednesday.
Sixteen House Republicans led by Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL) are demanding President Barack Obama get unemployed Americans back to work before granting amnesty to illegal aliens or bringing unprecedented levels of new immigrants to take jobs away from American workers. “We write to you today on behalf of the 21 million Americans who can’t find a full time job,” the GOP members of the House wrote to President Obama Wednesday.
U.S. Fertility Rate Hits Record Low for 2nd Straight Year; 40.7% of Babies Born to Unmarried Women
The fertility rate of women in the United States fell to a record low for the second year in a row in 2012, according to data released last week by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Also for the second year in a row, 40.7 percent of the babies born in the United States were born to unmarried mothers.
The fertility rate of women in the United States fell to a record low for the second year in a row in 2012, according to data released last week by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Also for the second year in a row, 40.7 percent of the babies born in the United States were born to unmarried mothers.
That’s rich: Poverty level under Obama breaks 50-year record
Fifty years after President Johnson started a $20 trillion taxpayer-funded war on poverty, the overall percentage of impoverished people in the U.S. has declined only slightly and the poor have lost ground under President Obama. ...Although the president often rails against income inequality in America, his policies have had little impact overall on poverty. A record 47 million Americans receive food stamps, about 13 million more than when he took office.
Fifty years after President Johnson started a $20 trillion taxpayer-funded war on poverty, the overall percentage of impoverished people in the U.S. has declined only slightly and the poor have lost ground under President Obama. ...Although the president often rails against income inequality in America, his policies have had little impact overall on poverty. A record 47 million Americans receive food stamps, about 13 million more than when he took office.
1400% Radiation Hot Spot Found on San Francisco Beach
Following reports of abnormally high radiation readings on a beach in San Francisco, experts have discovered radiation hot spots measuring 1,400 per cent above normal background levels, although they are keen to stress there is no link to Fukushima. Many were concerned that the radiation could be related to Fukushima because experts have concluded that the radioactive plume...will reach U.S. coastal waters by early 2014.
Following reports of abnormally high radiation readings on a beach in San Francisco, experts have discovered radiation hot spots measuring 1,400 per cent above normal background levels, although they are keen to stress there is no link to Fukushima. Many were concerned that the radiation could be related to Fukushima because experts have concluded that the radioactive plume...will reach U.S. coastal waters by early 2014.
3.5 Magnitude Earthquake Shakes Near Prague
PRAGUE, Oklahoma - Residents near the town of Prague, Okla. were jolted by an earthquake, Wednesday night. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), a 3.5 magnitude quake rumbled 5 miles northwest of Prague, 17 miles north northeast of Shawnee, or about 42 miles east of the OKC metro.
PRAGUE, Oklahoma - Residents near the town of Prague, Okla. were jolted by an earthquake, Wednesday night. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), a 3.5 magnitude quake rumbled 5 miles northwest of Prague, 17 miles north northeast of Shawnee, or about 42 miles east of the OKC metro.
Nuclear talks exposed US hatred of Muslims, Iran's supreme leader says
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Thursday that nuclear negotiations with world powers had revealed US "enmity" towards the Islamic state... "We had announced previously that on certain issues, if we feel it is expedient, we would negotiate with the Satan (the United States) to deter its evil," Khamenei told a gathering, reported by the official IRNA news agency.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Thursday that nuclear negotiations with world powers had revealed US "enmity" towards the Islamic state... "We had announced previously that on certain issues, if we feel it is expedient, we would negotiate with the Satan (the United States) to deter its evil," Khamenei told a gathering, reported by the official IRNA news agency.
NSA developed software for backdoor access to iPhones
The U.S. National Security Agency was developing in 2008 a software implant for Apple iPhones that allowed the agency to take almost total control of the device, including retrieving text messages and voicemail and remotely turning on its microphone and camera, according to a report by the German magazine Der Spiegel. The implant, code-named DROPOUTJEEP, was “in development” and initially intended for “close access” installation on a phone, with remote installation being planned for a future release...
The U.S. National Security Agency was developing in 2008 a software implant for Apple iPhones that allowed the agency to take almost total control of the device, including retrieving text messages and voicemail and remotely turning on its microphone and camera, according to a report by the German magazine Der Spiegel. The implant, code-named DROPOUTJEEP, was “in development” and initially intended for “close access” installation on a phone, with remote installation being planned for a future release...
Ark Of The Covenant Location Found? Newly Translated Text Reveals Where King Solomon’s Treasures May Have Been Hidden
"Some of these [treasures] were hidden in various locations in the Land of Israel and in Babylonia, while others were delivered into the hands of the angels...,” wrote James Davila, a professor at the University of St. Andrews... Davila drew parallels between the treatise and another ancient text...On the Copper Scroll, now housed at the Jordan Museum in Amman, is inscribed a list of locations at which various gold and silver items were buried or hidden long ago.
"Some of these [treasures] were hidden in various locations in the Land of Israel and in Babylonia, while others were delivered into the hands of the angels...,” wrote James Davila, a professor at the University of St. Andrews... Davila drew parallels between the treatise and another ancient text...On the Copper Scroll, now housed at the Jordan Museum in Amman, is inscribed a list of locations at which various gold and silver items were buried or hidden long ago.
Future Weapons of the NSA: Quantum Computers
The NSA is monopolizing the security landscape, The Washington Post reported that the U.S. Intelligence Agency spending a significant effort to develop a computer that could break the majority of encryption algorithms and applications that use them. The intent is to improve the surveillance capabilities of the agency, breaking principal encryption systems the NSA could spy on other foreign spying applications and banking platforms.
The NSA is monopolizing the security landscape, The Washington Post reported that the U.S. Intelligence Agency spending a significant effort to develop a computer that could break the majority of encryption algorithms and applications that use them. The intent is to improve the surveillance capabilities of the agency, breaking principal encryption systems the NSA could spy on other foreign spying applications and banking platforms.
Making Asimov proud: New algorithm can detect where atrocities will occur
you’ve most likely read at least a few Asimov novels, and you know what psychohistory is – a fictional science which combines history, sociology, and mathematical statistics to make general predictions about the future behavior of very large groups of people. Now, researchers have made important steps towards such an algorithm. The new algorithm was developed by Xiaoshi Li of Beijing, a data scientist who took the top $12,000 prize in the organizations’ Tech Challenge for Atrocity Prevention.
you’ve most likely read at least a few Asimov novels, and you know what psychohistory is – a fictional science which combines history, sociology, and mathematical statistics to make general predictions about the future behavior of very large groups of people. Now, researchers have made important steps towards such an algorithm. The new algorithm was developed by Xiaoshi Li of Beijing, a data scientist who took the top $12,000 prize in the organizations’ Tech Challenge for Atrocity Prevention.
Giant Sunspot, Larger Than Earth's Diameter, Appears On Sun
An enormous sunspot, labeled AR1944, slipped into view over the sun's left horizon late on Jan. 1, 2014. The sunspot steadily moved toward the right, along with the rotation of the sun, and now sits almost dead center, as seen in the image above from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory.
An enormous sunspot, labeled AR1944, slipped into view over the sun's left horizon late on Jan. 1, 2014. The sunspot steadily moved toward the right, along with the rotation of the sun, and now sits almost dead center, as seen in the image above from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory.
Britons reporting record levels of anti-immigration attitudes
Despite potential risks to national economic performance, 77 percent of Britons want reductions in the number of new arrivals to their country, according to the findings of a new public opinion poll. A whopping eight out of 10 Britons now believe that immigration rates should be limited.
Despite potential risks to national economic performance, 77 percent of Britons want reductions in the number of new arrivals to their country, according to the findings of a new public opinion poll. A whopping eight out of 10 Britons now believe that immigration rates should be limited.
First deadly case of avian flu confirmed in North America
Health Minister Rona Ambrose revealed that the individual was a resident of Alberta who had travelled to Beijing, China. During the press-conference the minister added that the case is “isolated” and the risk to the general population remains low. “This case is not part of the seasonal flu,” she said.
Health Minister Rona Ambrose revealed that the individual was a resident of Alberta who had travelled to Beijing, China. During the press-conference the minister added that the case is “isolated” and the risk to the general population remains low. “This case is not part of the seasonal flu,” she said.
Islamic extremism to blame as Christian deaths nearly double in a year – report
At least 2,100 Christians because of their beliefs in 2013 according to a group monitoring persecution of Christians worldwide. Most of the dead were in Syria, where radical Islamist groups have clamped down on a long-established religious minority.
At least 2,100 Christians because of their beliefs in 2013 according to a group monitoring persecution of Christians worldwide. Most of the dead were in Syria, where radical Islamist groups have clamped down on a long-established religious minority.
STORM WARNING
NOAA forecasters estimate a 90% chance of geomagnetic storms on Jan. 9th when a CME is expected to hit Earth's magnetic field. The speed of the solar wind around Earth could spike to 700 km/s (1.6 million mph) shortly after the impact, sharply compressing Earth's magnetosphere. High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras.
NOAA forecasters estimate a 90% chance of geomagnetic storms on Jan. 9th when a CME is expected to hit Earth's magnetic field. The speed of the solar wind around Earth could spike to 700 km/s (1.6 million mph) shortly after the impact, sharply compressing Earth's magnetosphere. High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras.
How The U.S. Employs Overseas Sweatshops To Produce Government Uniforms
The following article from the New York Times is extraordinarily important as it perfectly highlights the incredible hypocrisy of the U.S. government when it comes to overseas slave labor and human rights. While the Obama Administration (and the ones that came before it) publicly espouse self-important platitudes about our dedication to humanitarianism, when it comes down to practicing what we preach, our government fails miserably and is directly responsible for immense human suffering.
The following article from the New York Times is extraordinarily important as it perfectly highlights the incredible hypocrisy of the U.S. government when it comes to overseas slave labor and human rights. While the Obama Administration (and the ones that came before it) publicly espouse self-important platitudes about our dedication to humanitarianism, when it comes down to practicing what we preach, our government fails miserably and is directly responsible for immense human suffering.
88-year-old German charged in 1944 Nazi massacre of French civilians
German authorities said Wednesday they have charged an 88-year-old former member of an SS armored division with 25 counts of murder over allegations that he took part in the largest civilian massacre in Nazi-occupied France.
German authorities said Wednesday they have charged an 88-year-old former member of an SS armored division with 25 counts of murder over allegations that he took part in the largest civilian massacre in Nazi-occupied France.
Suicide bomber kills 13 Iraqi army recruits in Baghdad
A suicide bomber killed 13 Iraqi army recruits and wounded more than 30 in Baghdad on Thursday, police said, in an attack on men responding to a government appeal for volunteers to help fight al Qaeda-linked militants in Anbar province. Police said a man with an explosive vest had blown himself up as recruits were registering their names at the small Muthanna airfield, now used by the army in the Iraqi capital.
A suicide bomber killed 13 Iraqi army recruits and wounded more than 30 in Baghdad on Thursday, police said, in an attack on men responding to a government appeal for volunteers to help fight al Qaeda-linked militants in Anbar province. Police said a man with an explosive vest had blown himself up as recruits were registering their names at the small Muthanna airfield, now used by the army in the Iraqi capital.
What’s worse than an Iranian bomb? An Iranian almost-bomb
For all of their sharp disagreements over the particulars of foreign policy, everyone in Washington seems to agree on one thing — that the overarching objective of American policy toward Iran should be, as President Barack Obama frequently intones, to “prevent Iran from building a nuclear weapon.”
For all of their sharp disagreements over the particulars of foreign policy, everyone in Washington seems to agree on one thing — that the overarching objective of American policy toward Iran should be, as President Barack Obama frequently intones, to “prevent Iran from building a nuclear weapon.”
China Vehicle Sales Beat 20 Million as Smog Chokes Cities
China became the first country in which more than 20 million vehicles were sold in any given year as Toyota Motor Corp. (7203) to General Motors Co. (GM) and Volkswagen AG (VOW) delivered a record number of cars there.
China became the first country in which more than 20 million vehicles were sold in any given year as Toyota Motor Corp. (7203) to General Motors Co. (GM) and Volkswagen AG (VOW) delivered a record number of cars there.
Vatican and Pope Francis Seek New Demon Exorcists
The Catholic Church says it's dealing with a spike in Satanic worship by training a growing team of specialized priests to keep the devil at bay. A new push to train priests in Italy and Spain to perform the mysterious rite of exorcism could rid these two Catholic countries of their demons—or at least confront a growth in occult worship.
The Catholic Church says it's dealing with a spike in Satanic worship by training a growing team of specialized priests to keep the devil at bay. A new push to train priests in Italy and Spain to perform the mysterious rite of exorcism could rid these two Catholic countries of their demons—or at least confront a growth in occult worship.
Pro-Life vs. Pro-Israel
You would expect conservative groups to go ballistic when it comes to taxpayer funding of abortions, but when Israel announced just that last month, the news was greeted with a subdued response among pro-life and pro-Israel groups in the U.S. Israel will pay for all approved abortions for women aged 20 to 33, thanks to a recommendation accepted by its health ministry. Starting this year, Israel will spend 16 million shekels ($4.6 million) to cover abortions for approximately 6,300 women.
You would expect conservative groups to go ballistic when it comes to taxpayer funding of abortions, but when Israel announced just that last month, the news was greeted with a subdued response among pro-life and pro-Israel groups in the U.S. Israel will pay for all approved abortions for women aged 20 to 33, thanks to a recommendation accepted by its health ministry. Starting this year, Israel will spend 16 million shekels ($4.6 million) to cover abortions for approximately 6,300 women.
What is the Pretribulation Rapture?
The rapture is an event that will take place sometime in the near future. Jesus will come in the air, catch up the Church from the earth, and then return to heaven with the Church. The Apostle Paul gave a clear description of the rapture event in his letters to the Thessalonians and Corinthians."For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words." (1 Thess, 4:16-18).
"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. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal [must] put on immortality" (1 Cor. 15:51-53).
The timing of the rapture is not known. From the Word of God and from sound reasoning--something Jesus used quite frequently--I hope to prove the reality of the pretribulation rapture.
The word "rapture" comes from Paul's "caught up" remark in verse 17. The words "caught up" are translated from the Greek word harpazo, which means "to carry off," "snatch up," or "grasp hastily." The translation from harpazo to "rapture" involved two steps: first, harpazo became the Latin word raptus; second, raptusbecame the English word "rapture."
Scriptural Evidence for the Pretribulation Rapture
The Unknown Hour
When we search the Scriptures and read the passages describing the Lord Jesus' return, we find verses that tell us we won't know the day and hour of that event. Matthew 25:13 says Jesus will return at an unknown time, while Revelation 12:6 indicates that the Jews will have to wait on the Lord 1,260 days, starting when the Antichrist stands in the Temple of God and declares himself to be God (2 Thes 2:4). This event will take place at the mid-point of the seven-year tribulation (Dan 9:27). Note that some people only see a three-and-a-half-year tribulation. In a way, they are correct because the first half of the tribulation will be relatively peaceful compared to the second half.
Nonetheless, peaceful or not, there still remains a seven-year period called the tribulation. When the Jews flee into the wilderness, they know that all they have to do is wait out those 1,260 days (Mat 24:16). There is no way to apply the phrase "neither the day nor the hour" to this situation. The only way for these two viewpoints to be true is to separate the two distinct events transpiring here: 1) the rapture of the Church, which comes before the tribulation; and 2) the return of Jesus to the earth, which takes place roughly seven years later.
The Marriage Supper of the Lamb
In Luke 12:36, the Word states that when Christ returns, He will be returning from a wedding. In Revelation 19:7-8, we read about the marriage itself. The marriage supper takes place before the marriage. According to Jewish custom, the marriage contract, which often includes a dowry, is drawn up first. The contract parallels the act of faith we use when we trust Jesus to be our Savior. The dowry is His life, which was used to purchase us. When it's time for the wedding, the groom goes to the bride's house unannounced. She comes out to meet him, and then he takes her to his father's house. This precisely correlates with the events according to the pre-trib scenario. Jesus, the Groom, comes down from heaven and calls up the Church, His Bride. After meeting in the air, He and His Bride return to His Father's house, heaven. The marriage supper itself will take place there, while down here on earth the final events of the tribulation will be playing out. After the marriage supper of Jewish tradition, the bride and groom are presented to the world as man and wife. This corresponds to the time when Jesus returns to earth accompanied by an army "clothed in fine linen, white and clean" (Rev 19:14).
What They Didn't Teach You in History Class
Many groups try to discredit the pre-trib rapture by saying most of the end-time events in the Bible have already taken place. A group of people called preterists claims that the Book of Revelation was mostly fulfilled by 70 AD. If the events described in the Book of Revelation took place in the past, I'm at a loss to explain some of the current situations I see around us: the rebirth of Israel, the reunification of Europe, the number of global wars that have occurred, and the development of nuclear weapons. During history class, I must have slept through the part where the teacher talked about the time when a third of the trees were burned up, 100-pound hailstones fell from the sky, and the sea turned into blood (Rev 8:7-8, 16:21). I think several people would have to question their opposition to the pre-trib rapture doctrine if they knew that the evidence provided to them was based on the understanding that most tribulation prophecies have already occurred.
The People of the Millennium
If Christ were to come back after the tribulation, rapture all the saints, and slay all the ungodly, who would be left to populate the earth during the millennium? Only the pre-trib viewpoint can account for this post-trib problem. The Church is raptured before the tribulation, a vast number of souls are saved during this seven-year time frame, and those who make it through the tribulation go into the millennium while the unsaved are cast into hell.
The Saint U-Turn
In the pre-trib scenario, after we rise to meet the Lord in the air, we will go to heaven and abide there seven years. At the end of that period, Christ will come down to earth, defeat the Antichrist, and cleanse the temple. In a post-trib rapture, we would rise in the air to meet the Lord, then do a 180-degree U-turn and come back down to earth. Revelation 1:7 states that Christ will appear out of the clouds and come down to earth. Zechariah 14:4 says that His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives. If He's already headed our way, why would we need to be caught up to meet Him?
"Come Up Hither"
Many pre-trib writers cite Revelation 4:1, which says, "come up hither," as a prophetic reference to the rapture of the Church, leaving Revelation chapters 1 through 3 as a description of the Church Age. After the shout to "come up hither," the Church is not mentioned in Scripture at all. The attention of Scripture switches from the Church to the Jews living in Israel.
Armies in Fine Linen
When Jesus returns (Rev. 19:18), an army follows Him. The army's members are riding on white horses, and they are clothed in fine linen that is white and clean. In Revelation 19:8, we are told that the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints. If the saints of God are returning with Christ to wage war on the Antichrist, then it is not possible to have a post-trib rapture without us running into ourselves as we are coming and going.
The Time of Jacob's Trouble
In several passages, the Bible refers to the tribulation as a time of trouble for the Jews. The phrase "Jacob's trouble" pertains to the descendants of Jacob. Jeremiah 30:7 says that this time of trouble will come just before the Lord returns to save His people. The final week of Daniel's 70th week is yet to take place. An angel told Daniel that, "70 weeks are determined unto thy people" (Dan 9:24). Scripture never mentions that the tribulation is meant to be a time of testing for Christians. However, some post-tribbers try to claim that they are the ones being tested during the tribulation. To make this so, they need to spiritualize the 144,000 Jewish believers in Revelation 7:2-8 who receive God's protective seal. Placing the Church dispensation into the same time frame as the seven-year Jewish dispensation, as the post-tribbers do, raises one good question: Can two dispensations transpire at the same time? In the past, God has only dealt with one at a time. Having both present during the tribulation would have to be an exception.
"He" That is Taken Out of the Way
Before the Antichrist can be revealed, Paul said a certain "He" must be taken out of the way. According to 2 Thessalonians 2:7, the "He" that must be removed is widely thought to be the Holy Spirit. It has been promised that the Holy Spirit would never leave the Church, and without the working of the Holy Spirit remaining on earth, no one could be saved during the tribulation. The removal of the Church, which is indwelt by the Holy Ghost, would seem the best explanation for this dilemma. The working of the Holy Spirit could go on during the tribulation, but His influence would be diminished because of the missing Church.
War or Rapture
(Rev 19:19-21) When Jesus returns at the end of the tribulation, He will be coming for battle. For those who believe in a post-trib rapture, it would be strange to meet your Lord and Savior just as He's rushing into battle. The idea that war and rapture could occur together is difficult to imagine, especially since they transpire at the same moment.
The Five Foolish Virgins
The wedding story that Jesus gave in Matthew 25:2-13, I believe, is a parable of the rapture of the Church. It explains how some will not be ready. Jesus clearly states that a group of people will miss out on an event, and will cry out to God to let them into the place where He resides, heaven. Although some try to put this parable in a post-trib context, it doesn't fit very well. The ones left behind in a post-trib rapture will not need to seek the Lord because they'll immediately be confronted by Him and His army of angels.
God Hath Not Appointed Us to Wrath
In 1 Thessalonians 5:9, Paul assures us that God has not appointed His people to wrath. This wrath is plainly God's anger that will be poured out during the tribulation. Pre-trib believers interpret this as meaning that Christians will be removed from the earth. Post-trib believers tell a different story. They describe this as meaning that God will protect Christians during the tribulation and pour this wrath out on the unbelievers only. This idea runs against the statement made in Revelation 13:7, in which the Antichrist is given power to make war with the saints and to overcome them. A post-trib view would make God's promise of protection from wrath into a lie. In years past, it was possible to think of being protected from the guns and swords of that day. Today, when any major war would involve nuclear and chemical weapons, it's impossible to expect that same kind of protection. When Nagasaki, Japan was bombed during World War II, the bomb exploded over a Catholic church. Everyone who was in the center of the explosion died--both Christians and non-Christians. The only way to validly interpret God's promise of protection from wrath is by viewing 1 Thessalonians 5:9 as the bodily removal of the Church from this world.
The Salt of the Earth
Jesus said, "Ye are the salt of the earth" (Matthew 5:13). When the believers are supenly removed, the earth will be plunged into spiritual darkness. When this happens, the Antichrist will then be free to control the world.
God Takes an Inventory
In Revelation 7:3, an angel descends to earth and seals the servants of God. Two bits of information about this sealing highly disclaim a post-trib viewpoint. The first item is the number of people sealed: 144,000. The second one is that all those who are sealed are from the 12 tribes of Israel. For the events in Revelation 7:3-8 to be true in a post-trib interpretation, either the Church has turned against God or God has turned against the Church. A post-tribber could write a thousand-word commentary about why the Church doesn't need to be sealed. Instead of trying to argue about why the Church is not mentioned or sealed, a pre-trib proponent could just say, "We're already in heaven."
Noah and Lot as Examples
The tribulation period is compared to the times of Noah and Lot by Jesus in Luke 17:28. Most people argue over whether the time frame Jesus was talking about in that passage was pre-trib or post-trib. In doing so, they miss an important point. The two circumstances that the Noah and Lot situations have in common are the removal of the righteous and the judgment of the unbelievers. From these two accounts, we see that God prefers to remove His own when danger is involved.
The World TestCommon-Sense Reasons for Believing in the Pretribulation Rapture
One way to check the soundness of a doctrine is to see how the world reacts to it. One company put out a questionnaire that was used to screen prospective employees. One of the questions was, "Do you believe in the rapture?" If you answered "yes," your chances of getting hired would not be good. Some internet sites do not allow the topics of Rapture or Second Coming. They do allow topics such as sex, gays, and drugs. The only time the news media mentions the rapture is when someone sets a date and is proven to be wrong.
That Old-Time Religion
It used to be a rule of thumb that when one was visiting a church or listening to a preacher, one could assume the preacher believed in repentance, prayer, and the baptism of the Holy Ghost if he taught the rapture doctrine. It was also true that the churches on fire for God worshipped out of storefronts. Today, many of those storefront churches have moved into marble palaces and have strayed from their principal doctrines.
Birds of a Feather Flock Together
Whenever I look at all the groups that teach false doctrine and are highly focused on end-time events, I cannot find any that support the rapture theory. Some organizations, the Jehovah's Witnesses, for example, teach a false gospel and are heavily into Bible prophecy. Why, then, don't Jehovah's Witnesses teach a false doctrine that would be right up their alley? Could it be that the demonic forces that influence these groups know something that Christians opposed to the rapture don't know? The list of prophetically minded cults that reject the idea of a rapture goes on and on. Here are some more: the Mormons, the Worldwide Church of God and the Moonies, as well as leaders like Jim Jones and David Koresh.
The Church Would Rebuke the Antichrist
If the Antichrist came to power with the Church still here, I do not see how he could operate. When Hitler was fighting to take over England, a number of Christians were praying for victory. Hitler made mistake after mistake, and England outperformed its enemy at every stage of the conflict. It is difficult to measure the impact of intercessory prayer in physical warfare. Little is known of how great a role praying saints played in the defeat of Nazi Germany. If the Church were to reside on earth during the tribulation, I am sure she would give the Antichrist fits. In Revelation 11:3, the two witnesses alone give the Antichrist enough headaches. Millions of Christians who know their Bibles well would recognize the man of sin and pray fire down on his head. The post-trib view would have to plan on the Church just rolling over and playing dead the whole seven years.
We should all remember one thing: Knowing the Antichrist's mother's maiden name isn't the primary goal. Knowing Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and having your name written in the Lamb's Book of Life should be your number-one priority. The jailer asked Paul, "What must I do to be saved?" The answer was, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved" (Acts 16:30-31).
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Todd Strandberg
Defending The Pre-trib RaptureAfter reading countless messages and articles that attack the pre-trib rapture, I've noticed a certain number of arguments that are repeatedly sent to me.
Instead of trying to answer every individual e-mail I receive, I thought it would be a good idea to create a web page that addresses the most commonly mentioned points of debate. This way, I can avoid repeating myself so many times; thereby, maintain my sanity.
Nowhere in the Bible, can you find the word "rapture"
It amazes me that some folks write to me, questioning the validity of the rapture, simply because the word "rapture" doesn't appear in the Bible.
With 1 Thes 4:16-18 giving us such a clear description of the rapture, you would have to conclude that some people are just playing games with the Word of God. I could change the name of my site to "Catching Up Ready" to satisfy these folks, but I hardly think that would improve things.
Their logic fails because there are a huge number of words that don't appear in the Bible, including the word "Bible." Because God's Word was originally written in Hebrew and Greek, one could truthfully say that no English words are in the Bible. Let's take a look at 1 Thes 4:16-18 in the original Greek:
4:16 oti autos o kurios en keleusmati en fwnh arcaggelou kai en salpiggi qeou katabhsetai ap ouranou kai oi nekroi en cristw anasthsontai prwton 4:17 epeita hmeis oi zwntes oi perileipomenoi ama sun autois arpaghsomeqa en nefelais eis apanthsin tou kuriou eis aera kai outws pantote sun kuriw esomeqa 4:18 wste parakaleite allhlous en tois logois toutois
I don't see the dead in Christ rising, Jesus descending from heaven, and us meeting Him in the air. So the cynics are right: the word "rapture" is nowhere to be found. All I see is gobbledygook.
For the record, the word "rapture" comes from the Latin word "rapturo," which in turn was a translation of the Greek verb "caught up" found in 1 Thes 4:17. You can call it the pre-trib rapture, the pre-trib rapturo, or the pre-trib caught up--it's all the same thing.
Nowhere in the Bible does it directly say that the Church will be raptured before the tribulation.
Pre-trib opponents should have thought this one through because any pre-tribulationist has the same right to say, "Nowhere in the Bible does it directly say the Church will go through the tribulation."
Jesus did say, "Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh" (Matthew 24:44). The only time frame I can think of when we believers would not be expecting Jesus to return would have to be before the tribulation.
The Margaret MacDonald Origin
One of the most widely circulated attacks against the pre-trib rapture is the notion that a girl named Margaret MacDonald started this theological view back in 1830. The claim is typically made that MacDonald received a demonic vision, passed it on to John Darby, who in turn popularized it. Disproving this assertion proves rather easy. Pre-trib scholars have discovered a host of rapture writings that predate Margaret MacDonald.
Epharaem the Syrian said, in 373 AD, "For all the saints and Elect of God are gathered, prior to the tribulation that is to come, and are taken to the Lord lest they see the confusion that is to overwhelm the world because of our sins."
One post-trib author offered a reward to anyone who could find a quote that predated MacDonald. He had to quickly cough up the money when someone identified a scholar who wrote about the pre-trib rapture several years before MacDonald. As of late, dozens of examples have been found, and the literary surface has hardly been scratched.
With the revealing of all these pre-MacDonald writings, you would think that this argument has been debunked. Unfortunately, this is not the case. We seem to be involved in a tug-of-war with the truth. Apparently, due to their lack of research, pre-trib opponents continue to pump out publications that cite MacDonald as the originator of the pre-trib rapture.
The Last Trumpet Argument
Because Paul, in 1 Cor. 15:52 and 1 Thes 4:16, said believers would be raptured at the sounding of a trump, many folks have tried to make it appear that the rapture trumps are the same trumpets found in Revelation 11:15-18, Joel 2:1, and Mat 24:31--which all occur during the tribulation.
When you have trumpets commonly used throughout the Bible, I think it's foolish to just assume any two of the 62 trumps or trumpets are prophetically related. To be able to make the claim that the tribulation trumpet soundings are the same as the rapture trumps, you would need a direct statement saying this is the case.
In the movies Ben-Hur and The Wizard of Oz, I recall hearing the sounding of trumpets. Are both these trumpets somehow prophetically related?
If your friend John said he went to his favorite restaurant last night, and another friend Larry said he also went to his favorite restaurant last night, is it logical for you to assume they both went to the same restaurant? Obviously not, because even though John and Larry went to their favorite restaurants, they may have had two different eating establishments in mind. The same logic should apply with the word trumpet.
With such a blind devotion to this one similarity, I have to wonder if these last-tumpeters are able to distinguish the difference between Tylenol and Exlax. They're both over-the-counter drugs, they come in pill form, and they can also be found in a medicine cabinet. Of course, one will make your headache disappear and the other will make your toilet paper disappear.
Pre-wrath proponents say that the Seventh Trumpet blown in Rev 11:15-18 is the same last trump Paul spoke of in 1 Cor 15:52. However, they fail to take into account the fact that John wrote Revelation 40 years after Paul wrote his first epistle to the Corinthians. How could Paul refer to something that was not yet revealed?
Post-tribbers use a trumpet sounding in Joel 2:1 as evidence for a post-trib rapture on the Day of the Lord. I have three problems with Joel 2:1:
1. Joel clearly says that the purpose for blowing the trumpet is to "sound an alarm."
2. According to 1 Cor 15:52, the rapture is something that occurs in the twinkling of an eye. Joel 2:1 says the Day of the Lord is nigh at hand. In order for Joel's trumpet to be the same one in 1 Cor. there would have to be a time delay between the sounding of the trumpet and the rapture of the Church.
3. The fact that there is another trumpet being sounded in Joel 2:15 further clouds the possibility that these trumpets could have anything to do with the rapture.
When Paul was writing to the Corinthians, he specifically said "the" last trump. During the Feast of Trumpets, the Jews blow short trumpet blasts. They end the feast with a long blast from what is called the last trump, which is blown the longest. Judaism has traditionally connected this last trump with the resurrection of the dead. Paul also made the connection. For many Christians, the association between the rapture and the Feast of Trumpets is so strong, they look for the rapture to someday occur on this feast.
The Day of the Lord Argument
A number people have attempted to refute the pre-trib rapture by trying to associate the "Day of the Lord" with a catching-up of believers at the end of the tribulation. They base their rapture views solely on the idea that the "Day of the Lord" and the rapture are either synonymous or somehow linked together.
The Achilles heel of their argument has to be the notion that the "Day of the Lord" and various other "days" of an end-time context refers to a 24 hour period that occurs at or near the end of the tribulation. Probably the most commonly cited verse is 1 Thessalonians 5:2 where Paul tells us the "Day of the Lord" will come "as a thief in the night."
I've read countless articles that describe the "Day of the Lord" as Christ's advent at Armageddon. These articles go on to say that, because Paul also tells us the Lord will come "as a thief," we have a direct link to the same description that is applied to noted rapture verses.
It's rather obvious that those trying to rely on the "Day of the Lord" never bothered to validate the meaning of this particular day. I've checked a number of commentaries on the "Day of the Lord" and many of them define this as being an all-encompassing period that begins with the Great Tribulation. Let's examine some verses that clearly indicate that the term "day" is used to represent a broader time period.
II Peter 3:10-13
The "Day of the Lord" Peter spoke of in second Peter, cannot be a one day event because it mentions the destruction of the earth by fire and its renovation. Rev 21:11 tells us the earth will not be renewed until after Christ's 1000 year reign.
Joel 2:11-20
The "Day of the Lord" Joel describes, includes the defeat of the northern army. Ezk. 38 and 39 is parallel passage. Most scholars would time the destruction of the Gog army as occurring before in the first half of the tribulation.
John 12:48
In the book of John, Jesus uses the term "last day" to indicate when the lost would be judged. Rev 20 makes it clear that the unsaved will not be judged until after the millennium--yet another 1000 year gap.
Hebrews 10:25
One of the best indications that most of the various "day" references are citing a general time period can be found in Hebrews 10:25: "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching."
Surely, Paul would not be warning us to watch for a day that would be coming at the end of the tribulation. That type of logic would be like warning children, as they cross the road, to watch out for tail lights.
The First Resurrection
I've heard some folks say, "There cannot be a pre-trib rapture because to have one would require a second resurrection at Christ's return to earth." This conclusion is drawn from Revelation 20:
"But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years" (Rev 20:5-6).
One pre-trib writer, explaining this passage, said, "The first did not mean first in time, but rather first in kind." The first resurrection was for God's people the second will be for the unsaved.
A quick way to shoot down the notion that the first resurrection is tied to a specific date, as opposed to a more general time frame, is to take note of the tribulation rapture of the two witnesses and the 144,000 Jewish evangelists. At the mid-point of the tribulation, the two witnesses are killed by the Antichrist, resurrected by God, and then caught up into heaven (Rev 11:3-12).
Revelation chapter 7 describes the sealing of the 144,000 Jewish evangelists just before the Beast issues his mark. Sometime during the latter half of the tribulation, Revelation chapter 14 indicates they will be "redeemed from the earth," standing before the throne of God.
Confusion over Confusion: 2 Thes 2:1-6
Because Paul, in 2 Thessalonians, said the Antichrist would be revealed before the Day of the Christ, post and pre-wrath adherents frequently try to cite this passage as one that refutes the pre-trib rapture.
To quell the Thessalonian's misunderstanding that they had somehow entered the tribulation, Paul told them the Antichrist must first be revealed. By telling them they had no reason to panic, Paul is clearly disputing the idea that the Thessalonians could someday find themselves facing the tribulation hour.
I'm constantly being irked by Post-trib and pre-wrath folks' consistent, or better yet deliberate, failure to accept the simple fact that the pre-trib doctrine calls for a rapture and a second coming. Because they only glean the prophetic word for one event--the second coming--they're unable to recognize pre-trib rapture passages.
Of course, when you fuse the two advents together, you end up with verses that appear to contradict each other: 1 Thessalonians 5:9, "For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ," and Revelation 13:7, "And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations."
Reverse Logic Stuck In Reverse
Many people are against the pre-trib rapture simply because they see it as being the dominant view on the timing of Christ's return for the Church. The anti-pretribulationists often think they are the last remaining true believers. I'm simply dumbfounded over why some people choose rebellion against the majority view as their guide for finding truth.
The measurement of popularity alone is a terrible way to determine something's validity. It is particularly strange when people solely rely on the contrarian view to judge truth from fiction. I utilize contrarian views all the time to help determine what is truthful; however, it would be a terrible mistake on my part if I made Contrarianism the core foundation of any of my beliefs.
If you're using reverse logic, you need to support your conclusions. The vast majority of the population would agree that apples grow on apple trees and cherries grow on cheery trees. The pure novelty of the opposite being true does not in any way help make it so. Unless you see farmers gluing apples onto cherry trees or picking cherries from apple trees, you have no basis to think that these two fruits do not grow on anything but the trees that share the same name.
Some people are clearly more in love with the idea of a conspiracy than they are the truth. Every time an airplane crashes to the earth there's someone who will proclaim it was caused by anything from an act of terrorism to a bizarre government plot. It's just not exciting enough to say it was a mechanical problem that led to the crash.
The idea that the pre-trib rapture is the dominant view is not correct in the first place. Most evangelicals would say they look for a pre-trib rapture, but if you include all Christians, pretribulationists would rank third behind post-trib and preterist adherents.
Persecute Me Please
You would think the desire to go through the tribulation would be as popular as the desire to jump into a pit filled with vipers and broken glass. As illogical as it may seem, there appears to be a large number of Christians that fully expect to get roughed up before Christ returns.
Many Christians argue strongly for the right to suffer persecution at the hands of the Antichrist and the one world government. These tribulation saint wannabees constantly harp, "Because Jesus and His disciples suffered persecution, we should expect no better." It's been my experience that people with the weakest faith are generally the ones that talk the boldest. When the slightest difficulty comes their way, they cry to high heaven.
I hate to be the bearer of good news, but the word of God clearly states that believers will escape the tribulation bloodbath. "For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thes 5:9). "Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth" (Rev 3:10).
In one regard, people who think the Church will go through the tribulation are somewhat correct. I believe a huge number people--who are Christians in name only--will find themselves left behind. By having the rapture before the tribulation, all those who find themselves facing the wrath of God will be without an excuse.
No Secret Rapture
"There is no secret rapture" is the beginning declaration of a large percentage of messages that attack the rapture. Rarely is this statement backed by supporting scriptural evidence. A few people will cite Rev 1:17, "every eye shall see him," as proof that the rapture will not be a secret event. Of course, I would immediately note that "every eye shall see him" is the second coming.
I have a hard time understanding how these folks could think pretribulationists preach a secret rapture. We seem to be doing our very best to popularize the rapture before it takes place. I doubt that, afterwards, with all the car wrecks, plane crashes, and missing persons reports, the rapture will remain a secret occurrence.
The only people I know who are attempting to keep the pre-trib rapture a secret are its critics. Pre-wrath and post-trib folks have the national media and the liberal churches as their allies in their ongoing effort to silence all knowledge of the "blessed hope."
No Imminency
Because an imminent or any moment rapture is one of the major teachings of pre-tribulationists, opponents of this view attempt to dismantle the imminency of the rapture.
Although Jesus said, "Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come" (Mat 24:42), advocates for knowing the "day" will claim this only applies to the unsaved. I hear arguments like, "Surely a loving father would tell his own children when he's coming for them."
To try to get around "no man know the hour," a popular scripture often cited is: "But yea brethren, are not in darkness that that day should overtake you as a thief" (1 Thes 5:4).
Despite all their monkeying with scripture, pre-trib detractors just cannot escape Jesus' restriction against knowing the timing of the rapture. In fact, our Lord was so restrictive about the rapture, He said its occurrence would come as a total surprise. "Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh" (Matthew 24:44).
Now as far as the second coming goes, the Bible couldn't be plainer. It clearly states that Jesus will return 1260 days from the moment the Antichrist sits in the Temple of God and declares himself to be God. Because there exists both a known and an unknown date, many scholars have logically concluded that there must be two different events occurring--the rapture and the second coming.
The Restrainer
In 2 Thessalonians the Apostle Paul speaks of a "he" that will restrain the advent of the Antichrist. The restrainer's removal is required before the Antichrist can be revealed.
2 Thessalonians 2:6-8, "And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming."
A debate has erupted over the identity of the Restrainer because if this "he" is the Holy Ghost, the only real explanation for his removal would be the rapture of the Church, which is indwelled by him. The strongest argument offered against the Holy Spirit being the Restrainer is the belief that if God's Spirit was ever removed from the earth, no one could then be saved. The removal of the Holy Ghost does not have to be an all or nothing proposition. I believe his being "taken out of the way" will only be a degree of removal.
Before the Church Age, people were able to find salvation, which obviously meant the Holy Spirit was at work on earth. When the outpouring of the Holy Ghost occurred at Pentecost, we didn't have a second Holy Spirit come to earth. His removal at the rapture will only be a reversal or ending of the Pentecostal outpouring.
Replacementism
Because Revelation places a strong emphasis on Israel during the tribulation, and not on the church, most post-tribulationists have adopted a replacement theology view in order to maintain the focus on them.
Replacementism is the view that Israel, having failed God, has been replaced by the Church. The Church is now seen as spiritual Israel and spiritual Jerusalem. This teaching claims that all the promises and blessings, in fact Israel's entire inheritance, now belongs to the Church. However, all is not lost for Israel; it gets to keep all the curses.
Dispensational theology, taught by nearly all pre-tribulationists, teaches that God has separate strategies for dealing with the Church and the Jews. When you consider the change in focus, during the tribulation, from the Church to Israel, the pre-trib rapture provides a good explanation for this transfer of attention.
To say that Israel is no longer God's chosen people is really playing with fire because the Antichrist will likely be saying the same thing when he tries to destroy the Jews during the tribulation. I look for people that hold to replacementism to be in the cheering section when the Beast goes on his Jew-killing campaign. "The Lord will not reject his people; he will never forsake his inheritance" (Psalm 94:14).
"This is what the Lord says, he who appoints the sun to shine by day, who decrees the moon and stars to shine by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar - the Lord Almighty is his name: 'Only if these decrees vanish from my sight,' declares the Lord, 'will the descendants of Israel ever cease to be a nation before me'" (Jeremiah 31:35-36).
RAPTURE READY Nearing midnight PERSPECTIVE
Jan 6, 2013
Trouble Brewing in the Canary Islands
Trouble Brewing in the Canary Islands
The Canary Islands are a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 60 miles west of the border between Morocco and Western Sahara. There are 7 main islands in the chain with tall volcanoes and steep canyons. The Canary Islands have long been a major tourist destination with over 12 million visitors per year. Geological properties that make the Canary Islands popular with tourists also make them some of the most dangerous islands on the planet.
Because these islands are made out of brittle basaltic lava and subject to collapse, they have the potential to generate very large landslides. Geologists have found evidence of at least 14 large landslides, which have occurred on the banks of the Canary Islands. Two of the islands are particularly prone to this type of event.
El Hierro is the smallest and most volcanically active island of the Canary Islands.
It is where the most recent landslide occurred—the El Golfo. It involved the collapse of the northern flank of the island. The landslide formed the El Golfo valley and created a debris avalanche with a volume of 111 cubic miles. La Palma doesn’t see as many earthquakes as El Hierro, but it has a feature that warrants watching. Following a volcanic eruption in 1949 nearly half of the island’s southern flank, moved westward by several feet. It now has a crack that runs 2.5 miles in the volcanic basalt. This sword of Damocles is waiting for the next seismic event to send it crashing into the sea. Energy released by such a large-volume landslide would create a mega-tsunami. Within minutes the coast of Africa would be hit by a deluge of water over 330 feet high.
The city of Casablanca, Morocco would be wiped off the map, and almost the entire population of Western Sahara would be swallowed up by the Atlantic Ocean. and Portugal would see wave heights reaching 120 feet. After four hours it would reach Britain sending water up the Thames River and flooding London with 20 feet of water. The low lying countries of the Netherlands and Belgium would see vast tracks of land swallowed up by the seismic waves. The tsunami would lose much of its energy as it crossed the Atlantic ocean, but it would still generate a tsunami 80 feet high as it hit the U.S. coast. Only the tallest and sturdiest buildings in cities like New York, Washington and Boston would offer protection from the surge of water.
To give you an idea of the power that the people on the American coast would have to deal with, during a previous mega-tsunami, boulders the size of houses were ripped from the shore and carried several hundred feet inland. South America would also be devastated. The northern shore of Brazil sticks out directly facing the Canary Islands, and it would experience wave heights of 140 feet. There is no historic disaster to compare to a Canary Island tsunami.
The most deadly tsunami was the one that struck the coast of Indonesia in 2004, killing 240,000 people. A repeat of El Golfo would be 30 times bigger, resulting in a death toll of tens of millions. Any one sounding the alarm bell over the chance of a mega tsunami needs to contend with the fact these events take place over large time scales—but recent events make the warning necessary. In the past few weeks, there have been a string of earthquakes around the island of El Hierro. On December 27th, El Hierro saw its largest earthquake ever—a 5.4 magnitude trembler that struck off the coast at a depth of about ten miles. In the week that followed, over 500 earthquakes rattled the island. There has been little coverage of the earthquake activity by the mainstream media.
I’m sure it’s because the consequences are so horrible that ignorance is bliss. For someone living in Florida, which has an elevation of 14 feet above sea level, there is not much a southern resident of that state could do if they knew an 80 foot wall of water was headed their way at 500 mph. There is a positive side to the fact the world faces mega tsunamis and other disasters of equal intensity. Jesus said He would come back to save his church from what will be the darkest hour for mankind.
The tremors in El Hierro may be one more warning sign to: Get Ready. “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; 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. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh” (Luke 21:8-11, 25-28). --Todd
Global Warming Guffaws
In thinking on former Vice President Al Gore’s travels in his carbon footprint-spreading private jet while he preaches the globalist gospel that has at its center "global warming," it is impossible not to enjoy a good guffaw at his and the climate-change Charlies as the temperatures invariably fall, as does freezing precipitation wherever and whenever they hold their meetings.
I’m sorry to invoke schadenfreude here, but when one writes on topics as serious as ours usually are in these commentaries, one must take one’s laughs when one can--especially when they are handed to one on a silver platter…well…a white platter, perhaps is more to the point. Such a time of enjoyment over the misfortune of a group of Mr. Gore’s fellow ideological travelers presented itself in recent days. A shipload of "researchers" has made its way into the summertime of the Antarctic. Strangely, mainstream news sources as of this writing have not explained the purpose or mission of these mateys as they neared their destination.
I suppose it is cynical to hazard a guess as to why the mainstream media hasn’t reported the purpose of the mission, but the reason for the laxity of forthcoming journalistic honesty becomes obvious as the global warming hunters became landlocked–well—ice-locked, to be exact. It seems that, like Mr. Gore, his ideological kinsmen–and kinswomen—don’t have a lot of luck in finding the elusive global warming they seek. Could it be a curse cast by Mother Earth for their attempting to become too familiar with her intimate weather cycle doings? Mr. Gore certainly seems to have stirred some sort of irate behavior by the goddess he and his fellow environmental elitists so doggedly revere. Or, could it just be that global warming is a phony-baloney pursuit to extract from the rest of us confiscatory carbon emissions taxes to fund the one-world order they seek to build and rule over? Hmmm...ya think?
At any rate, the following excerpted story is a hoot, in my estimation. You might have heard about it a number of times, but it is simply too delicious to not repeat here. Somewhere far, far to the south where it is summer, a group of global warming scientists are trapped in the Antarctic ice. If you missed the irony of that situation, it is because much of the mainstream media has glossed over that rather inconvenient bit of hilarity. As an example here is an Associated Press story that avoids mentioning the real mission of the scientists aboard the icebound Russian ship:
The Snow Dragon icebreaker came within 7 miles (11 kilometers) of the Russian ship MV Akademik Shokalskiy, which has been stuck since Christmas Eve, but had to retreat after the ice became too thick, said expedition spokesman Alvin Stone. The Akademik Shokalskiy, which has been on a research expedition to Antarctica, got stuck Tuesday after a blizzard's whipping winds pushed the sea ice around the ship, freezing it in place. The ship wasn't in danger of sinking, and there are weeks' worth of supplies for the 74 scientists, tourists and crew on board, but the vessel cannot move… The scientific team on board the research ship — which left New Zealand on Nov. 28 — had been recreating Australian explorer Douglas Mawson's century-old voyage to Antarctica when it became trapped…
Um, there is a bit more to the expedition than merely following in the footsteps of a century-old voyage. But what that mission really is, AP won't say. If AP is vague about the mission's purpose, Reuters provides even less information… The expedition is being led by Chris Turney, “climate scientist”, who has “set up a carbon refining company called Carbonscape which has developed technology to fix carbon from the atmosphere and make a host of green bi-products, helping reduce greenhouse gas levels.” The purpose of the expedition is “to discover and communicate the environmental changes taking place in the south.” It seems they found out what the “environmental changes taking place in the south are.” ("MSM Glosses Over Irony of Global Warming Scientists Trapped in Antarctic Ice," NewsBusters, 12/30/13)
Ah, so now we see the mainstream media's reluctance to flat out state why the scientists are in the Antarctic. Anything to avoid an inconvenient (but accurate) headline like this:
GLOBAL WARMING SCIENTISTS TRAPPED IN ANTARCTIC ICE
They are reported to have plenty of heat, food, and lots of snow from which to make water, and the ship isn't in any danger of being squashed, apparently. Plus, a Russian icebreaker, which is also stuck as of this writing, and yet another icebreaker are on the way to free the global warming research vessel from the fifteen-foot-thick ice pack. In an update on Friday, January 3, I see the global warmists have been rescued by several carbon emission-gushing helicopters and icebreakers (yet another of one which also got stuck in the growing ice). The global warming "scientists" seem happily on their way to less hostile environs. So no harm done with the schadenfreude. -- Terry
Prophecy UPDATE PERSPECTIVE
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PROPHECY UPDATE NEWS HEADLINES
Yesterday's Prophecies - Today's Headlines
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PROPHECY NEWS HEADLINES
1/8/14
HWC = Hearts Waxing Cold - Matthew 24:12
IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER...
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Netanyahu plans a national referendum on US peace framework to extend negotiations for another year -http://www.debka.com/article/23579/Netanyahu-plans-a-national-referendum-on-US-peace-framework-to-extend-negotiations-for-another-year
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is planning to conduct the first popular referendum in Israel's history to ratify the amended peace framework proposal which US Secretary of State John Kerry is drafting for presentation in the coming weeks, debkafile reveals.
The prime minister has been quoted as saying that he needs the referendum to push back "domestic pressures from the right", but in any case he believes it will be politically advantageous. He has confided to his closest circle that for the first time that he is in favor of the Kerry proposals and, although they don't see eye to eye on many of the issues, he thinks the gaps between them can be bridged.
Netanyahu is counting on the the framework accord gaining an overwhelming popular majority in referendum. Although it is not yet a final-status agreement, the document will lay out principles for solutions of the core issues at dispute between Israel and the Palestinians.
After Netanyahu and Abu Mazen affirm this paper, it will be possible to extend the negotiating time frame for a final accord by at least another year and so get past the original nine-month deadline which expires at the end of April.
Our sources add that the prime minister regards the Obama administration's acceptance of Israel as the Jewish national state to be an historic achievement of unparalleled importance. He believes he can find common ground with Secretary Kerry on Jerusalem as well. He was encouraged to learn that Kerry is working on a formula that avoids citing E. Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state, only as a goal for their national aspirations.
Intense exchanges are going back and forth on the security arrangements for the Jordan Valley which runs along Israel's eastern border, and the number and area of the Jewish settlements remaining under Israeli sovereignty.
A number of settlements outside the main blocs are due for removal, despite reports to the contrary, but the argument among the Americans, Israelis and Palestinians is over a timetable for their staged evacuation which is counted in years.
US Ambassador Dan Shapiro precisely defined the current state of the negotiating process when he said in an interview to Kol Israel Radio Tuesday, Jan. 7, that the proposed US framework in which new elements have been introduced is not designed to generate an interim accord but "a final agreement on all the issues at the center of the Israeli-Palestinian dispute."
Further exclusive details on the new elements and their import will appear in the coming issue of DEBKA Weekly out next Friday. If you are not already a subscriber, click here to sign on.
Netanyahu does not expect the right-of-center Jewish Home to actually quit the government coalition over the US initiative, even though its leader, the Economy Minister Naftali Bennet, declared Tuesday that his party would not stay in a government that withdraws to the pre-1967 borders or repartitions Jerusalem.
Circles close to the prime minister said that he hopes Kerry won't have a sudden change of heart and go back on his plans and their points of agreement, because then the huge effort invested in the current peace process will turn to dust.
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Obama/Kerry using limitless leverage to emasculate Israel - By Caroline B. Glick -http://www.jewishworldreview.com/0114/glick010814.php3#.Us2JAOl3t9B
On Sunday, Issa Karaka, the Palestinian Authority's minister for jailed terrorists, announced that in the next round of terrorist releases, Israel will release not only Palestinian terrorist murderers, but Israeli Arabs who murdered Israeli Jews in terrorist attacks.
As late as last week, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu was said to have completely rejected the Palestinian demand. But in response to Karaka's statement, Netanyahu's spokesman said only that the release of Israeli Arab terrorists would be subject to the approval of the government. In other words, Karaka was probably telling the truth.
The question is what has changed? What happened over the past week that forced Netanyahu to cave? The obvious answer is that US Secretary of State John Kerry came to Jerusalem, again. And he forced Netanyahu's hand, again.
Kerry is the Palestinians' ace in the hole. He used the US's limitless leverage on Israel to coerce Israel into agreeing to pay for the privilege of speaking to Palestinian negotiators who reject our country's right to exist and extol as heroes the terrorist scum who murder us.
For the pleasure of their company, Kerry forced Israel to agree up-front to release scores of Palestinian terrorist murderers. And he did so in bad faith.
According to a high-ranking government official, Israel told Kerry it would release 82 murderers, none of whom are Israelis. And he agreed.
But then, during a joint appearance with Kerry, PLO chief Mahmoud Abbas announced that Israel had agreed to release 104 terrorists, including Israeli citizens. Rather than correct him, Kerry went along, and so locked Israel into a concession it had never made.
And now, with Kerry's support, Karaka said that if Israel refuses to release Israeli Arab murderers in the next round of releases, the PLO will abandon the talks. The EU has already announced that it will blame Israel for any PLO walkout.
It has been clear for some time that Israel is playing a sucker's game here.
The deck is stacked against us. Every step Israel takes to either buy time or lessen US pressure only leads to more pressure.
Netanyahu reportedly agreed to release terrorists from prison because Kerry told him that he had to make a big concession: either release murderers or effectively surrender Israel's national rights to Judea and Samaria and Jerusalem by abrogating Jewish property rights in those areas through a so-called construction freeze. As law professor Eugene Kontorovich explained last week in Commentary, Netanyahu chose the terrorist release as the lesser of two evils because it involved no long-term, substantive concession of Israel's national and legal rights to the Palestinians.
But then along came the Palestinian- American demand for Israel to release Israeli Arab terrorists, and transformed the Palestinian-American demand for Israel to release terrorists from just another act of bad faith into an assault on Israel's right to exist.
For sovereignty to mean anything, a national government needs to have the capacity to enforce its laws without prejudice on all of its citizens. If this does not occur, over time, members of the group toward which national authorities fail to apply the law will feel less loyal, less attached and less obligated to that authority and, if there is a competing authority filling the vacuum, that authority will come to enjoy more loyalty, attachment and obligation from the spurned or immune citizens of the weakened national authority.
The PLO's demand that Israel release terrorists who hold Israeli citizenship, (or in the case of Jerusalem residents, permanent residency), is a clear bid to weaken Israel's sovereignty over Jerusalem, and over the Galilee and the Negev.
More generally it is an attempt to undermine Israel's right to assert its sovereign authority over non-Jews.
By the PLO's calculations, if Israel's right to assert its sovereignty over its non-Jewish citizens and residents is sufficiently discredited, then over time, the PLO can destroy Israeli democracy and undo Israel's national rights and sovereignty.
Since the onset of the so-called peace process between Israel and the PLO in 1993, one of the PLO's strategic goals has been to win the Israeli Arabs over to its side and cause the Israeli Arabs to reject their Israeli identity. The same has been the case for Arab Jerusalemites who are permanent residents of Israel.
From 1993 through 2000, the PLO spent tens of millions of dollars to advance this aim. And to a large degree, they were successful. By the start of the Palestinian terror war against Israel in 2000, the vast majority of Israeli Arabs rejected Israel's right to exist and all Arab MKs were openly opposed to Israel's existence. The Arab Israeli riots in October 2000, during which Israeli Arabs launched mob assaults against Jews were a direct consequence of PLO incitement and subversion of the Israeli Arab community over the previous seven years.
Over the ensuing years, some of the deadliest terror attacks were carried out by terror cells that included Israeli Arabs or Jerusalemites. The Silwan terror cell from Jerusalem, which was most active in 2002 and 2003, carried out multiple massacres that killed 35 Israelis and wounded hundreds more.
But while some Israeli Arabs and Jerusalemites joined the Palestinian campaign to destroy Israel, many more embarked on an opposite path of full integration into Israeli society. Since 2000, tens of thousands of Jerusalemites have applied for Israeli citizenship.
Each year more and more Arab parents in Jerusalem - and increasingly in the Galilee and Haifa - are registering their children in Hebrew-language, Jewish schools.
The number of Christian Arabs enlisting in the IDF has increased hundreds of percentage points over the past few years. The number of Muslim and Christian Israeli Arabs volunteering in national service is similarly skyrocketing.
Even Jerusalem residents are volunteering for national service. And adult Arabs are integrating into all levels of the job force countrywide. As Nadav Shragai reported in Friday's Yisrael Hayom, Israel's acquiescence last month to the Palestinian-American demand to release five terrorist murderers from eastern Jerusalem endangers the integrationist trend in the city. It strengthens the hand of Hamas and the PLO over Israel by weakening the Arabs' assessment of Israel's national authority.
Obviously, the same will occur in the Galilee and Negev if Israel releases Israeli Arab terrorist murderers from prison. One of the reasons that most Israelis now recognize that the peace process is a hoax is that the PLO continues to signal that a "final" accord will not settle all Palestinian claims against Israel. The PLO intends to use a "Palestine" in Judea, Samaria, Jerusalem and Gaza to threaten and weaken Israel's sovereignty in its remaining territory. The PLO's demand that Israel free its own citizens from prison for acts of treason and murder is a clear indication that this is in fact the group's long-term plan.
Kerry's support for the PLO's demands on terrorists shows Israel two things.
First, at a minimum, Kerry doesn't have a problem with the Palestinian claim that Israel's sovereign rights over non- Jews - and hence Israel's right to sovereignty generally - is limited at best. Second, it shows that there are no concessions that Netanyahu can make to Kerry that will not have dire long-term consequences for Israel.
Walking away from the phony negotiations will be painful. But as Kerry's demands indicate, the price for remaining at the table gets higher by the day.
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Russia's (Gog and Magog's) growing Middle East influence - By Anna Borshchevskaya -http://globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/2014/01/08/russias-growing-middle-east-influence/
Russian President Vladimir Putin achieved perhaps his most desired goal in 2013: He successfully positioned Russia as indispensable to resolving key international problems. And nowhere has his success been more visible than in the Syrian conflict and Iranian nuclear negotiations. The Moscow-brokered deal to put Syria's chemical arsenal under control of international inspectors helped avoid military strikes against the Syrian regime. Meanwhile, Russia also emerged as a strong voice in the P5+1 group, allowing Iran to avoid tougher sanction against its nuclear program upon reaching an interim deal in Geneva in December 2013.
But behind the scenes, Russia is playing an even more significant role, and is an increasingly assertive player throughout the broader Middle East. It's a trend the West cannot ignore.
According to Russian press reports, the Kremlin struck a $2 billion weapons agreement with Egypt last month, the culmination of years of quiet Kremlin efforts to revive Russia's Cold War relationships in the region.
"Today Russia is coming back to many regions it lost in the 90s. I'm talking about the African continent and the Middle East," Russian Federation Council Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Mikhail Margelov said during a speech in London last month. "Russia was quite explicit about its interests in those regions even before the Arab Spring..."
Russian influence in the region is multifaceted. For instance, Russia has grown increasingly assertive in the Middle East peace process, since it initially joined the Quartet more than a decade ago. Rather than simply endorse the U.S. or European position, the Kremlin has sought to put its own stamp on the agenda. In 2006, for example, Putin invited Hamas leaders to Moscow, suggesting that Hamas was a terrorist organization. Putin has also moved to parade his growing influence. In June 2012, Putin travelled to Israel, nine months before Barak Obama made his first visit there as U.S. president in March 2013.
Meeting with Israeli President Shimon Perez, Putin said, "It is in Russia's national interest to provide peace and tranquility in the Middle East."
In Iraq, Russia has worked since 2003 to regain oil contracts lost when the United States and its allies ousted Saddam Hussein's government, and Lukoil has won a number of large oil contracts since. More recently, in 2012, the Kremlin signed a $4 billion arms deal with Iraq - the largest single arms deal of Putin's tenure, making Iraq the third largest buyer of Russian arms. According to Russian press reports, deliveries began in October 2013, after a delay reportedly caused by claims of corruption within the Iraqi parliament.
What is behind these moves? It is important to remember that Russia's outreach is not ideological. The Kremlin cultivated relations with the Muslim Brotherhood, even though that group had been on Russia's list of terrorist organizations since 2003. When Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov went on a Middle East tour in November 2012, he made the Brotherhood controlled Egypt his first stop. When the Egyptian army's coup ousted Mohamed Morsy in July 2013, Putin appeared just as eager to work with the military government. Likewise, even as the Kremlin cultivates the al-Maliki government in Baghdad, Russian officials have sought to reach out to Iraqi Kurdistan. Last February, Iraqi Kurdistan President Massoud Barzani went to Moscow for an official visit to strengthen ties with Russia. Americans may think of the secular Barzani as a natural U.S. ally, but Putin knows Barzani can be a chameleon. After all, his father fled to the Soviet Union and Masosud Barzani spent some of his boyhood in the Soviet Union.
The Russian diplomatic and commercial presence amongst the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states has also grown rapidly. In 2007, Putin took a trip to the Gulf. No Russian - or Soviet - head of state has ever done so before. A number of high-level exchange visits followed over the years. Cooperation continued to grow and culminated in the GCC-Russia strategic dialogue, which commenced in November 2011 focusing on issues ranging from security to trade and investment, to intercultural exchanges.
In addition, the Russian government has worked to shape its image with its own Arabic-language satellite stations and media. One such media outlet is Rusiya Al-Yaum, the Arabic-language version of Kremlin-funded RT (Russia Today). As Putin curtailed media freedom in Russia, he nonetheless refused to cut funding to RT, which works tirelessly to deliver a pro-Kremlin point of view to millions of viewers.
True, Russia faces too many internal impediments - demographic, weakening economy, and corruption - to be a true global leader. Yet as the United States looks inward and reconsiders its global posture, Russia appears to be trying to cash in on Western retreat. President Obama may not view the situation in the Middle East as a zero-sum competition, but Putin appears to as he seeks to fill in the vacuum whenever the U.S. withdraws.
And the reality is that senior Arab officials who grew up doing business with the Soviet Union often feel more comfortable working with their Russian counterparts than with the United States. At the very least, they need not worry about the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act when working with Moscow. Indeed, Arab countries increasingly see Russia as more reliable and stable partner than the West generally. Egypt, for example, reportedly turned to Russia for arms to obtain the weaponry the U.S. denied it following Morsi's ouster. In isolation, these may not be significant losses for the West. But momentum matters - all these small losses add up to much bigger ones.
The U.S. retreat from the Middle East is damaging American credibility with traditional allies, and will severely hamper America's long-term interests. Putin is not unique in taking advantage of opportunities to bolster his interests as these opportunities present themselves to him. But Washington can certainly do more to reduce the number of such opportunities it provides to him.
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The Terrorists That Surround Israel - Chuck Missler -www.khouse.org
Almost exactly eight years after suffering a severe brain hemorrhage, former Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon is suffering multiple organ failures and is expected to die within days. As his condition deteriorates, the staff at Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer, Israel is unlikely to save 85-year-old Sharon, who has been comatose since 2006.
Sharon was known for his staunch protection of Israel and Jerusalem, a supporter of settlements and the defense minister who led the invasion to drive the PLO out of southern Lebanon in 1982. In 2004, as Prime Minister, Sharon performed an about-face and proposed the Gaza disengagement plan to end 38 years of Israeli control of the area. The Israeli government enacted the plan in August and September of 2005, relocating all the Israelis living in the Gaza Strip. Rather than bringing peace, however, the inhabitants of Gaza elected the terrorist group Hamas to lead them, and the Gaza Strip has been used to launch attacks on Israel ever since.
In December 2005, Sharon suffered a small stroke and was placed on blood thinners. On January 4, 2006, Sharon experienced a massive brain hemorrhage that left him permanently comatose. After eight years, his body is shutting down. Please send up your prayers for this leader of Israel in his last hours, and pray for the peace of Jerusalem as Israel remains surrounded by terrorist groups on all sides.
Egypt
Gaza has proved a thorn in Israel's ribs since Israel unilaterally left the area. Underground tunnels between Gaza and Egypt have been used to smuggle weapons and various goods into the area. Egyptian forces destroyed four tunnels along with the houses and trees above them this weekend after a roadside bomb hit an Egyptian army convoy.
Muslim Brotherhood leader and former Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi is to go on trial on January 28th on charges of conspiring with Hamas in Gaza, among other things. During the year that Morsi was president, these tunnels between Egypt and Gaza were freely used to smuggle not just food but heavy weaponry into the Gaza Strip to be used in attacking Israel. Egypt has since destroyed most of the tunnels, but according to Haaretz, car bombs and other militant attacks had killed 260 military personnel as of mid-December.
The terrorist group Ansar Beit al-Maqdis took responsibility for recent attacks, including a car bomb in Mansoura that killed 16 and wounded more than 130. The group issued a warning to the Egyptian forces in December to "repent from participating in the making of this infidel bastion that is at war with God and his Prophet, and stop serving in its ranks." In other words, to stop cooperating with Israel.
Lebanon
Israel's neighbor to the north was once a prosperous country with a large Christian population. Until civil war broke out in 1975, Lebanon was considered the "Paris of the Middle East." From the end of the civil war until 2005, Syria had a significant military presence in Lebanon, and Syrian-backed Hezbollah has used southern Lebanon as a staging point for attacks on Israel. Since 2005, Lebanon has worked to rebuild its infrastructure and promote itself as a tourist destination, but multitudes of refugees from the Syrian civil war have flooded into the struggling country.
In a major chess move against Hezbollah and its Syrian and Iranian supporters and a nose-thumbing at the United States, Saudi Arabia has granted Lebanon $3 billion toward its defense budget. The Obama Administration's friendly overtures toward Iran have angered longtime enemies of Iran in the Arabian Peninsula, and Saudi Arabia appears to be taking the matter in hand.
"They're on the warpath, angry, and that doesn't make for good policy," said Yezid Sayigh at the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut.
Hezbollah has lost a lot of legitimacy in Lebanon in recent years because of its Iranian connections. Still, there is concern that the $3 billion is not going to dissolve the strength Hezbollah has in Lebanon, but will instead encourage a crack in the shaky peace between different political groups in the country. It will take years to build the weak Lebanese army, and Hezbollah's fighters already move like "machinery" throughout the country. The Saudi money is not offered conditionally on using it to take out Hezbollah, but it is earmarked for weapons from France only and not for other infrastructure Lebanon needs, like hospitals and bases as well as communications and training.
Lebanon is still considered an enemy to Israel even though the enmity is primarily with Syrian and Iranian-supported Hezbollah. A Hezbollah-free Lebanon would create a much more peaceful neighborhood north of Israel, but the deeply embedded fingers of Hezbollah's power will not be easily removed.
As Al-Qaida-linked terrorists hold onto Fallujah in Iraq and Islamic extremists use terror to force their will across Syria and the rest of the Middle East, Lebanon's chances for a peaceful existence with Israel seem thin.
Gaza to the west, Egypt to the south, Lebanon to the north and Syria, Iraq and Iran to the east, Israel is surrounded by terrorist groups whose goal is to take over these countries for Allah. Yet, even while Ariel Sharon lies dying, the tiny Jewish state holds on, still alive and waiting for the return of its Messiah.
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The Way of Mohammed - By Daymond Duck -http://www.raptureready.com/featured/duck/dd104.html
Jesus told the Pharisees, "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it" (John 8:44).
Some will criticize me for writing it this, but those who habitually lie are following Satan. It doesn't matter if they graduated from Columbia College, attended Harvard Law School or whatever. Jesus (not me) said those who abide not in the truth (habitual liars) are children of the devil. He also said, "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh" (Matthew 12:34b).
This is my point: There is something unbelievable in the White House. President Obama says the United States has Israel's back, the United States will protect Israel, an Israeli peace deal with the PA could contain sufficient security guarantees for Israel and more, but can anyone believe him?
In his early years, he was exposed to a religion that allows him to lie for self-preservation or to advance his religious causes. On his way to the White House he used several Social Security numbers including one of a deceased man and a birth certificate that has been declared fraudulent. He took an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States, but has acted like it is a meaningless scrap of trash.
He promised to put America back to work on shovel-ready jobs and later admitted that those shovel-ready jobs weren't so shovel-ready after all. He promised to go through America's budget line by line and cut the deficit in half, but he has caused the deficit to soar. He promised to close Guantanamo in the first year of his presidency, but it is still open. He promised to be the most transparent government ever, but he immediately sealed many of his records and he has covered up more scandals than Richard Nixon or any other American President ever dreamed of.
He promised to put all bills on the White House website for five days before he signed them, but it hasn't happened. He promised to unite America and begin a new era of bipartisan cooperation on all matters, but he made illegal recess appointments to the NLRB. America has never been more divided and he cooperates with no one in the opposing party. He promised that Obamacare would cause the cost of healthcare to go down, but the price has soared for most people unless they have a very high deductible. He promised if you like your health insurance, you can keep it, period, but records show he lied not once, but over and over again. PolitiFact dubbed this boldface lie: "Lie of the Year."
President Obama lies with ease and has surrounded himself with people who have followed his unchristian example. James Clapper, Director of National Intelligence, testified before Congress that the NSA could not listen to the phone calls of American citizens, but in a matter of days we learned that they could. Lois Lerner, Director of the IRS Exempt Organizations Division, blamed the targeting of conservatives on low-level employees in Cincinnati, but those employees said they were directed to do it by their senior officials.
Hillary Clinton, former Secretary of State, blamed the murder of America's Ambassador to Libya, J. Christopher Stevens, on an Internet video defaming Islam; President Obama repeated this lie before the UN and Ambassador Susan Rice repeated this lie several times on TV. Eric Holder denied that the Justice Department was involved in a gun running operation in the Fast and Furious scandal that resulted in the death of a border patrol agent, but he was forced to retract is lie when some of the guns turned up in Mexico. He denied hearing about or having any involvement in the potential prosecution of Fox News Reporter James Rosen, but it turned out that he signed the warrant to do it.
Valerie Jarrett, President Obama's Iranian born Senior Advisor, conducted secret negotiations with Iran that resulted in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Israel and others accusing the United States of lying and misleading them; and Iran accusing the Obama Administration of lying, misleading the American public and posting false information on the White House website. At first, John Kerry said Israel has been kept fully apprised of those negotiations with Iran, but then he said Israel has never seen the terms of the proposed deal with Iran and therefore should not question it. And the lying goes on and on.
According to the Bible, the Antichrist will cast truth to the ground (Daniel 8:12). He will confirm a covenant with Israel for seven years of peace and break it after three and one-half years (Daniel 9:27). He will proclaim peace and safety, but his lie will bring sudden destruction not peace (1 Thessalonians 5:3). He will come on the scene as a charismatic man of peace (Revelation 6:2) and exit the scene trying to destroy Israel (Zechariah 14:2; Revelation 19:11-21). Israel's short term future is bleak because they will believe his lies, but Israel's long term future is wonderful because the King whose Word is true is coming.
FYI: God Has Spoken (And We Know It) by Daymond Duck is available, (linked to my publisher @ http://www.raptureready.com/terry/book17.html ). Books and a Kindle version are available at amazon.com. A Nook version is available at bn.com. Check out what it says about Syria, Russia, Iran, Egypt, natural disasters, the Two-State Solution, etc.
Prophecy Plus Ministries
Daymond & Rachel Duck
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PJ Media Claims The Twelfth Imam, Apocalypse Here - http://pjmedia.com/lifestyle/2014/01/05/the-return-of-the-twelfth-imam/?singlepage=true
In a fascinating article for FrontPage Magazine titled "Now the Twelfth Imam Can Come," scholar of Islam Robert Spencer provides a crash course on the nature of Twelver Shi'ite theology, with particular reference to a nuclearizing Iran. Shi'ites believe in the return of the so-called Twelfth Imam who is descended from Mohammed's son-in-law Ali ibn Abni Talib, the fourth caliph assassinated in 661 in a succession war, after which the split between Sunnis and Shi'ites eventually became permanent. As Spencer explains, the Shi'ites continued a line of imams, "members of Muhammad's household and his prophetic heirs. Each one in turn, over two centuries, was poisoned....According to the traditions of Twelver Shi'ism, the official religion of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the twelfth of these Imams, a boy of five years old, disappeared under mysterious and disputed circumstances in the year 874 - but remained alive." Though communicating with the world through various agents, he entered the state of "occultation" in 941, promising to return when the time would be propitious.
The reigning authority on Twelver Shi'ism is the historian Emmanuel Sivan, who in his magisterial volume on the subject, Radical Islam: Medieval Theology and Modern Politics, warned that an integral part of Shi'a Islam's belief and thought involves the initiating of a planetary conflagration. This belief system posits that Allah's kingdom will be established on earth by the Twelfth or Hidden Imam, also known as the Mahdi, whose advent can be hastened by creating the right set of circumstances: friction and misunderstanding among the nations and violent upheavals in a welter of blood and fire.
Incredulous westerners who would pass this off as merely a quaint belief to be taken with a grain of salt, or indeed with a whole salt shaker, should reconsider. Sivan spends many pages describing and analyzing the Shi'ite vision of an "ideal, legitimate state to be instituted by its leader, the Hidden Imam." Over the course of history, he writes, a "minority of Shi'ites, quite substantial and dangerous at times, would move from pessimistic idealism to an optimistic brand of the same approach-the imam's arrival is imminent, God's kingdom is bound to be brought upon earth by this messiah (mahdi), and one should help precipitate its descent by armed revolt." The Mahdi's arrival has been eagerly anticipated and rumor has it that Iran's former president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad-like Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, a fervent believer in the Mahdi's parousia-widened a boulevard in Tehran to welcome the savior with public celebrations. This may be a canard, but even were it the case, Ahmadinejad need not have bothered. That was yesterday; today is a new beginning.
What the world does not yet know is precisely that of which the Iranian mullahs are now gleefully aware, namely, that the Twelfth Imam has already returned and is hard at work arranging the coming apocalypse. According to an occult scripture, unearthed in a clay jar at an excavation works near the Arak nuclear site, that only the ayatollahs and a few select individuals (like the present writer) have been privileged to study, the Mahdi has fulfilled all the signs and portents that announce his presence.*
* Labelled the Arak Codex #190001, this document reposes in the Inscriptions Department of the Malik National Museum of Iran in Tehran.
He is half black, half white. He is tall and strides with a lope. He possesses dead eyes and prominent ears. His background is both obscure and exotic. He is persuasively eloquent and is adept at saying one thing while doing another. His head swivels from side to side when addressing the multitudes, as if reading from prepared texts no doubt lowered from on high and inscribed by the Lord or one of his angels. He gives the distinct impression of being a man-child. He is supremely confident and exudes a certain boyish charm many find irresistible. He is devoted to popular sports involving holes and nets as emblems of ensnaring. He bows frequently in false humility, cajoling the high and mighty of the earth, yet brooks no objection to his will when dissent is offered. He is to be found in many different places from one day to another. He is surrounded by loyal minions, many of whom appear to be imbeciles, who do his bidding without question or scruple. He occupies the seat of power.
Let me be very clear about this, for there are those who cannot bring themselves to confront the evidence of the Twelfth Imam's uncloaking that I, privy to the discovery of the mystical codex through means I am forbidden to reveal, now set before them. All his actions are directed toward igniting the flames that wait to engulf the world. He diligently undermines the laws, security and prosperity of the people he ostensibly represents, and turns one against the other, sowing discord among the populace. He betrays his friends and allies and renders them vulnerable to international predators. He sponsors and supports warlike groups and aggressive regimes that seek world hegemony. He is an undeclared enemy of the Jewish people and the Jewish state. He is a great friend to Islam in its march toward imposing a caliphate upon unsuspecting nations. He welcomes the black flag and the yellow flag into the sanctum of domestic authority, distributing office among his Muslim acolytes. He smiles upon the ayatollahs and signs agreements that facilitate their holy designs to kindle universal violence and establish God's kingdom on earth.
He has been schooled at the feet of prophets and sages and learned from the masters of canon and creed. He is the repository of sacred teachings and potent incantations, and is adept at uttering sonorous phrases that please as they befuddle. He is the embodiment of consecrated, numinous and venerable doctrine. He is no longer Hidden but exults among us in all his glory. He is the bringer of chaos and the last days. He will inaugurate a new world order.
Doubters and skeptics must give way. The Twelfth Imam has returned, confirmed in his exaltation by innumerable tokens and crests and auguries. Devastation will precede him and resurrection will surely follow in his wake. The infidel shall be destroyed, destroyed utterly, and the believer shall rise from the smoldering ruins in triumph and gladness of heart. All this shall come to pass for it is written.
He is the Mahdi.
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Legalized governmental theft and your civil duty - Bill Wilson -www.dailyjot.com
King Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 3:9-13 "What profit does the worker have from his efforts? I have seen the travail which God has given to the sons of men to be exercised in it...I know there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice and to do good in his life. And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labor, it is the gift of God." In other words, it is Scriptural that you profit from your work and that you enjoy the fruits of your labor because they are a gift from God. This coincides with the commandments, "Thou shalt not steal" and "Thou shalt not covet" because taking the gain from a man's hard work denies him a gift of God. Herein is reason to resist overreaching government.
We see many examples in the Bible where men and women of God bless those who are less fortunate and also receive a blessing. It is a natural law to reap what you sow. Like the followers of Christ in the time of Acts, they willingly put the fruits of their labor into a common store that they all might be blessed. The key here is "willingly." When it becomes compulsory and forced by man or government, it becomes theft and covetousness. But for security's sake, governments are established. Some freedoms are given into stewardship of a government for some protections. This is the compact of limited government which governs at the behest of the people. It is the basis of America's Constitutional Republic.
Good citizenship requires accountability. Just as Disciples of Christ in the kingdom of God have requirements for good citizenship, so do citizens of a nation. In a Constitutional Republic such as the United States, good citizenship requires holding the government accountable to the Supreme Law of the land, which is the Constitution. Kingdom of God citizens, who are also US citizens, have the responsibility to hold the government accountable to the Supreme Laws of God as well as to the Supreme Law of the nation--herein, the two are compatible for one is derived from the other. When good citizenship breaks down, governmental stewardship of just law and inalienable rights becomes oppressive.
Good citizenship in the kingdom of God and in the United States has broken down. Many check off worship to God as perfunctory, and many have acquiesced their duty of citizenship to elected officials. This has resulted in government using laws to steal and covet from the citizens by taking the gift of God--the fruits of labor--from those who earn it and giving it to others who did not earn it. When laws benefit one at the expense of another, they are unjust. Proverbs 11:1 says, "A false balance (dishonest scales) is abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is his delight." Laws designed to steal and covet are unjust. The scales of justice in America are an abomination and only the righteous having the way, the truth, and the life, can balance them. Let us reactivate our citizenship's and no longer consent to legalized governmental theft.
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From Ordinary to Extraordinary - Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org
The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.
-2 Chronicles 16:9
Before he became the great evangelist, D. L. Moody had a conversation that deeply impacted him and would direct the course of his life from that point on. Someone said to Moody, "You know, the world has yet to see what God can do with and through the man who is totally committed to Him." Those words went deep into Moody's heart, and he prayed, Lord, I want to be that man. He sure came close.
The book of Acts is a story of ordinary men and women who did extraordinary things because they allowed God to have His way in their lives. In the same way, God wants to use you to turn your world upside down for Christ. It starts with your saying, "Lord, I want to make a difference. I don't want this world to turn me around. I want to turn it around. Use me."
The world has yet to see what God can do with and through the man or woman who is totally committed to Him. Will God find such people today? I wonder if you would say, like Moody, "I want to be that person." If you will, then your life can make a difference. It will be exciting in the days ahead to see what God will do through and with you. But He wants you to be available to Him.
One of these days, your life will come to an end. What will you say about your life? What will others say? How great it would be to say, like Paul, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful" (2 Timothy 4:7, NLT).
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FEATURED ARTICLE
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2014, the Eve of Destruction: Economic Collapse, or Rebirth of the American Dream? - By Paul McGuire -http://www.newswithviews.com/McGuire/paul198.htm
2014 is the single most important year in America's history because if we make the wrong decisions it can lead to a 1930s style economic crisis and authoritarianism from the right or left to manage the chaos. The right decisions will move us toward a Great Awakening and the rebirth of the American Dream. Beliefs have consequences and America's rapid decline is not the result of the actions of one particular political party or leader, but rather a widespread belief in statism...the virtual worship of government. America, and along with it the entire world, is in a death spiral that results from a faulty worldview which has infected the elite and entire masses of people with an ideological virus that produces a collective brain death. That faulty worldview can be summed up in one phrase: "The State is God," attributed to Trotsky. But what many people do not understand is that the State is simply a front for a secretive elite.
The mass media in America focuses in on how many times the f-word is used in The Wolf of Wall Street, directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio. But that misses the main point of the movie, which brutally depicts the immorality and lawlessness in the Wall Street culture and the danger that represents to the economic well-being of our nation and world. Like the State, Wall Street is simply a front for a hidden economic elite. The middle class in America have not had a real pay increase since 1965, primarily because the actual value or buying power of the dollar is significantly less than it was in 1965. In the early 1960s, when I was going to P.S. 69 in Queens, New York, I used to walk across the street from the elementary school, which looked like a prison by the way, and go the pizza place and get two slices of pizza and a coke for a quarter. Today, that same purchase could easily cost me $8.00!
In 1965, a person without a college education could make $2.30 an hour in some jobs, which is the equivalent of $17 dollars an hour today. Today, the minimum wage is nine dollars an hour and it is next to impossible to find those high paying non-skilled jobs because they have all been outsourced to places like China, whose economy is booming. Who outsourced all those jobs? President Obama and the Democrats? As I recall, it was "God and country" Republicans and politicians like the "champion of conservatism" Newt Gingrich who championed GATT, NAFTA, the WTO, and other means of outsourcing American jobs all around the world. Who was really behind GATT,NAFTA and the WTO? The same secretive elite...an elite that our Founding Fathers like Jefferson, Washington and Hamilton wrote extensively about.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF), which is also a front for the elite, is announcing ahead of time that the Western world will require defaults, a savings tax, and higher inflation as means to economic recovery because debt levels have reached a 200-year high. Do you really think that these debt levels reached a 200-year high by accident? Do you really think that the international bankers who controlled the central banks of Europe for centuries, and the Federal Reserve, simply forgot to balance their books for two centuries?
The six major corporations which control the entire global media don't want us to know about God's prophetic Word regarding the future, which foretells a coming one world economic system, one world government, and one world religion in the last days. The Book of Revelation predicted a global economic system along with the "Mark of the Beast," which uncannily resembles a cashless society requiring a microchip implant placed inside every human being who chooses to accept it. If we simply compare this Biblical prediction with current economic and technological data, we see that the global economic system is on the verge of flipping from the U.S. dollar as the de facto world currency to a new international currency that will eventually be cashless and use some kind of chip. The world's leading economic publications have been calling loudly for a "New International Economic Order" for about two decades now.
In order to prepare the way for a smooth transition into a "New International Economic Order" people must first be conditioned to perceive it as the only way their lifestyles, pensions, retirement, savings, and healthcare can be preserved. Yet ultimately, the means for the Draconian seizure of pensions, retirement, and savings by governments with too much debt will be this mass global conversion into a one world economic system.
Let's go back to the beginning of Mankind somewhere in the geographic vicinity of modern Iraq and the Middle East where the Garden of Eden existed. For the moment, let us suspend the argument on whether or not there was a literal Garden of Eden with a literal Adam and Eve and look at it from primarily an economic perspective. In the Biblical text in the Book of Genesis there is an account of an original man and woman, whose names are Adam and Eve, and they enjoyed economic prosperity in an environmental and social Paradise. These original human beings were in some kind of close relationship to what the Bible calls the Personal Living God of the Universe, and this God empowered them to be rulers over Planet Earth. That rulership included the executive management of all of the Earth's resources such as food, water, weather, and the environment. On a genetic level, they were created physically and spiritually in the image of God and were infused with a life force that was so powerful that death and disease did not exist in them. This had a tangible economic benefit because there were no health care or aging costs.
Adam and Eve were always young, healthy, and productive. In addition, due to the complete social and political freedom they had, reproducing and having children was an economic blessing. The Malthusian idea that society's problems stem from overpopulation was not a viable concept for them because the idea of scarcity was non-existent. In addition, the living energy that poured through their beings was so intense that they lived in a far higher state of consciousness than contemporary man does and in all probability the reason that they were not "naked" before what was is termed the "Fall" was that their DNA energized the biophotons inside of them and they were clothed with light. They had no need for external energy sources like oil.
Now you may believe that the Genesis account is mythological or allegorical; I happen to believe that there is overwhelming evidence to suggest that it is literal, but for the moment this important debate can suspended and picked up at a later time. What is suggested in the Genesis account is the existence of perfect human beings who are rulers of the Planet, living in a constant state of economic and spiritual growth. Adam and Eve were given a primary directive by their Creator and that was to be fruitful and multiply and have dominion over their world. The other primary directive was that they were to obey God's Word, which was expressed in a single commandment, which was not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which would allow the death force into their world.
It is important to notice that in this original world there was no death, disease, psychological problems, and economic shortages, and political struggles, shortages of any kind, crime, or war. In addition, God said to them through His Word that they were to be fruitful and multiply. This meant not only biological reproduction, but continual creative, economic, artistic, cultural, and scientific advances. The only thing they could do to jeopardize that incredible prosperity would be to disobey His Word regarding the eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which they did when they were tempted to listen to another voice, which was the voice of Lucifer, who had inhabited the physical form of a Reptilian being. The result of their action was the entrance of the death force into their once perfect world, bringing death, disease, shortages, poverty, political struggles, war, and conflict.
From that point forward the history of the human race is essentially the account of Mankind taking one of two paths as individuals, tribes, and nations. One path is based on obeying and living in the truth of God's Word and the other path is based on living according to manmade philosophies and belief systems. In both cases ideas have significant consequences. God chose the children of Israel, according to His will and not due to any inherent virtue of theirs, to be a testimony to His law or Word. Historically, God has used the descendants of Abraham as a form of living theatre to show what happens to a nation that obeys the law of God and what happens to a nation that disobeys the law of God. In Deuteronomy Chapter 28, there is an extensive outline of the specific blessings and curses that result from obedience or disobedience to the Word of God. These blessings and curses are very specific and deal with economics, war, immigration, agriculture, weather conditions, health, disease, political freedom, etc. A historical examination of the history of the Jews shows a cycle of thousands of years of blessing, captivity, and death based on their relationship to the law of God. It is a model for other nations to see.
When America was founded by the Pilgrims and Puritans who had escaped religious persecution in Europe, these early settlers decided to enter a similar relationship with the Personal Living God of the Universe. In short, the Pilgrims and Puritans clearly understood that it was God and not government that was the ultimate source of their well-being. It was from that set of ideas that a unique form of American government was birthed which included such radical ideas as "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness" in the Declaration of Independence and the idea that a Creator, not government, gave Man these inalienable rights. In addition, the Bill of Rights included "Freedom of Religion," "Freedom of Speech," "Freedom of the Press," etc., and it all came from this idea which originated from a Biblical worldview.
In contrast, the French Revolution, a humanistic revolution inspired by the forces of the Illuminati, ended in chaos, dictatorship, poverty, and mass murder. The French Revolution, as with all humanist revolutions, such as the Communist Revolutions, started with the premise that there is no God and that Man or the State is God.
Many of the governments of Europe were ruled by the elite in the form of both royalty and secret occult societies like the Illuminati which believe that is the State which grants men and women certain freedoms and it is the State which produces an economy. These ideas go back to ancient Babylon where Nimrod and his wife Semiramis had the divine right to rule as kings, because they were "gods." The entire idea of the divine right of kings to rule over their subjects flowed from the belief that kings and queens were god-men and women and were genetically superior. When the children of Israel rebelled against the Word of God, they were sent into slavery to serve the god-king Pharaoh as economic slaves. They did not get to keep the fruits of their labor, nor were they given freedom. The principle is very clear: whenever the Word of God is rejected, from the Garden of Eden on to the present, slavery is the result.
Before the beginning of America there were two different plans for the nation based on two different ideas. First, there was the secret occult plan for America conceived by Sir Francis Bacon and then followed through by the Illuminati, who worked in partnership with the Central Banks of Europe, which later became the Federal Reserve System in America. The Bible clearly states "that where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty." In 1913-1914 when the international bankers passed the Federal Reserve Act, this allowed the Illuminati banking families like Rothschilds to take over the monetary system and control America.
Christian leaders who should have been filled with the Spirit of the Lord and having their intellectual capacities enhanced by renewing their minds with the Word of God were in a religious stupor and had fallen asleep like the unfaithful Watchman that they were. While they slept America went into captivity through an economic system designed to make people slaves because of the Biblical principle that the "debtor is slave to the lender." The global monetary system obviously did not exist in Eden, and even charging interest was forbidden in the Bible.
The Jews were forbidden by God to charge interest to other Jews; it was called usury. However, the surrounding pagan nations did allow for the creation of a money system where the charging of interest was allowed. As early as 5000 B.C. the Mesopotamians, Hittites, Phoenicians, and Egyptians charged interest, but it was fixed by the state. Jews were allowed to charge interest to non-Jews in order to sell and trade in their economic system. But the Jews were not allowed to exploit or take advantage of non-Jews in their business dealings, especially the poor. Their business dealings with those outside Israel were expected to be fair and just. Tragically, despite the warnings of the prophets, the Jews began to ignore this aspect of the law and over time many Jews as well as Christians abused the charging of interest to poor people, amassed great fortunes, and made people their slaves or serfs through debt.
Charging of excessive interest in an effort to exploit or enslave people was condemned by the Vedic texts of India and by Buddhism, Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, and in China and many other nations. The modern international banking system is now essentially built on a system of lies and is a means of stealing the assets of innocent people and transferring the wealth of the middle class and others into the hands of powerful international bankers. Many recessions, inflation, interest rate changes, and things like the Great Depression were essentially schemes to transfer massive amounts of wealth, inheritances, and property into the hands of the international bankers.
In the Old Testament God established the economic principle of the Year of Jubilee which occurs after seven sets of seven complete years are finished. This proclamation of a fiftieth "liberty" year occurs on one of God's annual feast days known as the Day of Atonement. Because God owns everything, He set up a special, regularly occurring time period where His will is that a man's possessions are returned to him. The purpose of this was to insure that men and women would be released from their debt and not have to lose their property and become slaves.
The takeover of our monetary system was accompanied by the occult symbol of the Illuminati pyramid on the back of the U.S. dollar, which is a bold declaration that the Pharaoh god-king system has been re-established and that the common man (middle class) was now a slave. This economic system began in ancient Babylon and that is why in Revelation Chapter 17 and 18, we see the return of what is called "Mystery Babylon the Great the Mother of Harlots." When this global economic system is fully put in place, no person will be able to participate in the economic system or buy or sell, without the Mark of the Beast which will be a microchip implant either on the forehead or the right hand. This is the mark of a slave! There will be no free men or women in the New World Order; all men will become slaves. I explain this in greater detail in my book A Prophecy of the Future of America.
A number of years ago, I interviewed an author named Dave Hunt who suggested that in the days preceding the return of the Lord, there would be some degree of prosperity. Hunt quoted Matthew 24:37-39:
"But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be." (Matt 24:37-39)
This brings us to our final question. Since all things are possible with God and God is the Source of all things, the ability of God to protect and prosper any people is not contingent on any manmade economic laws or conditions. It is not that we disregard those laws, but they do not limit what is ultimately possible. Going back to Genesis, reading the blessings and curses in Deuteronomy 28, and reviewing the Covenant the Pilgrims and Puritans made with God regarding America, the essential truth to be grasped is that God has the power to bless or curse any nation economically. The key to whether or not that nation experiences the blessings of God or the curse and judgment of God has to do with its obedience or rejection of the principles in the Word of God.
The Pilgrims and Puritans as well as ancient Israel understood that economic collapse and other conditions were signs that they had violated God's Word. Therefore whenever they specifically repented of that sin and changed their ways, God often poured out a blessing and not a curse. This is the historical record going all the way back to Eden. There are many who say that our time period is different and that we are in the last days, and there is nothing we can do except to watch our nation collapse into economic chaos and authoritarianism because this is what the Bible predicts. In short, this is a theology of fatalism based on partial truth and an incomplete understanding of scripture.
It is true that God has written in His Word a specific end times' scenario which cannot be changed by any act of human will. For example, people are not going to pray and stop the Antichrist from coming. Nor are they going to fast and stop the Tribulation Period or Armageddon. However, within the context of God's end time prophetic program revealed in His Word, there are nations, places and times where God has not given us specific information. As such, we can only act on the general principles. For example, the Bible commands us that we are to pray for all those who are in authority above us, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life.
Clearly, God is indicating that effective prayer can release a blessing upon a people and prevent the full domination of evil, even if that prevention is temporal. God commands us to repent, fast and pray for our nation and its leaders in America as He would to believers in any other nation. Our responsibility is to obey God and not to try to be God. God is sovereign and He may choose not to answer our prayers and things may get worse. But we are commanded to "pray always."
Another factor in repentance and prayer is that the repentance and prayer must be genuine. Repentance means the specific acknowledgement, confession, and turning away from specific sins that can block the power of God from being released upon a nation. I would suggest to you that one of the reasons we have not seen God move powerfully in our nation is because our repentance is false. Beginning with the Garden of Eden, God clearly shows us what the root problem always is. That root problem or sin is the rejection of God's Word and replacing it with humanistic philosophies and occult beliefs, which are all in effect a counterfeit of the Truth or a counterfeit Gospel.
The reality is that the vast majority of Evangelical Christian pulpits in America, and many average Christians, have rejected the authority of the inspired and inerrant Word of God. Instead they have embraced humanistic philosophies, humanistic psychological motivational theories, and occult beliefs. This is the root sin and this is why we have not seen the power of God released upon our nation. It is only when we deal with the root sin, which is the rejection of and disobedience to God's Word, and truly repent of this, that God will honor our repentance.
So now we stand on the eve of destruction. There are two paths before us. One is the path towards destruction which will come about by continuing to reject God's Word. The other is the path to deliverance and freedom which will come from acknowledging the root sin and turning from it. There is no other way.
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