Satans attack on our weapons of defense, physically and spiritual. Part I. Pastor Michael Hoggard

God, Guns, and Liberty - Part 1 from Michael Hoggard on Vimeo.

Watchman Video Broadcast 12-23-12. Satans attack on our weapons of defense, physically and spiritual.

Putting Newtown behind and Jesus ahead, we ask 'Why the children?'

Putting Newtown behind and Jesus ahead, we ask 'Why the children?' 

 Reblogged from Elizabeth Prata´s: the-end-time.blogspot.com

Children are important to Jesus. That is why satan seeks to kill them.

Did you know that on the same day as the horrific Newtown killings, a deranged man stabbed 22 young children at a Chinese elementary school? And that it was the third such type of stabbing attack at a school within the last two years?

Why the children? Here is why--

"and they said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read, “‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise’?" (Matthew 21:16).

Jesus said this in response to the following in the verse prior, and note carefully!

"But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant"

The children were shouting hosannas!

The Pharisees were indignant over the children's joy in recognizing Him!

In Gill's Exposition it says, "This owing to God's disposing them hereunto, putting it into their mouths, and strengthening them to declare it in a very strong and powerful manner; so that his strength was made perfect in their weakness, and his praise the more glorious."

Do not overlook the children in their clear praise and strength of faith in one Jesus the Christ. Children are Christ's answer to pure faith, and a rebuke to all who would squash religious a child's enthusiasm for proclaiming Him. Woe to those who squash it! Woe!

"Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” (Luke 18:17)

"But Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 19:14).

Jesus sets a great store on children, and uses them for praise to Himself and as a warning to adults to follow their faith example.

Why were the children killed? Why? We cry. I believe it is because children are the last segment of the population to be attacked by satan.

Satan has the mothers via the corruption and eternal discontent of feminism. He has the fathers through pornography and adultery and abandonment. He has the youths through drugs and the narcoleptic spellbinder of technology. He has the institutions of government, entertainment, and even religion. What's left for him to freshly attack?

Children.

For example, abortion. Child molestation is another way satan has attacked the children. The hidden shame of child trafficking in America (and in the rest of the world) is a scourge on us all. But those and other methods of attacking children are indirect. So Satan had a thought- why not kill them directly?

There is nothing to make a nation, even a world, weep and mourn as much as a child massacre. Just the thought of vulnerable little bodies strewn bloody on the floor is enough to make the world stop and take a collective gasp.

Jesus indicated this when He spoke of the abomination of desolation during the tribulation- "And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days!"

As Gill explained, "whose tender affection to their infants will not suffer them to leave them behind them; and yet such their weakness, that they will not be able to carry them with them; at least, they must be great hindrances to their speedy flight."

What defeats a family more, or crumbles their faith more, than losing a child to senseless violence? Not only would satan delight in the fact that a precious one's childlike faith has been snuffed out, and that they can no longer praise Jesus in purity and trust, but he will also delight in the family's grief and difficulty traversing the mountain of sorrow back to firm faith in Jesus again- if they ever do. Those of no faith will be unlikely to ever turn to Jesus. That likelihood diminishes with each bullet sent from a gun to slay a babe.

Satan is not overlooking the children in his attacks. But neither is Jesus. He ordained praise from babes. He taught us all to have childlike faith and trust in Him. He said that the little children should not be hindered from coming to Him. They were among the first before religious adults to recognize who He was on earth and they sang with joy.

I personally believe that the children who were killed in CT were young enough to see the angels God sent to minister to them as they hid in closets. “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you, that their angels in heaven continually behold the face of My Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 18:10). It's something to imagine anyway.

Right now we trust in Him to create something good out of man's horror. If you are finding it hard to move on to the solid rock of trust in a Good and Holy Savior, then ask the Spirit to increase your faith. (Luke 17:5). He surely does equip us to handle what comes in this world, a world I remind us all, is not our home.

As heavy as this affliction is, it is but a light affliction. (2 Corinthians 4:17). The children sang hosannas at the temple, and so should we. Though we cannot see the mercies and the glory that will emerge from this atrocity, we should have a childlike faith that something merciful and good will. If you don't have that kind of faith, then at least do it for the children.

The world has been duped!

Posted on November 22, 2012 by shekinah419

The world has been duped!

 

It is a sad day in this world when people have become so enamored of evil that they can no longer recognize good.  War is a horrible, horrible thing, but sometimes war is necessary.  War in itself is not always “evil”.  War is righteous when it is for the purpose of ending or curtailing evil.  I pray for the peace of Israel and I know that one day God is going to put an end to all aggression against her.  In so far that I have any right to an opinion or feelings about the ceasefire in Israel, my feeling is one of frustration and disappointment.

I think a lot of Benjamin Netenyahu, and though he is in a position where he cannot afford to completely disregard the sentiments and opinions of all the clamoring of other world leaders, I am concerned at what this cease-fire is doing to the morale and motivation of the thousands of IDF reservists waiting in limbo at the Gaza border and their families at home.  Of course I know that sort of thing is “all part and parcel of a soldier’s job”, but I also know that fervor building to a crescendo, peaking out, only to be met with dismissal, is about as demoralizing as it gets.  To ask that of soldiers, then tell them to stand down, while the other side continues to violate the terms of the ceasefire? 

Still, I am hoping that Bibi is merely playing along with the diplomacy game, knowing, as we do, that Hamas will overplay their hand, thereby justifying the ground invasion to finish the job.  It would require a great deal of self-restraint and patience to “heel” to international pressure and opinion” knowing those opinions are largely uninformed, or worse yet, informed-but-indifferent!  Considering that Hamas has the Muslim Brotherhood in their own corner, how on Earth will Egypt be trusted to guarantee any peace terms?  Behind both the MB and Hamas, is Iran, and behind Iran, is Russia.  Obama seems determined to subdue Israel.  Why might that be?  Perhaps due to Obama’s love affair with the MB?

The press, and a majority of the world are now against Israel, just as the Bible said would be the case at this point in history.  This article in FrontPageMag.com is right on the money!   Huffington Post merely epitomizes the whole of mainstream media.  And for the Obama administration, I simply do not believe that they do or will have Israel’s back when push really comes to shove.  Still, I suppose I should allow the benefit of the doubt, since so many are praying for Obama to do the right thing by Israel.  I do think American Jews have a blind spot when it comes to Obama. But then, most American Jews are not Israelis.  They maybe don’t get it!

Hamas plays dirty and for blood.  They know that Israel is not the aggressor, and they also know that images of wailing Palestinians mourning their dead, plays well for the news cameras.  Never mind that they died at the hands of Hamas.  Hamas kills their own people.  The non-Hamas citizens are as terrorized as the Israelis, but not by Israelis.  Here is a snip of the map from the above FrontPageMag.com article which shows the locations Hamas chooses to fire rockets from.  First of all the smuggling in of these rockets is accomplished via tunnels under ground.  But they store the weapons under greenhouses, schools, hospitals.  Makes me think of that verse in Matthew that says woe to those who are with child and those who give suck.  I read a story sometime this week where they had to evacuate the delivery unit of one hospital in Israel because the Hamas bombs were landing dangerously close to the Labor and Delivery unit.


So Hamas fires from locations which will naturally draw fire back, for the express purpose that they can then declare in “righteous indignation” that Israel targeted a school or a hospital.  Never mind the fact that storing their weapons there, and firing from there greatly endangers their own citizens.  Hamas is barbaric.  They relish assassinating citizens accused of collaborating with the enemy.  No trial, no jury, no judge or due process, just a bullet to the head, stripped naked, feet tied together, and dragged through the streets from the back of a motorcycle.  That is pure, unadulterated blood-lust and evil incarnate.

In Israel, by contrast, there are a million and a half citizens who have endured daily life with a constant barrage of incoming rockets for 3 years, necessarily having to be prepared to drop whatever they are doing, and run to bomb shelters, not knowing if their home, business, or even their loved ones, will survive this round.

I am not sure how it is that we can even continue to be surprised by the absurdity of the notion that Hamas’ actions are justified.  You’d think that after a while, we would be used to it, and in a lot of ways we are, yet we can never just accept it.  Israelis just want to work, raise their families, and live in peace.  So, too, do many Arabs and other people in the region.

I can’t quite understand the accolades for Obama’s “unwavering support” for Israel’s right to defend herself.  That is like me standing by while a parent beats the snot out of their 12-year-old kid while his big brothers restrain him, and me saying “I’m rooting for you kid, you have every reason to be offended, and I won’t blame you if you fight back”.  Not to equate the sovereign nation to an adolescent, but the point is their size and the obvious fact that  Hamas is not acting alone.

Obama has been more than happy to dispatch money, weapons, and the manpower of the U.S. military to aid terrorists in the Middle East.  U. S. involvement in the “Arab Spring” was never about giving citizens a “fighting chance” at democratic government.  It has always been about maintaining leverage and protecting the interests of the globalist agenda.  Not just under Obama, but GW Bush, Clinton, and GHW Bush.  I am convinced that just like Viet Nam, the “official” reasons for recent conflicts in which Americans were involved, reasons which stir the blood of patriots, were merely a pretext, and that the real intent has been far more nefarious.  Oil? maybe in some cases.  Power, mostly, after all, what do the oppressed citizens of Libya have to offer?   How about those in Syria?  They are not even in the game, though they thought for one shining moment that they were, when evil rulers were toppled.  Assad and his forces are evil oppressors, but the opposition forces are a mixed bag of hopeful citizens and lesser factions hoping to rise to the same caliber of oppressive power as Assad’s bunch.  The global powers that be will throw their weight behind whichever one is most amenable to some degree of loyalty to the elite powers at the top in America (who, by the way, no longer even have the best interest of Americans at heart, either), or who will at least be willing to negotiate with said powers.

Who can blame the poor for their gullibility to a man who offered hope?   Americans were not the only ones who “voted” for Obama.  I say that figuratively, but am certain it is literal as well.  Foreign money spends just as well as domestic.  The problem is, it was not just the poor and naive who rooted for, worked for and voted for the re-election of Obama.  It was the greedy, the power-hungry, the wealthy (mega-banksters hoping to retain their free pass from accountability, politicians hoping to retain their freedom to abuse their status and office) and it was also the “helpless” screeching birds sitting in their subsidized housing “nests” with mouths open waiting for the next worm.  The free cell-phone worm.  The free internet worm.  The EBT card worm.  It was the pharmaceutical giants, who happen to also be the makers of the genetically modified foods which are making us sick.  Convenient, huh?  Notice I do allow that there are the “legitimate poor” among us.  Even among the “undocumented aliens” there are those who are legitimate refugees from inhumane circumstances in other countries, who just like you and I, only want the chance at a simple, decent life, peace, and means to provide for their families.

But “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me” only works in a nation where freedom reigns, where accountability is upheld, where people acknowledge God as the giver of inalienable rights, (not Government), and where everyone works, and only those who are truly helpless are provided for, and then not by government, nor by the constraint and coercion of government, but as a matter of conscience, with generosity and benevolence,  by their fellow-citizens.
Not only have we been duped, here in America, but all over the world.   Societies are only as strong as the moral fiber of their citizens.   I think for the most part, the people who get fooled, are the people who want to be fooled.  The people who don’t like the reality, and are more than happy to embrace the fantasy that is offered because somehow it allows them a free pass;  Either from moral obligation, condemnation,  even from responsibility.

We are willfully duped when we kid ourselves that there are no consequences for our actions and choices, that God is whomever and whatever we choose to believe He is.  We know better.
We are willfully duped when we kid ourselves that a fetus is merely a blob of tissue.  We know better.
We are willfully duped when we kid ourselves that there are no moral absolutes.  We know better!
Satan kids himself that one day he will exalt himself above God.  And everything that is wrong in this world, equates to nothing more than a willful fantasy that God is not in charge of things.
Sadly, however, and soon, God will disabuse the world of the luxury of self-delusion.
Neither Hamas, nor the Muslim Brotherhood, nor “Palestine”, nor Iran will ever destroy Israel and push her into the sea.

Jeremiah 31:31 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
³² Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord:
³³ But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
³⁴ And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
³⁵ Thus saith the Lord, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The Lord of hosts is his name:
³⁶ If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the Lord, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever.
³⁷ Thus saith the Lord; If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith the Lord.
³⁸ Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that the city shall be built to the Lord from the tower of Hananeel unto the gate of the corner.
³⁹ And the measuring line shall yet go forth over against it upon the hill Gareb, and shall compass about to Goath.
⁴⁰ And the whole valley of the dead bodies, and of the ashes, and all the fields unto the brook of Kidron, unto the corner of the horse gate toward the east, shall be holy unto the Lord; it shall not be plucked up, nor thrown down any more for ever.
The future of America, however, is much less certain.

The Puzzle Unfolds: America and the End-Times

The Puzzle Unfolds:
America and the End-Times

by Jan Markell

www.olivetreeviews.org
November 12, 2012

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So we've had a birth pang of biblical proportions! And it was a U.S. election. Did it get our attention? Yes! Maybe it needed to. We're all so busy that we don't pay careful attention to how late it is.

We're in the fast lane to the end of the age now. We have a Buddhist, a Muslim, and a Hindu in Congress so we're one nation under many gods. We're heading even more into rampant acceptance of same-sex marriage, abortion, and legalized recreational marijuana. Evil is called good and good is called evil. Do you have any doubt that we are officially in the "days of Noah?" Let me offer these observations, if they're even needed. 

There was a shot heard around the world, metaphorically speaking, in June 2009. When Barack Obama addressed the Muslim world from Cairo, Egypt, it was obvious that it was a new day and a black day. As Obama apologized to the Arab world from Cairo, his special guests in the audience were the Muslim Brotherhood. His uninvited guest was Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak. You can bet when the "Arab Spring" took off in January 2011, the radicals reflected on Obama's apologies.

   

I believe the predicted biblical perilous times were accentuated on June 4, 2009, in Cairo. After that, a steady stream of Muslim Brotherhood operatives made their way to the highest places in our land. They were frequent and regular guests of the White House and State Department. All other administrations but this one rightfully labeled the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist outfit. But our current Intelligence chief, James Clapper, suggested that the Muslim Brotherhood was closer to the Lutheran Brotherhood than a bunch of terrorists. The Islamics are just do-gooders, he suggested. The lying never ceases. 

As terror expert Steve Emerson reports, legions of radical Islamists made regular visits to people in high places. It was not to share a cup of tea. It was to talk about darkness: How America could be harmed. As has been revealed, a key player in this scheme is Hillary Clinton's aid, Huma Abedin,  whose family are Muslim Brotherhood operatives. It makes no sense other than that love of country has been replaced by unseen hands who don't have America's best in mind. It will take a Woodward and Bernstein to sort through it all. 

  

The hidden little secret to the Benghazi debacle is that our nation's highest leaders were orchestrating a gun-running operation from terrorists in Libya to terrorists in Syria. So America doesn't just acknowledge the "Arab Spring," we actually helped coordinate it. We chose sides and we picked the real bad guys over the bad guys. The bigger question is why are we involved at all? Remember Israel and Egypt's peace treaty that has held for 30 years? Why stick our nose in and wreck it? 

The dead ambassador was a part of it. Imagine that. Our efforts there weren't benign and humanitarian.  And this isn't speculation. Thanks goes, in part, to the team at Fox News who were sleuths-in-chief with no training other than that of crack journalists. 

Could we have imagined a scenario like this ten years ago? Could we have fathomed it on September 12, 2001? In our wildest imagination we could not have! Islamic infiltration? Come on. Maybe Communists or Socialists, but not Islamists! Never would we have dreamed that Islam would have been an end-of-days nemesis to America.

For all of this to play out there needed to be a Muslim-friendly U.S. administration. Who would have ever dreamed that we would have a U.S. president with a Muslim heritage? A president who actually favored the Arab world? Who had deep-seated hostility toward Israel! This almost required a set-up made in hell. But, it's the end-times, so why not?

So now we are smack dab in the middle of the most perilous times in recent memory and much of America just voted to re-elect someone who will make all these issues really hit the fan! Talk about events in overdrive.

The most-asked question as it concerns Bible prophecy is, where does America fit? Now our decline makes more sense since a ton of people were just re-elected who are fine with our decline.  They have mastered the arts of recklessness and lawlessness. They are proud of their darkness. Their arrogance is stifling. Righteous people literally cannot watch it. When they parade before us, we turn the television off.

The problem is much deeper and far more serious than Mr. Obama, who is a mere symptom of what ails America. Blaming the prince of the fools should not blind anyone to the vast confederacy of fools that made him their prince. The Republic can survive a Barack Obama. It is less likely to survive a multitude of fools, such as those who made him their president.

Hear our post-election radio program with Jan, Jack Kinsella, and John Terry here. 

  

Joel Rosenberg says it well when he states, "This is what happens when the Church is weak and fails to disciple believers to turn biblical faith into action. Given the enormous number of evangelical Christians in the U.S., this bloc could still affect enormous positive change for their issues if they were to unify and vote for the pro-life, pro-marriage candidate as a bloc."

 

He concludes, "What will it take to educate, register and mobilize Christians to vote on the basis of biblical principles, and what kind of candidates could best mobilize them? This is a critical question that Christian political leaders as well as pastors must seriously consider. As we have seen, just a few million more evangelicals voting for pro-life, pro-marriage candidates could offset other demographics that are becoming more liberal."

  

Hal Lindsey says, "The past four years have seen a marked increase in the erosion of many of our basic rights, values, and traditions. This administration has expressed almost unprecedented hostility toward Israel, traditional marriage, gun owners, small business owners and entrepreneurs, corporations, the energy industry, pro-lifers, and Christian institutions. And now that the President doesn't have to worry about facing another election, who knows how that hostility will be expressed." Lindsey feels we are on the fast-track to disaster.

Joseph Farah sums it up. He says, "That's what Obama represents to me -- God's judgment on a people who have turned away from Him and His ways and from everything for which our founders sacrificed their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor. This election could very well represent the beginning of the end of the American dream, American exceptionalism, the American way."

Dr. Albert Mohler called the election a "catastrophe for crucial moral concerns."

Pastor Robert Jeffress of the First Baptist Church, Dallas, spared no punches. He said that, "The course he (Obama) is choosing to lead our nation is paving the way for the future reign of the Antichrist."  

   

Pat Boone says, "We have rejected the very same God and His way, and clamored after a king who has promised to provide, protect and lead them into a Promised Land where 'everybody has everything.' So that same God must take His hand off those who have rejected Him and allow them to reap the consequences. It's not going to be fun."

The Bible says globalism lies ahead and a cashless society. This election will speed that up. We are reminded that not only is this world NOT our home, we don't want it to be our home! This is the home of the Antichrist and he is waiting in the wings. Our real Home is the one where Jesus Christ reigns. We have a mansion there. It will be glorious. The reunions will be out of this world!  

The Bible says, "In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.  If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also." John 14:2, 3   

At "Understanding the Times 2012", Dr. Erwin Lutzer delivered one message on Heaven (and Hell). For encouragement, it would be well worth the investment in the CDs or DVDs. There has never been so much instant feedback at these events thanks to one particular message. Also of urgency is Dr. Mark Hitchcock's message on America in prophecy.  Find that info here.

God has asked us to be His ambassadors in this depraved world. He asks us to stand for truth; to be light in the dark; to be salt in a world that is decaying. He asks us to distribute hope. Even if we get our heads chopped off like John the Baptist!  

   

The world is getting darker but God's call to His people is to ''Arise, shine, for your light has come and the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.''  

May the church, the body and the bride of Christ, rise up and be that light that reflects the glory of God for all to see. Please go share your faith with five people this week. Time is running out. 

Don't look around because what you will see will be shocking. Look up and expect Him. That will soften the blow called reality now.   

A final thought: Some of you will disagree and not understand the passion and discouragement many of us have. You have an equal passion for government to rule. Somehow as believers we have to get along. In eternity we'll be of one accord. King Jesus will rule in Jerusalem for a season called the Millennium and we'll be one political party. Until then, human government is designed to fail. But we do our best. Let's try to love one another in spite of deep division.  

Maranatha. 

Repenting On Behalf Of A Country?

This Week’s Feature Article by Jack Kelley

Now the glory of the God of Israel went up from above the cherubim, where it had been, and moved to the threshold of the temple. Then the Lord called to the man clothed in linen who had the writing kit at his side and said to him, “Go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it.”
As I listened, he said to the others, “Follow him through the city and kill, without showing pity or compassion. Slaughter old men, young men and maidens, women and children, but do not touch anyone who has the mark. Begin at my sanctuary.” So they began with the elders who were in front of the temple. (Ezekiel 9:3-6)


The principle of marking those who would be protected from judgment was first mentioned in Genesis 4:15 when the Lord marked Cain as a warning to those who might try to kill him for murdering Abel.

It had also been hinted at when the Lord told Elijah He had reserved 7,000 faithful in Israel who had not succumbed to idol worship (1 Kings 19:18), but Ezekiel 9:4 stands as the clearest example in history of the Lord marking those who are His and protecting them from danger. In the spiritual world the mark is a sign that the marked person belongs to the Lord and is off limits to anyone else.

Have You Been Marked?

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory (Ephes 1:13-14).
Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come (2 Cor. 1:21-22).

In these two passages Paul revealed that all born again believers were marked at the time they believed to show that they belong to the Lord. It’s the spiritual equivalent of a rancher branding his cattle with his mark of ownership. The presence of this mark will protect us like it has protected others He has marked throughout history.
They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath. (1 Thes. 1:9-10)

But in our case, the mark doesn’t just protect us from the judgment taking place around us, it qualifies us to be removed from the judgment altogether. The Greek word translated from in the last phrase of the above passage means we’ll be separated (distanced) from both the time and the place of the coming wrath.

Peter used the example of Lot to describe this. (Note the similarity in the wording of 1 Thes. 1:9-10 above and 2 Peter 2:7,9 below).
If The Lord rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men, then He knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment (2 Peter 2:7,9). The angels sent to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah couldn’t do so until they had Lot safely out of the way (Genesis 9:15-16, 22).

This mark can only be received on an individual or personal basis. What I mean is we’re not marked because we’re part of the Church, we’re part of the Church because we’re marked. The concept of collective salvation is not Biblical. Nor is it possible for a person with God’s mark to transfer its benefits to someone with out it.

Let Me Make This Perfectly Clear

God has stated this in no uncertain terms. In speaking of the judgment about to fall on the Southern Kingdom he had Ezekiel say;
“Son of man, if a country sins against me by being unfaithful and I stretch out my hand against it to cut off its food supply and send famine upon it and kill its men and their animals, even if these three men—Noah, Daniel and Job—were in it, they could save only themselves by their righteousness, declares the Sovereign Lord (Ezekiel 14:12-14).

Notice He didn’t have Ezekiel say, “If my people …”. He said “If a country …”.  This tells me He was giving us a general principle applicable to all nations, not one that would only apply to Israel, as is the case with promises like 2 Chronicles 7:14 and Jeremiah 29:11.

If any country persists in going against the will of God and doing things He has forbidden, and He determines to judge that country, the believers in it, no matter how righteous they may be, can only save themselves. In Ezekiel 14:15-20 He repeatedly said that even if their own sons and daughters would be affected by the judgment, the prayers of these righteous men could not save them. They could save only themselves by their righteousness.

(Rev. 7:1-8 shows the marking of certain individuals will happen one final time after the Church is gone when the Lord will put His seal on the foreheads of His 144,000 servants to protect them from the coming Trumpet and Bowl judgments. And once again His mark will only protect those to whom it will be given.)

Why Are You Doing That?

There is a currently popular trend in the US where groups of believers have been offering prayers of repentance on behalf of our country in an effort to stay the hand of God’s judgment. But the Lord had Ezekiel tell us this would not accomplish anything. If any nation continues to defy God by going against His ways, that nation will be judged and the prayers of the righteous people in it will only benefit themselves. Only those who have received the mark of God will be rescued.

Proponents of repenting on behalf of our country use the examples of Jonah and Daniel to support their position. I’ve written about Jonah in the past, showing how in that case every person in Nineveh, from the King to the lowliest servant, repented by clothing themselves in sackcloth and fasting (Jonah 3:6-9) in a united effort to avoid the judgment. It was not a case of a few repenting on behalf of the others. They were all repenting. Every one of them.

Those who propose Daniel’s prayer on behalf of Israel in support of this don’t understand that his case was not reflective of our situation either. According to Daniel’s own account, he was only reminding God of something He had already publicly promised to do;
"In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes (a Mede by descent), who was made ruler over the Babylonian kingdom—in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the Lord given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years." (Daniel 9:1-2).

Daniel had read the Book of Jeremiah, written almost 70 years earlier. He knew that the time of captivity was nearly over and that God had already promised to deliver them.
“This whole country will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years.” (Jeremiah 25:11)

This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place.” (Jeremiah 29:10).

And as for the claim that Daniel’s prayer brought Cyrus the Persian to conquer Babylon and free the Jews, Isaiah had foretold this 200 years previously, even naming Cyrus by name. In the message given through Isaiah, God called Cyrus His anointed (chosen one) and included a detailed description of the plan by which Cyrus would conquer Babylon without a battle (Isaiah 45:1-7).

Jewish tradition holds that Daniel showed this portion of the scroll of Isaiah to Cyrus following the fall of Babylon. In response Cyrus ordered the Jewish captives to be set free. This was not something prompted by Daniel’s prayer, it had been God’s published plan all along.

Where the judgment of the US is concerned God has offered no prophecy of duration and no promise of restoration. And now enough people have voted to continue on the path of rebellion to confirm the futility of offering prayers of repentance on behalf of our country.

Where Do We Go From Here?

Since I believe we’re at the End of the Age and that the US has no official role to play in bringing about God’s Kingdom, I see a future where the US continues to decline in power and influence while events increasingly become centered in the Middle East. I think the election results tell us God’s plan for the End Times is right on schedule and there will be no more delay.

Therefore, I believe we should continue living each day by trusting in the Lord and longing for His appearing to take us home. We should stop worrying about our life here and focus our time, our talents, and our treasure on preparing for our life to come (Matt. 6:19-34). And above all, we should remember that while there’s no such thing as repenting on behalf of our country, there is such a thing as asking the Holy Spirit to soften the hearts of our unsaved loved ones toward repenting for themselves. While there is no collective salvation, there are untold millions of cases where the destinies of individuals have been changed through the prayers of others. I know because I’m one of them.

Every idol in our lives is being removed. Believing in our country, our leaders, our economy, our bank accounts or even ourselves is proving to be ineffective. The only one left to believe in is God, and that’s just the way He wants it. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight (Proverbs 3:4-6). You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah. 11-10-12

GOD: THE FINAL JUDGE A Christian response to Obama victory

A Christian response to Obama victory

Exclusive: Joel Richardson notes
'There is a day of justice' for corrupt leaders

Published: 12 hours ago

by Joel RichardsonEmail | Archive

 

In light of President Obama’s re-election, it is essential to briefly detail some of the reasons why Christians should rise above the depression and hopelessness that has gripped so many American conservatives.

In the afterglow of Obama’s victory, Ayman al-Zawahiri, Ayatollah Khamenei, Vladimir Putin and Chris Matthews, as well as millions of pot-heads, sodomites, pro-aborts and all common moochers, are sharing a collective thrill. The American people by a clear majority have rejected fiscal responsibility, energy independence, national security, border security, traditional family values, and worst of all, standing with the most defenseless and innocent among us. Barack Obama’s re-election is a complete political, economic, moral, social and spiritual catastrophe.

But despite the very real implications of America’s downfall, Christians have far more substantial hope and reason to remain joyful.

In pondering which portions of Scripture might be encouraging for American Christians at this moment, I was immediately reminded of Hebrews 11, where believers today are encouraged to consider the lives of several faithful saints of old. Some of these men and woman lived very blessed lives and experienced great prosperity. Others suffered terrible hardships. What they all shared, however, was a vision, a hope of “a better country,” a heavenly “city.” Consider what the Bible has to say concerning Abraham:
“By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” [Hebrews 11:9-10]

As sad as it is to watch this great country take such a harsh turn into irresponsibility and outright godlessness, we are reminded that our ultimate and even eternal citizenship is not here. Christians are to live within this corrupt and perverse age as mere aliens, foreigners, whose eyes are ever fixed on our true and eternal home, as we imitate these saints of old:
“They admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country – a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.” [Hebrews 11:13-16]

Before the election, I sometimes wondered if it might be good for American Christian to get just a slight taste of what it is like for so many of their brothers and sisters who live in nations where they are a minority, where persecution and overt hatred of Christians is common. This is after all, how life was for the early Church. Perhaps our hope has been too focused on this life, on our stuff, on our comforts. Perhaps if we are made a bit more uncomfortable, we might shift our eyes to the heavenly city, to the country that God is preparing for us. Who knows? Perhaps there is a providential and redemptive purpose behind this catastrophe.

What else will the coming of this new messianic kingdom entail?
In one of the most well-known prophetic messianic psalms, we read the following description of what Jesus will accomplish when he returns:
“The LORD will extend your mighty scepter from Zion; you will rule in the midst of your enemies. … The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind: ‘You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek. The Lord is at your right hand; he will crush kings on the day of his wrath. He will judge the nations, heaping up the dead and crushing the rulers of the whole earth.’” [Psalm 110:2, 4-6]

That’s right, one of the primary events that will accompany the return of Jesus as he establishes his messianic kingdom over the earth from Jerusalem is the judgment of the many unrighteous, self-serving and corrupt politicians throughout the whole earth. As the psalm states, when Jesus returns, before he establishes his kingdom, he will “crush kings on the day of his wrath.” While some may understandably feel uneasy with this point, personally, I take great comfort in this. Who among us doesn’t truly grieve at the degree of corruption, character assassination, slander, lies and deceit that so many politicians use to acquire and maintain power? The Lord will not allow this to remain unpunished. There is a day of justice.

For now, my country is governed by a man many of us feel is a truly unrighteous individual, a race-baiter, a divider, a liar, a destroyer. And while I would not suppose to truly know anyone’s heart, I do take great comfort in the fact that there is one who knows the hearts of all people and who has promised a day of justice for all of the earth. So while I will continue to stand and fight for this great nation, even believing that there is yet hope for repentance, revival and restoration, as I watch this beautiful country slip away and devolve into something almost unrecognizable, I take great comfort in knowing that a heavenly country lies ahead. I have been promised a kingdom, and it is on this kingdom the eyes of my heart are fixed. And even more than the coming kingdom, my eyes of hope are fixed entirely on the coming King. And for this reason, the present man in office will never have control over my emotions and will do nothing to steal my joy.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” [Romans 15:13]

Election results: Judgment on America

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Election results: Judgment on America  

Reblogged from Elizabeth Prata: the-end-time.blogspot.com

We are waking up to an amazing day in America. As a nation, we have chosen a platform that chucks God, endorses and promotes baby killing, redefines marriage as God has ordained it, and embraces a man who is the embodiment of all the above.

It is also amazing that the nation re-elected Obama in this weak economy, something American's don't normally do. Usually they choose the other guy when the economy tanks.

In Maine, the heated battle to approve of homosexual marriage at the ballot box has finally won. It has ben a long and bitter battle, with the Legislature first attempting to pass it, but the people mounted a referendum challenge, and were successful. Then the Judicial system attempted to install it, and the people again mounted a ballot referendum and were successful in holding the line for traditional marriage once again. That back and forth ping pong ball has gone on in Maine for many years, with finally, the ballot box winning out this time in favor of the perverse version of marriage. The LA Times reports-

Homosexual marriage legalization passes in two states
"Maryland and Maine appeared poised to become the first states in the nation to back same-sex marriage at the ballot box Tuesday night, and other gay-marriage measures were on the ballot in Minnesota and Washington. The issue had been before voters 32 times and had been rejected every time. But activists say public opinion has shifted since 2008, when California passed a constitutional amendment reserving marriage for heterosexual couples. A 2010 poll showed that, for the first time, more Americans supported gay marriage than opposed it, and in May, President Obama endorsed same-sex marriage. ... Just three years ago, the state defeated a same-sex marriage bill at the ballot box. But a lengthy campaign to change voters' minds has persuaded some Mainers..."

This next part will be kind of long but I want to offer a biblical grounding for a deep understanding of how dire the spiritual situation is. Please, please read...

This is from a bible analysis of homosexuality. It is by Brian Schwertly of Westminster Presbyterian Church of Waupaca County. It is well worth reading the entire piece. Here are some excerpts:

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"This is an age of increasing acceptance and approval of homosexuality. Homosexuality is portrayed by many in government, in public education and in our colleges and universities as just one of many normal, legitimate lifestyle choices. Those who oppose the homosexual lifestyle on moral and religious grounds are usually portrayed by the intellectual elite, the media and the entertainment industry as ignorant bigots who are full of hatred, “homophobic,” and so on.

It is true that some people hate homosexuals. Some people even engage in “gay bashing.” But it must be remembered that people who engage in such activities are sinning against God; they are not at all living in accordance with the law of Christ. The true Christian loves the homosexual and shows it by treating him in a lawful manner, according to the law of God (1 Jn. 5:3). Slander, violence, hatred and scorn should never be the attitude of a Christian toward the homosexual; Christians should protect homosexuals from personal attack. Yet, while the Christian should love the homosexual by treating him lawfully, he must also love him by being biblically honest with him. A person’s attitude toward homosexuality must not be shaped by our changing, pagan culture but by God’s inspired, infallible revelation, the Bible. The Bible offers hope to the homosexual because it speaks the truth and proclaims forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ.

The Creation Ordinance of Marriage

In order to have a proper understanding of human sexuality one must go back to the beginning of mankind. In the beginning God created one man (Adam) and one woman (Eve). God did not create two men (e.g., Adam and Steve) or two women (e.g., Eve and Yvette). God created Adam first from the dust of ground; He then created Eve from Adam’s rib. Eve was created to be Adam’s wife. The Bible says they were naked, yet they were not ashamed. God’s creation of one man and one woman to be husband and wife is the pattern or paradigm for God-sanctioned, normal, moral, blessed sexual relations. “The marriage union is God-ordained, and its sacred precincts must not be polluted by the intrusion of a third party, of either sex” (F. F. Bruce).

Jesus Christ quoted Genesis 2:24 as clear proof that polygamy (having more than one wife) and divorce (except in the case of adultery) are condemned by God (Mt. 19:5). The Apostle Paul, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, said that there is only one moral, legitimate outlet for man’s God-given sex drive—marriage (1 Cor. 7:2). Monogamous, heterosexual marriage is the only way to have sex without sin and guilt. “Marriage is honorable among all, and the [marriage] bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge” (Heb. 13:4 [all Scriptures NKJV]). Anything contrary to the creation ordinance of marriage between one man and one woman is unacceptable before God and sinful. The Bible condemns all sexual activity outside of monogamous, heterosexual marriage: homosexuality, premarital sex, polygamy, adultery, bestiality and so on. “Let no one deceive you with empty words,” says Paul, “for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience” (Eph. 5:6). "

The Law of God

God’s moral law clearly condemns homosexuality of any kind: “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination.... If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them” (Lev. 18:22, 20:13). Apologists for homosexuality try to circumvent the clear, unambiguous statements of God’s law with blatant Scripture-twisting and excuse-making arguments.

The New Testament agrees with and confirms the Old Testament’s condemnation of homosexuality. Could any passage of Scripture be more clear in its condemnation of homosexuality than Paul’s statement found in the first chapter of Romans: “Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting;...who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them” (Rom. 1:24-28, 32)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

All that said, how does a nation in New Testament times, without benefit of a prophet proclaiming imminent judgment, know when of if God will judge it? By His word. Hebrews 1:1-2 tells us

"Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world."

His Word says what is expected of us, for marriage, for government, for moral behavior, for worship and for the priority of God in our lives. In effect, the written Word delivered via the Holy Spirit's inspiration and by Jesus is the prophetic voice of old as the prophets used to proclaimed judgment.

The following essay answers the question "When does God Judge a Nation?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Every day the headlines get worse and the future bleaker. My immediate thought was: Is God judging America? Ascribing God's judgment to a person, event, or country can be a precarious endeavor. We live in a fallen world and therefore bad things sometimes happen just because of sinful human nature. However, nothing happens unless God allows it or He causes it to occur. In biblical times a prophet made it clear that God's judgment was coming. He gave the Canaanites 400 years to repent (they didn't). He gave the city of Nineveh 40 days to repent (they did). He told Abraham that if He could find just ten righteous men in Sodom and Gomorrah He wouldn't destroy it (He couldn't). He used the Babylonian Empire to carry out His judgment against a rebellious Israel who wasn't obeying His land Sabbath laws (Leviticus 25:1-8; Jeremiah 25:8-9,11,29:10; II Chronicles 36:20-21). This judgment resulted in the destruction of the Jews' first temple and led to their seventy-year captivity by the Babylonians. Of course the biggest judgment (aside from judging His Son Jesus Christ for our sins) God wrought was when He destroyed the earth with a flood. Are there biblical principles we can use to discern as to when events may be a judgment of God?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The essay goes on to illustrate in biblical detail why and when God judges nations. Sodom and Gomorrah was destroyed for homosexuality and wickedness, laziness and selfishness (Ezekiel 16:49-50; Leviticus 18:22-25).

Nineveh was destroyed for wickedness, though it is not detailed which wickedness. (Jonah 1:1-2)

Canaanites were judged but this principle shows that God allows a period of time for repentance, for warnings,and finally for their wickedness to come full measure. (Genesis 15:13-16). In their case it was 400 years. In Nineveh's case it was 40 days.

Israel was judged and went into captivity for ignoring God's laws about giving the land rest. (Jeremiah 25:7-11)

The world was judged when evil was so great upon the earth and man was thinking only evil continually.(Genesis 6:5-7)

"God's judgment will come when the wickedness of a nation's behavior (or the world's behavior in the Flood's case) and the evilness of its reasoning crosses the line of God's tolerance."

The essay concludes with one more principle of when God judges:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Flaunting Sin

I want to mention one last biblical principle concerning the judgment of God. This has to do with flaunted or public sin. There are different attitudes people can have when they sin. Some are ashamed of their sins and try to hide them. Others flaunt their sins before man and God because they have no shame in committing them. All sin is destructive but God looks at the heart (I Samuel 16:7)."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ananias and Sapphira lied directly to the Holy Spirit, flaunting their sin of greediness. A rebellious attitude of flagrant sin will not be tolerated in individuals nor in nations.

Please understand that where America is now is in a place of severe precipice, her toes even over the edge of the abyss. Making an ordinance of homosexual marriage, rejecting the even moderately moral and ethical man Romney is, making a platform of child sacrifice, never mind the financial sins of laziness, welfare, greediness, and power abuse, our sins have piled up so high we cannot see the top of the pile even with a telescope. God will judge America, as He will judge all nations. The only questions is how close is it.

It is my personal opinion that our judgment is near, that the election was one last chance to refuse immorality and perversity. To reject the God-rejecters and to embrace an agenda that is a bit more Godly than the one American finally embraced. I personally believe Hurricane Sandy was a warning in the face of this nation's imminent - and very likely her last - decision.

What will this judgment include? One only needs to look at the bible to see the many ways He judges. Will we be attacked like Israel was and carried off in captivity to a stronger military power?

Will we undergo a severe, city-flattening earthquake? (Amos 1:1, Zechariah 14:5).

Will He send drought and famine? Will he send war? Will He do all of the above?

We do not know. But one thing we do know, as sure as His promises of judgment for rebellion against Him are sure, He also will keep His promise as the Great Shepherd and love and care for each of His sheep.

"He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young." (Isaiah 40:11)

"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." (John 10:11)

'For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them" (Ezekiel 34:11)

If you awoke today depressed and dejected because the news, well, we have a right to be. I am dejected too. But what I am sad for are the vast majority of the people who do not know what they are doing, who are lost, blind sheep stumbling around without a shepherd. They are in the cold and do not know it!

We are hurtling headlong toward the cliff, rushing toward the cesspool so many want to dive into.

I am sad for my nation and expecting judgment any time soon. But I know my home is in heaven, and until the Good Shepherd calls me there I will pray for the lost people of this nation. Ceaselessly. Have hope in Him and His ways. He is holy and pure.

What happens when the earth's people refuse God's Living Water?

Sunday, August 5, 2012

What happens when the earth's people refuse God's Living Water?

http://the-end-time.blogspot.com.

"It's raining ashes in Tulsa."

That was the tweet from a Christian sister who lives in Oklahoma. Wildfires have struck that state the last few days and there is much damage.

We're scorched from one end of the nation to the other. We are experiencing heat, drought, fires, ash, dust, dryness and thirst...

Why is this? Because our hearts are hot for satan, we're drought-ridden from not being in the Word, and our consciences are seared as if with a hot iron. So it is no wonder, my glorious God, that You manifest on the outside what is on the inside of your people. You are the Living Water, but we refuse it. You are the refreshing dew but we don't want it. You give to us that is athirst the fountain of the water of life freely but we turn away. (Revelation 21:6).

"but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." ( John 4:14 ).

But your people say NO!

"Therefore the heavens above you have withheld the dew, and the earth has withheld its produce."

(Haggai 1:10)

Corn plants damaged by extreme heat and drought conditions
in Carmi, Illinois. Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg. source

I will make it a wasteland, neither pruned nor cultivated, and briers and thorns will grow there. I will command the clouds not to rain on it." (Isaiah 5:6)

"The LORD will turn the rain of your country into dust and powder; it will come down from the skies until you are destroyed." (Deuteronomy 28:24)

In Luther, Okla., at least two dozen homes, a day care center and
other businesses have been destroyed by a wind-driven fire. source

Surely wickedness burns like a fire; it consumes briers and thorns, it sets the forest thickets ablaze, so that it rolls upward in a column of smoke. (Isaiah 9:18)

A horse, which was eventually rescued, tries to escape
a wildfire Friday in central Oklahoma. Photo: Jerry Laizure, AP. source

"My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water. (Jeremiah 2:13).

Medina County: cisterns drying up in drought. source

I like to see the metaphors in how the LORD presents Himself to us. One of those ways is as the Living water, refreshing rain, a fountain of truth. Water, water, water. I also like to see His promises. We often focus on the 'good' promises, of eternal life, treasure in heaven, unconditional love. But He made other promises too. Like this one that He promises His people the Jews-

"If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments...Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase." (Leviticus 26:3,4)

Although our covenant with Him as the grafted-in Gentiles is not the same as the covenant above, the principles are the same. We are still to walk in His ways and follow His statutes. If we do, then another of His promises will be fulfilled:

"And the LORD will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail." (Isaiah 58:11).

Barnes' Notes closes beautifully with an explanation of the Isaiah verse above. Man, those 1800's writers could write:

"But in the supplies which God makes for his people there is no such deception. The fountains of pardon, peace, and joy are ever open and ever full. The streams of salvation are always flowing. The weary pilgrim may go there at any season of the year, and from any part of a desolate world, and find them always full, refreshing, and free. However far may be the pilgrimage to them from amidst the waste and burning climes of sin, however many come to slake their thirst, and however frequently they come, they find them always the same. They never fail; and they will continue to flow on to the end of time."