Posted in Obama, prophecy, registry

Obama’s Messiah complex continues: he’s now the National Groom

Obama didn’t call himself Messiah, but he certainly didn’t make any attempt to dispel the notion. The name was attributed to him many times, as here, “A messiah won’t be landing at the Heliopolis airport Thursday. Nonetheless, the expectations raised by Obama’s brief visit to Cairo are almost messianic.”

Or here, “Obama, a junior senator, the son of a white mother and a Kenyan father, has been happy to run as a black man and, more important, as America’s new messiah.”

He was depicted as such in paintings, here, for example.

He was photographed as such, here, for example.

Lately a spate of unusual and frankly, weird, statements have emerged that surpass the language, visual depictions and opinions of Obama as Messiah. News bloggers and editorialists can’t figure out how or why this new language is now entering the pantheon of Obama-descriptors. But I can. Any Christian would spot it a mile away.

First, here is the new stuff coming out:

Dan Collins wrote at the Weekly Standard,
OBAMA: OH, HE’S MORE THAN JUST MILD; YOU’RE MARRIED TO HIM, TOO
“I put off blogging about this latest bizarre emanation from the desperate Obama campaign, because I had other things to write about it, and other bloggers covered what was to be covered well enough, I thought; but the more I think about it, the stranger it gets. In a campaign fund-raising mailer, Michelle Obama asserts that Barack is all the ladies’ husband.”

Obama is the National Husband?

The Obama Event Resigtry
“What this involves is a plea from the Obama campaign for brides to request that guests send money to Obama instead of buying the new couple some gifts. “Let your friends know how important this election is to you—register with Obama 2012, and ask for a donation in lieu of a gift. It’s a great way to support the President on your big day. Plus, it’s a gift that we can all appreciate—and goes a lot further than a gravy bowl.”

Obama is the National husband, and we’re all getting married to him?

Why not? Isn’t the Messiah also known as the GROOM? (Isaiah 54:5,6; Jeremiah 3:14;31:32; Hosea 2:19-20; Revelation 21:2). And we aren’t all going to have a marriage supper? It is a perfectly logical (blasphemous) continuation of the prophetic/biblical language Obama likes to employ.

Posted in iran, kings of the east, prophecy, turkey

Enter the Kings of the East into prophetic play

I saw the following news article and I though, “Hmmm, that’s a little strange.”

Jerusalem Post: ‘Iran, Russia, China, Syria plan ‘largest’ war game
“Syrian, Iranian media reports say air, ground and naval forces to conduct ‘Middle East’s largest ever military exercise.’ “

China? I can see Iran and Russia and Syria, they are prophesied to ally in the Gog Magog war. Russia has a port in Syria and Syria is the proxy nation for Iran. But China? Where’s their stake in it?

Of course the next day Russia, Syria deny war games with China, Iran. But the inclusion of China into the prophetic mix perked up my ears.

Then I see the following by an an energy media outlet synopsizing from the Wall Street Journal:

Saudi Arabia, China Sign Nuclear Cooperation Pact“:

“With its energy consumption surging and its own power supply under threat, Saudi Arabia will rely increasingly on nuclear generation. To help it along, it has turned to the country that is emerging as the world leader in nuclear technology: China. The Wall Street Journal reports that the two countries have agreed to jointly develop nuclear power plants, reactors, fuel and maintenance. The agreement follows a 6-day visit to Saudi Arabia by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao.” [Photo above from Lebanon Daily Star, released by Saudi Press Agency, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, left, meets with Saudi King Abdullah, right, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, Jan. 14, 2012.”]

This deal, Saudi’s oil free flowing to China in exchange for nuclear technology, is already shaping up to be be responsible for a dramatic shift of the security environment of the Middle East, not to mention the future of the petrodollar.

The Washington Times explained it this way:
“U.S. intelligence agencies are closely watching Saudi Arabia for signs that the oil-rich kingdom will seek to develop nuclear weapons, amid tensions in the region centered on Iran’s nuclear program. One key warning sign was the cooperation agreement signed Sunday in Riyadh by China and Saudi Arabia. According to the Saudi Jidda News, the agreement will seek joint development of “atomic energy for peaceful purposes, which will help to meet the kingdom’s rising demand for energy and cut its growing dependence on depleting resources.” The agreement was signed by King Abdullah and Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao ”

The Asia Times simply said: Saudi Arabia pivots toward Asia

I kept thinking…hmmm, enter the Kings of the East. It wasn’t until last night when this week’s Hal Lindsey’s report dropped the last penny for me and the pieces fell into place. He opened his weekly report by bluntly saying:

“Why is no one in the mainstream media talking about the latest deal between Saudi Arabia and China? In case you haven’t heard, the Saudis recently offered to guarantee the Chinese unlimited oil until 2035. In exchange for Chinese off-the–shelf nuclear missiles. … [Here, Lindsey cites the source DebkaFile, which is a dubious source, but the following is true:] “The raw fact, which the West does not want to acknowledge, is that the Saudis fear Iran and want nuclear weapons as a counterbalance to Iran’s growing nuclear potential.”

Lindsey continues:
“This is what the Israel has been warning the West about for years now. If Iran is allowed to acquire nuclear weapons, not only would it pose a direct threat to Israel, but it will force other nations in the Middle East to acquire nuclear weapons for heir own self defense. It will ignite an arms race in a rough neighborhood. I think it is interesting that even though most nations in the Middle East have long suspected that Israel possessed nuclear weapons, none of them felt threatened enough to seek their own arsenals. But now that is almost a guarantee that one of their own Muslim brothers is going nuclear, some of them suddenly feel the need for a nuclear deterrent.”

Lindsey widens the picture from the looming new nuclear arms race in the unstable regions to the wider view of additional prophetic pieces entering the picture. It begins to bring into focus a long puzzling question: how or why China would be drawn into the war of Armageddon.

Revelation 16:12 says “The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East.”

Revelation chapter 9 describes the preparation for that war. It involves the King of the North and the King of the South. In Daniel’s prophecy of “the time of the end” beginning in Daniel 11:35, a king is pictured in the Mediterranean area who engages in a military conflict with the king of the south, the king of the north, and a military force from the east. A question that has always puzzled Lindsey is why would the kings of the East cross the Euphrates with a 200 million man army? Daniel 11:40-45 describes the battle plan of this final war.

‘“At the time of the end the king of the South will engage him in battle, and the king of the North will storm out against him with chariots and cavalry and a great fleet of ships. He will invade many countries and sweep through them like a flood. He will also invade the Beautiful Land. Many countries will fall, but Edom, Moab and the leaders of Ammon will be delivered from his hand. He will extend his power over many countries; Egypt will not escape. He will gain control of the treasures of gold and silver and all the riches of Egypt, with the Libyans and Cushites in submission. But reports from the east and the north will alarm him, and he will set out in a great rage to destroy and annihilate many. He will pitch his royal tents between the seas at the beautiful holy mountain. Yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him.’ “

Now, I don’t understand all that. And by the disagreement over who, exactly, is the King of the South, others aren’t sure either. But from what I have read on Bible.org, Hal Lindsey and Jack Kelley, there seems consensus that it looks like Iran and Turkey both want to be seen as the King of the North, while Egypt is the front-runner for King of the South, supported by Saudi Arabia.

Jack Kelley describes the final power struggle:
“According to Daniel 11 the End of the Age would see two Middle Eastern power blocks, which he called the King of the North and the King of the South. Today, although they appear to be allies, two countries from the former Seleucid Empire, the first King of the North, are openly competing for the right to be the Bible’s End Times King of the North. They are Turkey and Iran. … Until recently it seemed like Syria and Iran would combine to take the title King of the North, but now there’s a new kid in town due to Turkish PM Erdogan’s vision of resurrecting the Ottoman Empire into the leader of the Moslem world.”

If you have seen the news of Turkey’s shift away from the West over the last five years, Prime Minister Erdogan’s call for the reclusive but powerful Imam currently living in Pennsylvania to come home and take his place in the faith and in the nation, and the issue with Syria downing a Turkish jet fighter and Turkey’s declaration that it will not be ignored, you know that Turkey’s rise as a powerful player over these last few years is incredibly prophetic.

As we sort out the prophetic kings and the final pieces of prophecy, one consensus seems clear. The Kings of the East seem generally acknowledged to be an Oriental Confederacy, which includes the 200 million man army of China. China is now considered to have the most powerful army ever assembled in world history.

North Korea: Kim Jong Il’s funeral

I used the photo above to demonstrate that the Oriental kings already have the ability to mass not only the military but their civilian populations, with ease. As we go forward on this day and this week and this month…let’s remember Jesus. he is the King, Prophet, and Priest into whose hands God has delivered all authority. (Matthew 28:18). His hand is passing over the earth to bring these events about. He is in control, and nothing is out of control. All is progressing exactly as He ordained. The best thing we can do is obey him and be joyful in His works, which are to the good of those who love Him. (Romans 8:28).

We witness, sharing His peace with one and all, even in the face of mounting war. As Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8:

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.

First, war. Then, eternal peace.

Do you love Jesus? Do you want to? Here is what you must do. And here is a simple, concise explanation of the Gospel. Please read it, if you are not saved. We’re experiencing a moral, spiritual, financial, and cultural implosion as we speak. Please don’t be caught in the rubble. Jesus will forgive you, lift you, and bring you to heaven to feast with Him as part of His bride. You will be born (again), heal, build up, laugh, dance, embrace, seek, speak, and have peace.

Posted in flip off, homosexual, judgment, prophecy

Flipping off Reagan in the White House and the judgment of the wrath of abandonment

Is there any one picture that can illustrate better that the LORD of the Universe has given over the nation of America and has abandoned us to our reprobate mind??
Gay Activists Visiting White House Take Photos of Themselves Flipping Off Reagan Portrait
Image source: Facebook

The photo is of homosexual activists who had been invited to the White House. They chose to demonstrate their decorum and manners by raising their middle fingers to the portrait of a former President who had served 30 years ago.

Who’s dead.

Yeah, those lesbians sure showed Reagan. Sigh.

The main issue isn’t even of homosexuality primarily. When one is invited to the People’s House, the national seat of power, and arguably the most powerful location on the planet, choosing to demonstrate your sexuality in the White House living room instead of your private bedroom is beyond juvenile. Raising your middle finger in public, especially that place of honor and distinction, is beyond immature and profane. Stay classy, ladies. Oops, too late.

Homosexuals insist they are not defined by their sexual orientation but the photo below and their actions like this and others make it clear they are led by their lust. They claim that they just want to live an ‘out’ life being “who they are” but they prove over and over that who they are, are people who are led by perverted lust with an inability and unwillingness to control themselves. Certainly they are not led by reasonable decision making as mature adults living a lifestyle of respectful civil discourse and behavior…

Gay Activists Visiting White House Take Photos of Themselves Flipping Off Reagan Portrait
Image source: zoestrauss.blogspot.com

Strauss posted a second photo on her blog with the comment: “Me and LB making out under a portrait of Reagan at the White House. That was amazing.” (source)

Romans 1:18-31 describes the progression of “God’s Wrath Against Mankind.” That is what the section of verse is called. It outlines what happens when individuals and a nation decide to overthrow the sovereignty of God and pursue their own lusts. In an interview this week with Brannon Howse of WorldView Weekend, Dr. John MacArthur explained this wrath, which he called the Wrath of Abandonment:

“I believe America is under Divine judgment, and I’m not saying that just as a whim. Romans 1 says, Romans 1:18 says, the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all unrighteousness of men who hold the truth in unrighteousness. Okay, if we took America and asked, did we have the truth? We had the truth, yes. But we have held the truth in unrighteousness, getting increasingly unrighteous.”

“So what is the wrath of God against us? Well, it defines it in verses 24, 26 and 28. “He gave them over,” “He gave them over,” “He gave them over.” This is not eschatalogical wrath, this is not eternal wrath, this is not sort of consequential wrath (sowing and reaping), this is not cataclysmic wrath, like the flood or like a tidal wave, this is the wrath of abandonment. God gave them over, gave them over, gave them over. And you see a sequence.”

“When this wrath acts – and according to Acts 14 He allows all the nations to go their own way, so this is the cycle of human history – when this wrath is in action, the first thing he says is, God gave them over to fornication. The first thing that happens, you will notice a sexual revolution, you will notice that sexual behavior will begin to be accepted outside of marriage. Then he says in verse 26, He gave them over to homosexuality, women with women doing that which is unacceptable, men with men, and it even talks about getting the due results of their sin, which would be something like AIDS.”

“So you can tell when a society has been turned over by God, abandoned: first, there’s the sexual revolution, that’s the 60’s, the whole Playboy sexual deal, the hippie culture, then you get a homosexual revolution. Then verse 28, God gives them over to a reprobate mind. Now nobody can think straight, and all the stuff that follows out of that. I think that’s what we’re seeing in America. You’re not gonna overpower God’s judgment on this country at that level.” (HT for transcription to Sola Sisters)

The word reprobate in the verse ‘reprobate mind’ is actually depraved, and it is defined in the Greek as “rejected, fail the test”. Mind is translated, “the God-given capacity of each person to think (reason); the mind; mental capacity to exercise reflective thinking. For the believer, is the organ of receiving God’s thoughts, through faith.”

So back to the beginning when I asked “Is there any one picture that can illustrate better that the LORD of the Universe has given over the nation of America and has abandoned us to our reprobate mind?” I believe, NO. I believe that it is the picture of God’s judgment of Wrath of Abandonment and an example of the National Reprobate Mind.

Posted in morning in tuscany, new earth

If ‘Morning in Tuscany’ is THIS pretty, then…

Just think, the New Earth (Rev 21:1) will be even MORE beautiful than this

Peace in the valley! Click on the photo for enlargement and drooling purposes. Remember, any person can be with Jesus in the gorgeous New Earth. He wishes for all to join Him there. (1 Tim 2:4). All one must do is repent and believe-

“and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:15)

Posted in damascus, prophecy, syria, turkey

US concerned about Israeli strike on Damascus; Turkish jet shot down by Syria?

It’s getting serious…Isaiah 17, Isaiah 19, Psalm 83…

—–update #1———
Some updates as details emerge. Regarding the downed Turkish jet, it is confirmed that Syria shot it down. AP: Office of Turkey’s prime minister says Syria has downed a Turkish air force jet.” Syria claims the jet was over Syrian territorial waters. Turkey says,

“REUTERS: TURKEY WILL TAKE ALL THE NECESSARY MEASURES “DECISIVELY” ONCE ALL THE DETAILS OF THE INCIDENT EMERGE-PM OFFICE STATEMENT”

Remember, Turkey has the largest Army in Europe, and the 2nd largest Navy. Turkey has the 2nd largest military in NATO, behind the US.
—–end update #1———

—–update #2———
From Zerohedge, a nice analysis about what this all means and what could happen next. For example, one part:

“The only question remains whether Syria’s act was offensive or defensive. Naturally, its version is one of self-defense. Turkey obviously will claim it was in its right to be wherever the plane may be, and will say this was an act of provocation. Then NATO, read Hillary Clinton, will promptly step in, and make this a case in which Turkey was in its right and that Syria committed an act of aggression. From there, things will just escalate…”

—–end update #2———

US concerned about Israeli strike on Damascus
“U.S. intelligence agencies are closely watching Israel’s military for signs it will conduct strikes on Syria’s stockpiles of chemical weapons, amid concerns the deadly nerve agents could fall under the control of Hezbollah or al Qaeda terrorists, U.S. officials said. Syria’s arsenal remains vulnerable as the result of the internal conflict currently underway in Syria between government forces and opposition rebels, one official said.”

Syria correspondent @AlexanderPageSY reports on Twitter: “CONFIRMED #Qudseya just 6km from presidential palace in #Damascus will face a full force military bombardment in the next 2 days #Syria”

Turkish jet shot down by Syria?
“Military aircraft crashes over Syrian waters after being intercepted by Assad’s defense forces, media reports claim; Erdogan convenes emergency meeting with ministers…Turkey said on Friday it had lost contact with one of its military aircraft while it was over the sea off the southeastern coast, and a television station said it had crashed in Syrian territorial waters. Hezbollah’s al-Manar television and Pro-Iranian Al-Mayadeen television station, which are both based in Lebanon, reported that the plane was shot down by Syrian defense forces. “Syrian security sources confirmed to a Manar correspondent in Damascus that Syrian defence forces shot down the Turkish fighter jet,” the Hezbollah-owned channel said.”

Saudi Arabia plans to fund Syria rebel army
“Saudi officials are preparing to pay the salaries of the Free Syria Army as a means of encouraging mass defections from the military and increasing pressure on the Assad regime, the Guardian has learned. The move, which has been discussed between Riyadh and senior officials in the US and Arab world, is believed to be gaining momentum as a recent flush of weapons sent to rebel forces by Saudi Arabia and Qatar starts to make an impact on battlefields in Syria.’

Keep praying and keep looking up.

Posted in bus monitor, humanity, karen klein, neverseconds

Is the bus monitor riding an "empathy bubble"?

Forbes Magazine asked the question today. But first let’s back up and do some explaining.

A few days ago a gang of middle school-aged students on a Greece, NY public school bus emotionally tortured and verbally abused the 68 year old female bus monitor, Karen Klein. The kids harassed her and uttered unconscionably cruel comments to her and about her, for no other reason than to have a laugh. The scene was video’d on a cell phone and uploaded. The Washington Post reported that the kids’ actions were a “feeding frenzy of cruelty.”

What happened next is something the kids didn’t expect: viral backlash. The video gained millions of views in just a few days and the reaction was bad- against the kids. Horror, shock, outrage at this level senseless cruelty and from some so young, really blew up what Forbes called an “empathy bubble.” Donations poured in for the woman. The donors who set up a donation page initially hoped to garner $5,000 so she could be sent on a nice vacation. To date, and the figure rises by the minute, the total is approaching one hundred times the initial goal, it’s at half a million dollars.

And that seemed to be the benchmark of where Forbes and the Post and other news outlets called it enough and seemed to want the brakes to be applied to this runaway donation craze. Their attitude is, ‘it’s great that good things are coming Karen’s way, but not TOO good. Let’s not go crazy here.’

Forbes said that this kind of reaction “is beginning to exhibit the “irrational exuberance” that drives bubbles in markets (tulip bulbs, tech stocks, etc.).” Washington Post reported, “With an original goal of raising $5,000 to send the victim on a “recovery vacation,” indiegogo.com has already raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for Klein. That’s way beyond any typical vacation and way beyond any proportional response to the hurt Klein suffered. It’s not that her suffering should be minimized, but even if no more money is raised, that would be about tens of thousands of dollars per minute of verbal abuse by a bunch of children. Without, I hope sounding glib, where can I sign up for that deal? What’s going on here?”

I’ll answer that is a second. Or rather, Neverseconds…it is a similar story of unwarranted cruelty and international citizen support for the oppressed.

Source

BBC reports, “A school kitchen is to be built in Malawi and named in honour of school dinners blogger Martha Payne. The nine-year-old became an internet sensation after Argyll and Bute Council banned her from posting photos of her school meals on her blog. The ban was later overturned after a storm of protest. She has now raised more than £80,000 for the charity Mary’s Meals and recorded more than five million page views on the NeverSeconds blog.”

It’s the same old story- person goes about their business. Said activity interferes or threatens bureaucratic tyrants. Said tyrants temperamentally close person down. Storm of citizen protest pushes back the tyrants and they retreat to oppress another day. You can read more of Martha’s story, at my other blog.

So also thanks to the internet, Martha’s quest to raise 7,000 pounds for a kitchen at a Third World School and money to feed them school lunches has exceeded her goal…by almost ten times. Why the “irrational exuberance” toward the blogging project of a 9-year-old kid? What’s going on here?

Both stories had bullying at their heart. Who hasn’t been harassed at some point, especially in Middle School? Listening to the vile comments reminded me of the tough-as-nails stance you had to take very day just entering the Junior High School building. And who hasn’t been the recipient of heavy-handed bureaucratic tyrants squashing a dream?

I believe the exuberance showered on the kid blogger and the bus monitor happened because with all that is dark in the world all that is horrific, we want to demonstrate in some way that we are still human…humane. That we have compassion and care for fellow humans in this world, especially ones we identify with because of their experience of having been bullied. As the world grows more dark and more of the population is bullied more and more, the pendulum will swing crazily the other way.

Watch this 2-min clip from the movie Network. It is all the more amazing is that he said it 36 years ago–it could just as well be said today…


“I’m a human being dammit! My life has value!!”

Does it? Does it?

Jesus has been slowly lifting His hand of blessing upon the world, and revealing to us that indeed, we are sinful creatures. Apart from Him, we can do nothing, (John 15:5) and all our works are as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). We desperately want to cling to the notion that our basic humanity is good, our works are enough, and that at the bottom of it all, we can unite to make a better world. That we can define that “good,” agree on what it is, and stand on it, together. We reach out in sympathy and compassion to the recipients of cruelty, as if to prove to our own selves that we are not base animals but are caring beings.

The impetus for the wildly exuberant responses to these incidents promoted on social media is that they’ve touched that nerve. As the world becomes more animalistic, the more we want to prove to one and all, as John Merrick, ‘The Elephant Man’ did, “I am not an animal! I am a human being!”

Posted in end of days, prophecy

Why study prophecy?

Leonard Ravenhill used to say that the Puritan preachers were so heavenly minded they lived in eternity 6 days a week and came down on Sunday to preach. Those guys sure were fiercely intentional about their walk with God! I don’t think it could be said that the Puritans gained biblical knowledge for knowledge sake but failed to apply it, that is for sure.

In my opinion, the more you study the bible, including prophecy, the more you want to apply it. Why study prophecy? Why seek to be watchful and respect the signs? Aside from the fact that we are commanded to? (Mark 13:37).

I study prophecy because –

–it is part of the bible, God’s revelation of Himself through holy inspired word
–it is commanded (See above)
–it instills in me an urgency to live righteously and to witness. We don’t study just for the information and go our way. It has to affect our Christian walk, just as any scripture does.
–It comforts me to think of these promises being fulfilled:

“In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and peoples will stream to it. Many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. (Micah 4:1-2)

If you are driving in a fogbank, you get disoriented. You slow down. You look carefully. You are on high alert. You see a fogline at the edge and you know how far to go.

When in the fog you look for distinct landmarks, but the fog may be so heavy you don’t see them unless they are large or unless they are close. Eventually you start to emerge from the fogbank and you can see more clearly, landmarks near and far.

It is like these days, we are emerging from the fogbank. The prophetic unclarity is lifting. And even this is a prophetic fulfillment:

“But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.” (Daniel 12:4).

I’m convinced that the last 5 years’ sudden burst of interest in, understanding of and controversy about prophecy is that it is a progressive fulfillment of the Daniel verse above.

The knowledge that is increasing is not just worldly knowledge like what makes the sun work and how to beat cancer. It is also knowledge of the prophecies, and we are gaining that knowledge because it is the time of the end, and the fogbank is lifting. Christians see the signs, and non-Christians feel something is about to happen.

I liken myself and other watchmen to the fogline: we inhabit the edge, and sound the warning about going too far. ‘Your doctrine is drifting!’ we say. We do this because we are protectors of the truth, contending for the faith. We live on the boundary and when someone is about to wander off we sound the alarm, and their course is hopefully corrected… While everyone is coming and going and using their gifts in church, we keep watch for potential collisions.

I feel an ever burdened weight to speak and to write. Look at the following sermon excerpt regarding the burden Jude felt:

“Like Paul, who wrote to the Corinthians, “For necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel” (1 Cor. 9:16, nkjv), Jude felt the necessity—a heavy burden or mandate—to write. Agcho, the root of the noun rendered necessity, means literally “compress.” Jude recognized that he was a watchman for the truth (cf. Ezek. 3:16–21) who could not simply watch in silence as his readers slipped into error. His fervent passion for sound doctrine, especially regarding the gospel, made even the thought of false teaching a heavy burden on his heart (cf. 2 Cor. 11:28). And he and his readers would not be able to share a common salvation if they lost the gospel.” (source)

Again, why study prophecy?
–We are observing and studying not just for knowledge:
–to learn the entire sweep and scope of God’s promises,
–to instill a wonder at His sovereign hand from beginning to end,
–to create in us an urgency so as to live righteously and to share boldly,
–to be encouraged.

I have a sincere love of the brethren that we stay strong and thus receive the ultimate blessings of God: closeness with Him in light and in truth. As we all go down the narrow path toward glory, won’t it be wonderful on that Day when we are raised to heaven and there will be no more need for watchfulness. All will be clear sailing. No more wolves, no more false doctrine, no more false teachers, no more alarms. No more watchmen! Just a blessed rest and peace with Jesus.

source
Posted in billy graham, evangelicalism divided, lain murray

Some good stuff: recommendations

Roman siege and destruction
of Jerusalem (David Roberts, 1850)

If you wonder about the fate of Israel and the city of Jerusalem in prophecy, the prophet Zechariah has the entire sweep and scope of the past and future of Israel in one book. Last Sunday, Dr. John MacArthur preached on the prophecy of Zechariah regarding Israel’s national salvation in the last days. It is a great sermon. He exposits the text verse by verse, explaining what will happen in the last day, what will happen at Armageddon, and then the glorious afterward with the promise of national salvation fulfilled. His sermon is here: “The Salvation of Israel.”

This is a book with good reviews and is solid in truth. “Evangelicalism Divided: A Record of Crucial Change in the Years 1950 to 2000” by Iain Murray. It records the ‘history of the change within evangelicalism over the last 50 years is both impressive and frightening. He shows how decisions by some noted evangelical leaders in Britain and the U.S. for the sake of “unity” or “results” have compromised the church and watered down the message of the Gospel’ writes reviewer David Vosseller. This decline includes chronicling the history of unfortunate decisions by including well-known Gospel promoting pastors such as Billy Graham, J.I. Packer, and John Stott.

You might be surprised to find the beloved US pastor Billy Graham’s name listed in a list noting pastors who have declined toward apostasy due to their unfortunate ecumenical decisions, indeed, an entire chapter in this book is devoted to his decline, but his decline is a true one. Mr Graham is among those who at once promote the Gospel while simultaneously undermine it.

The book isn’t brand new but it is fairly new, but it does chronicle how apostasy happens and the danger of ecumenicalism, worthy subjects in light of today’s mainline church regularly blaspheming the Holy Spirit, how the emergent church model is a harbor for pastors without a pastor’s heart, and spiritual abuse. It’s come to this, and Murray was right.

Joel Rosenberg wrote, “A positive development: southern Baptists choose African American pastor as president who says, “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ.” He is Pastor Fred Luter.

Photo Christian Post

Mr Luter said, “There are a lot of things in this life … that I’m ashamed of. I’m ashamed of the number of babies that are being killed through abortion every year in America; I’m ashamed of the racism that still persists in our society; I’m ashamed that our elected government officials cannot put aside their personal agendas for the betterment of our cities, our states and our nation; I’m ashamed that brothers and sisters in the body of Christ can’t put aside their petty differences for the cause of Christ. Maybe if the world saw us getting along, … then maybe we can be an example; I’m ashamed of the number of preachers who don’t practice what they preach; I’m ashamed of the high divorce rate among Christian couples in America; I’m ashamed of our drive-by shootings; I’m ashamed of our child pornography. Yes … there are a lot of things … that I’m ashamed of. I’m so glad to proclaim that in spite of all the things I am ashamed about … I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!”

Me, either! How about you? Promote the name of Jesus everywhere, preach sin and redemption, grace and mercy, extol the virtues of a Spirit filled life by being salt and light.

Posted in christlikeness, grace, sin

Mortar and Pestle, a match made in heaven

A mortar and pestle is a tool used to crush, grind, and mix solid substances. The pestle is a heavy club-shaped object and the mortar is a bowl, typically made of hard wood, ceramic or stone. Inside the mortar is a substance to be ground down by the pestle.

I am the mortar. This sinful shell of a body is a vessel. Once, it was a vessel of satan’s, his playground of sin in me. Then Jesus’s grace saved me and He sent the Holy Spirit to indwell this poor vessel. The Spirit aids me in resisting sin, which this poor vessel stillcontains. This mortar still contains the substance of sin. It is unwanted material. 

The Spirit is the Pestle. He is the mechanism that grinds down that sin. (John 16:8). O, Holy Spirit, my Lord, My God! Grind down the sin in me today, crush it into nothing! Please make more room in me for growth in Christ-likeness! (Gal 4:19, Rom 12:2, Phil 2:3-5)

Posted in defect, MiG, prophecy, syria

News from the Middle East: Syrian jet pilot defects to Jordan, sources

Syrian MiG fighter jet pilot defects to Jordan: sources
“AMMAN (Reuters) – A Syrian MiG 21 fighter jet landed in Jordan on Thursday in what opposition activists said was the first defection involving an aircraft since the start of a 15-month-old uprising against President Bashar al-Assad. “The plane landed at King Hussein Airbase at 11 a.m. (4:00 a.m. EDT),” a Jordanian security source told Reuters, referring to a military airport 80 kilometers (50 miles) northeast of the capital Amman. Syrian state television said communication was lost with a plane of the same model at 10:34 a.m. while it was on a training mission near the southern border with Jordan.’ “

Reuters Twitter Stream: “Activists say Syrian MiG-21 fighter jet defects to Jordan; Jordanian security confirms plane landed at a military airport – @Reuters”.

 A MiG of this kind, I read online, is an advanced fighter jet. A twitter person said the following:

“#Syria TV says contact lost with jet fighter. Oppn says Syrian MiG has landed in Jordan. Similar event was seminal moment in #Libya”

However, Jordan says the pilot simply made an emergency landing. But then, this article says the pilot has just asked for asylum in Jordan.

Here is King Hussein Air Base:

Source

There have been other Syrian defections on the ground, but the loss of a pilot and the plane is significant. As the Twitter person noted, this was a big event in turning the tide in the Libyan revolution.

Jordan’s role in prophecy is that it is not mentioned after Psalm 83, and there seems to be consensus that blowback from the Isaiah 17 prophecy fulfillment and the Psalm 83 prophecy fulfillment that results in Israel likely taking back land once promised to her. More explicitly, this prophecy states Jordan is the nation to be untouched and unconquered by the antichrist. (Daniel 11:41). When the Jews flee Jerusalem at the Abomination of Desolation, (Matt. 24:16) they flee to what scholars agree is likely Petra, (Rev. 12:14) at the southern end of Jordan. There, they are supernaturally protected by Jesus for the remaining 3 1/2 years of the Tribulation when Jesus returns to deliver them. (Isaiah 63: 1-6).

Events are moving quickly. Stay tuned, and stay in prayer.