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Israel’s new ‘School for Prophets’

Posted on December 4, 2012 by elizabethprata

Well, this is pretty interesting. Times of Israel reports,

Prophecy 101: Now in Tel Aviv
School in Tel Aviv aims to teach anyone to be a prophet
“Isaiah, Jeremiah and Amos were naturals to the world of prophesy, but today’s budding conduits to the heavens will soon be able to learn the art of forecasting in the classroom, at a new school opening up in Tel Aviv. Named after Cain and Abel, the new institute’s goal is to “give the young generation of prophets” tools and guidance on their way to the truth. Set in the heart of Tel Aviv, Shmuel Portman Hapartzi — a self-named messianic Chabad follower — hopes to teach people all they need to know to become prophets of the Jewish people, Yedioth Ahronoth reported on Monday. Official Chabad has criticized the initiative.”

Yedioth Net also reports,

School of prophets opens in Tel Aviv
New course aims to train next generation of Jewish prophets for first time since days of Second Temple
“In biblical times they could be found on every street corner, preaching God’s word to sinners in a rumbling voice and shining eyes. A new course opening this week aims to restore passed glory and train the next generations of Jewish prophets – for the first time since the days of the Second Temple.”

The article continues and several paragraphs later I found a very telling paragraph. There are two statements in it that are at odds with each other but are each interesting in their own way. First,

“But Rabbi Shmuel Portman Hapartzi, founder of the school of prophets, who says he is affiliated with Chabad’s messianic stream, believes that the generation of redemption has already arrived and that prophecies are permitted again. … “Our generation has been declared by many as the first generation taking part in the experience of redemption,” Hapartzi explains in an introduction to his curriculum.”

I believe this is a true feeling. Many people around the world feel that we are the last generation. They feel this is the imminent time prior to Jesus returning, or if not a believer in Jesus, the last moments before something happens. What they DO with the information is another thing entirely. See this next sentence from the article:

“The Cain and Abel School of Prophets aims to provide the generation of young prophets with authorized sources to direct their spiritual experiences to way of truth and honesty. So what does one need to know to become a modern prophet? According to the course’s syllabus, the future prophets will learn about face reading, dream interpretation and ways to achieve divine spirit.”

Oy vey.

Man cannot achieve the divine spirit unless he repents, and believes on Jesus Christ as the resurrected lamb slain for our sins. And no one can become a prophet. God calls them. Each prophet in the Old Testament and John the Baptist who spanned the last moments before the New Testament came in, was called by God.

Amos, for example, wrote, “But the LORD took me from following the flock and the LORD said to me, ‘Go prophesy to My people Israel.'” (Amos 7:15). Amos was not a professional prophet, like so many were in his day. The professionals would proclaim oracles “from God” for profit, or claim to divine the future- for a fee. Most were false prophets who just proclaimed what the people wanted to hear (Jeremiah 6:13-14). The School for Prophets in Tel Aviv sounds like a breeding ground for the professional prophets who go around saying stuff for a fee. Unless any of them are called by God and taught by God, they will be false prophets.

“Then the LORD said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart.” (Jeremiah 14:14).

However I want to go back to the burden the rabbi had to create a school for prophets in the first place. He felt we are the last generation, and wanted to get ready. His preparatory methods are wayward, to be sure. However, many people feel the same pull. They feel the time is near and are beginning to prepare. There is another news article in Israel out today that speaks to this very thing.

Likud hopeful prays on Temple Mount, breaking taboo
“Likud politician Moshe Feiglin on Monday violated the unwritten rule that prohibits Jews from practicing religion on the Temple Mount, as he prayed at the holy site. … Though there is no law against Jews praying on the Temple Mount, for years both Israeli officials and the Islamic Wakf — the religious group in charge of managing the site — have told Jews not to carry out religious ceremonies or prayers at the site, for fear of violence and a potential outbreak of riots.”

Moshe Feiglin (in black jacket, second from right) prays on the Temple Mount, Monday (photo credit: screen capture/Channel 10)

Moshe Feiglin (in black jacket, second from right) prays on the Temple Mount
(photo credit: screen capture/Channel 10)

I wrote about this guy Feiglin a few days ago. He is the one who said the Jews should be building the third temple: “This is just the beginning,’ says Feiglin. ‘Eventually, we will build the temple and fulfill our purpose in this land.’

Did you know that God has partially hardened the hearts of the Jews?

“Lest you be wise in your own sight, I want you to understand this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”; “and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins.” (Romans 11:25-17)

He did this to make them jealous that he was using the Gentiles to bring the Good News of salvation to the world. (Romans 11:7; Ephesians 3:9; Romans 11:11). He is also doing this because he is building His church. At or after the rapture, He will unharden their heart and they will clamor to renew their covenant with him again. (Ezekiel 39:22, 25-29). This will happen at the conclusion of the Gog Magog war when He supernaturally saves the Jews.

So my question is, is this blip of a heartbeat of wanting their prophets and wanting their temple and wanting to pray the beginning of the unhardening? Could be. Hard telling, not knowing, as the saying goes.

We are blessed to be able to watch these events and ponder our placement here at the last generation. We are even more blessed to be able to watch for the coming of Messiah. If He comes today or next year or if some of us fall asleep in death prior to His coming, it doesn’t matter really. He will come.

“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:58)

egypt, morsi, syria

Egypt erupts: protests, President flees palace; Syria reportedly readying chemical weapons

Posted on December 4, 2012 by elizabethprata

This is an excellent article analyzing what is happening in Egypt. It covers President Morsi’s power grab, the constitutional amendments and changes, why Al-Azhar is important, why the omission of the ban on slavery portents ill for the Egyptians in the context of conservative Shariah, and what lay ahead for the Egyptians. It is called ” Egypt and the Death of the Arab Spring“. I highly recommend the article. It begins this way:

“Nearly two years after the “Arab Spring” began in Egypt, the nation’s Muslim Brotherhood president has arrogated to himself dictatorial powers, and is ramming through a new constitution that will effectively extinguish the last vestiges of Egyptian democracy and establish Egypt as a Sharia state. Just as I said back in January 2011, when the uprisings against Mubarak began, for the people in Egypt who had real power to affect change, the “Arab Spring” was never about democracy and pluralism, despite the ululations of the Western press; it was always about imposing Islamic law upon Egypt. And now, with the new constitution, here we are.”

There are reports today that the protests in Egypt are getting more violent and larger. Crowds surrounded the Presidential Palace and even breached the fence to reach the perimeter wall. Egyptians are furious at Morsi’ power grab and the sudden and not-representative changes to the Constitution. Reportedly, Morsi fled the palace but is not backing down on his power grab nor the extreme conservative changes to the constitution. There will supposedly be a referendum on these changes on December 15. I wrote about the changes yesterday, here. Remember the Isaiah 19 prophecy that Egyptians will be against each other:

“I will stir up Egyptian against Egyptian— brother will fight against brother, neighbor against neighbor, city against city, kingdom against kingdom.” (Isaiah 19:2)

In Syria, it seems that the intelligence reports show Bashar Al Assad is moving chemical weapons. Not moving as in moving across country to get them out of the way, and not moving as in getting them over to Hezbollah in Lebanon, but moving within their compounds as in getting ready to USE.

Huffington Post reports
“The White House and its allies are weighing military options to secure Syria’s chemical and biological weapons, after U.S. intelligence reports show the Syrian regime may be readying those weapons and may be desperate enough to use them, U.S. officials said Monday.”

Fox News Reports in video:

Isaiah prophesied:
An oracle concerning Damascus.

“Behold, Damascus will cease to be a city
and will become a heap of ruins.
The cities of Aroer are deserted;
they will be for flocks,
which will lie down, and none will make them afraid.
The fortress will disappear from Ephraim,
and the kingdom from Damascus;”
Isaiah 17:1-3a

bushehr, iran, israel, nuclear, un

UN Resolution calling for Israeli nuclear transparency passes handily

Posted on December 4, 2012 by elizabethprata

Israel is the only nuclear power in the immediate region (further away, India Pakistan, of course, possess nukes). Israel has always maintained a political a military stance of “nuclear ambiguity.” They do not deny they have them nor do they admit it. The nation has not signed any pacts, like the Nuclear Non-Proliferation treaty, for example. It is a well-known secret that Israel has nukes. They just don’t talk about it. And until this week, no one else has very much, either.

All that changed when Hamas and the Palestinian Authority gained what they perceive to be an upper hand, when the UN voted them a state. Note the following article comes from Iran’s state press, for what that’s worth.

UN resolution calls for Israeli nuclear transparency
“The UN passes a resolution, calling on the Israeli regime to quickly open its nuclear program to inspection and join the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) “without further delay.” The 193-member UN General Assembly on Monday passed the resolution 174 to six with six abstentions, urging Tel Aviv to allow the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to have access to its nuclear facilities. Only the US, Canada, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, and Palau voted against the resolution that reflects international concern about suspicious Israeli nuclear activities. Israel, the only possessor of nuclear weapons in the Middle East, is widely known to have between 200 and 400 nuclear warheads. The Israeli regime rejects all the regulatory international nuclear agreements — the NPT in particular — and refuses to allow its nuclear facilities to come under international regulatory inspections.”

Canada’s Globe & Mail also reported on the UN Resolution-
“Canada was on the losing side of the vote Monday as the UN General Assembly overwhelmingly approved a resolution Monday calling on Israel to quickly open its nuclear program for inspection and backing a high-level conference to ban nuclear weapons from the Middle East which was just cancelled.”

Now, the UN passes Resolutions against Israel practically every day, so this one is not major news in the same sense that the PA Statehood was major news. But added to the cadre of news articles coming fast and furious against Israel, it is telling that once again, the news is about Israel, Israel, Israel. Just as Zechariah 12 said it would be in the last days. Note how the world’s attention is increasingly shifting to Israel in the news, and staying there.

Meanwhile, Israel’s Arutz Sheva reports the US is sending more drones to spy on Iran’s nuke plant. “US intelligence agencies have significantly stepped up spying operations on Iran’s Bushehr nuclear reactor prompted by concerns about the security of weapons-grade plutonium there, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday.”

Which Iran promptly says it captured.

Iran says captures U.S. drone in its airspace
“Iran captured a U.S. intelligence-gathering drone that entered its airspace over the Gulf, its armed forces said on Tuesday, the latest in a recent succession of alleged U.S. violations of Iranian territory.”

I guess we place this in the ‘wars and rumors of wars’ department. Doesn’t it feel like the world is on a hamster wheel sometimes? The wheel is going faster and faster though. It feels like it it reaching its capacity. I’m grateful to our Holy and compassionate Jesus that He will remove us soon, in His timing, to be blessedly at peace with Him forever in His kingdom. No matter what happens to you today, it is nothing that you and the Lord can’t handle. Not with the assured future you have if you are in Christ. He is our all in all. Rest in Him, because–

“And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:17)

And if you are in Him, He will hold you together, too.

egypt, morsi, revelation, slavery

Egypt’s cruel leader and Revelation’s prophecy on slavery

Posted on December 4, 2012 by elizabethprata

Isaiah 19 forecasts that a cruel leader and a harsh master will rule Egypt, even while Egyptians are at each other’s throats in a civil rebellion. That sounds like what is happening now. It is hard to tell if the prophecy means the same man or two different men. It is in Isaiah 19:4

“and I will give over the Egyptians
into the hand of a hard master,
and a fierce king will rule over them,
declares the Lord God of hosts.”

We already know that the newly elected President of Egypt, Mohammad Morsi declared himself above all constitutional rule, effectively becoming a Pharaoh. This woke up all those watchmen who were on the lookout for developments in Egypt. “is he the cruel master’? they wondered. I wondered too. It could mean the antichrist, or it could mean a harsh man who will rule until the antichrist comes.

In addition to that prophecy moving into the spotlight, another one has been on my mind for a long time. It is in Revelation 18. When the LORD destroys the worldwide economic system, the merchants stand by and weep and moan for all the cargoes that are no more. One of those cargoes they weep over, lamenting the loss of such prized items in a wealthy trade, is slaves.

“The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes any more— 12cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth; every sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and marble; 13cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and bodies and souls of men. (Revelation 18:11-13)

They cry because they can’t buy and sell men any more.

I wrote about this prophecy before, and I was mocked for suggesting that such an uncivil thing as slavery could revive. I was told that Britain and the US got rid of slavery a long time ago, and that most other nations don’t trade in slaves any more either.

It isn’t true that slavery doesn’t exist. It does. It just doesn’t exist in countries we think of or in a way that we remember as being similar to the black slave trade in the US in the 1800s. Ever heard of child trafficking? Debtor-servants, concubines, carpet slaves, cane cutters? Slavery exists.

Anyway, according to Anti-Slavery International, the world’s oldest human rights organization, there are currently over 20 million people in bondage.

It seems that Egypt pops up in the news-AGAIN. This time the issue is slavery. The shariah-constitution the Muslim Brotherhood is writing in this draft has dropped the ban on slavery. Read this from Jihad Watch via the AP–

Egypt: New constitution denies freedom of speech and equality of rights for women, omits ban on slavery
“CAIRO (AP) — An Islamist-dominated panel is voting on Egypt’s draft constitution, the country’s first charter after the uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak. The draft largely reflects the conservative vision of the Islamists, with articles that rights activists, liberals and Christians fear will lead to restrictions on the rights of women and minorities and civil liberties in general. Omissions of certain articles, such as bans on slavery or promises to adhere to international rights treaties, were equally worrying to critics of the new draft, who pulled out from the panel before the vote.”

This is big. A nation in the spotlight that is brazen enough to outright omit a ban on slavery when drafting the new constitution while everyone is watching is brazen indeed. The Washington Examiner asks, “Will Egypt embrace the dark side?” NPR asks, “Is Morsi morphing into the authoritarian he opposed?” and I think according to what the bible shows is ahead for Egypt, the answer to both questions is … yes.

israel, jerusalem, jesus, syria

Israel wants to bomb Syria’s chemical sites

Posted on December 4, 2012 by elizabethprata

Israel has repeatedly asked Jordan for permission to bomb Syria’s WMD sites. Apparently some of the sites are very close to the Jordanian border. Up until today, Jordan has repeatedly answered “the time is not yet right.” But that all may change. Here are two news articles for you:

‘Israel sought Jordan’s permission to bomb Syria‘
‘The Atlantic’ reports Jordan rebuffed Israeli requests to hit chemical stockpiles; Israel: We reserve right to preemptive action.
“Israel asked Jordan on a number of occasions “permission” to bomb Syrian chemical weapons sites, The Atlantic reported Monday, citing intelligence sources in both countries. According to the report, Jordan turned down requests a number of times in the past two months, saying “the time was not right.” Jordan is reportedly wary of allowing Israel to bomb the sites in Syria, fearing a military response on Jordanian territory. “A number of sites are not far from the border,” the report quoted a foreign source as saying.”

The subhead above says Israel reserves the right to take preemptive action:

“The source said Israel has been saying for months that it was concerned about the possible transfer of Syria’s stockpile of chemical weapons – the third largest in the world – to “unsavory actors” such as Hezbollah, Hamas or al-Qaida. He said Israel “reserves the right to preempt” if this is done.”

This article from Haaretz says the same as the Jerusalem Post article, except that the Jordanian foreign minister is talking with other neighbors in the region-

Report: Israel requested Jordan’s ‘permission’ to attack Syria chemical weapons sites
“Jordan’s Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh declined to comment on the report that Israel had sought Jordanian permission to strike Syrian WMD sites, but did say his country was monitoring the situation closely and that his government was talking to countries in the region. “We have to be prepared for different scenarios,” he said at a press conference Monday, adding that the Syrian regime is currently in control of these weapons and understands that using them would be a “game changer.” The New York Times reported Sunday that western intelligence officials said they have been seeing new signs of activity at Syrian sites used to hold chemical weapons.”

The concern is huge. Syria is unstable, and getting worse by the day. The statehood given to the PA by the United Nations emboldened them, and it emboldened Hezbollah in Lebanon as well. The entire “epicenter” as Joel Rosenberg says, is one big tinderbox. Near-use of chemical weapons may be the fuse to the final Armageddon. Remember, Damascus will be destroyed… (Isaiah 17:1).

paul, prophecy, timothy, ungodly

Paul’s warning to Timothy about church godlessness in the last days

Posted on December 3, 2012 by elizabethprata

Paul wrote to Timothy as a warning, “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.” (2 Timothy 3:1-5)

This verse is meant to be understood that people in the church will be acting this way. If you can imagine people in the church acting that way, how much worse the general population will be. In the church they will be appearing to try and be godly, and fail. People outside the church won’t even be trying.

Of the second verse in the passage, Wesley’s Notes say,
“For men – Even in the church. Will be – In great numbers, and to an higher degree than ever. Lovers of themselves – Only, not their neighbours, the first root of evil. Lovers of money – The second.”

Barnes Notes explains,
“For men shall be lovers of their own selves – It shall be one of the characteristics of those times that men shall be eminently selfish – evidently under the garb of religion; 2 Timothy 3:5. The word here used – φίλαυτος philautos – does not elsewhere occur in the New Testament. It means a lover of oneself, “selfish.” Such a love of self as to lead us to secure our salvation, is proper. But this interferes with the rights and happiness of no other persons. The selfishness which is condemned, is that regard to our own interests which interferes with the rights and comforts of others; which makes self the central and leading object of living; and which tramples on all that would interfere with that. As such, it is a base, and hateful, and narrow passion; but it has been so common in the world that no one can doubt the correctness of the prophecy of the apostle that it would exist “in the last times.”

Whoa. That is bad. The one place where there is supposed to be love…will be lacking of it in many places. Or at least, there will be a pale imitation and when push comes to shove, it will be revealed as ungodly love. I think that is the worse condition. To be faked out, I mean.

Here are some examples of selfish and ridiculous behavior in the general population that are a harbinger of what is coming to the church. As Barnes said, ‘been so common in the world that no one can doubt the correctness of the prophecy of the apostle that it would exist “in the last times”‘ in the church too. These news articles are from my local daily and local weekly. I live in a low crime area that is fairly rural. As soon as a few years ago I left my front door unlocked for the day. (Not anymore, things are always locked up tight.)

9-year-old moons bus driver, spits at police
“A 9-year-old girl mooned a school bus driver Friday afternoon and generally behaved so badly the driver had to pull over on the Outer Loop and call authorities, according to an Athens-Clarke police report. As an officer boarded the bus, he wrote he saw the girl trying to kick the driver. He convinced the girl to leave the bus with him, but once outside she tried to run away, the officer said. The officer managed to catch the girl before she got into the street and handcuffed her after she said she wished a vehicle had hit her. In the back of his patrol car, the officer said the girl repeatedly kicked the glass divider. He had to call for back up so someone could bring him a device to restrain her legs, according to the report.”

It goes on, the things the girl did. She attends a special alternative school for unruly children. The sad part is that she had to be handcuffed because she almost ran into traffic, and when the policeman was cuffing her she said she wished a car had hit her. It is so sad that children are so broken so young, that they defy educational authorities and even civil authorities like police officers. At age 9?! Decades ago, can you imagine the culture would have devolved so quickly to so taint the tender youngsters?

Even the older youth don’t know any better. See this story about a spate of police calls for youths n buses being transported home from the Middle School and High School in my county. And this next article, is simply outrageous.

Drunk UGA student urinates on shelves in Athens store
“A drunken University of Georgia student damaged merchandise valued at hundreds of dollars when he urinated inside a downtown Athens convenience store early Friday morning, Athens-Clarke police said. Austin James Smith, 23, of Lawrenceville, relieved himself in an aisle at Lay-Z-Shopper on East Clayton Street shortly before 2:30 a.m., damaging $200 worth of snacks and $100 worth of household items, according to police.”

Gross, gross, gross. What, was he raised in a barn?

This next one happened a few miles up the road from me. Scary.

Hull residents alarmed at finding severed dog heads on front porch
Four days have passed and no more severed dog heads have been left on the front porch where Zachary Osburn lives in Hull. For two days straight — Nov. 23-24 — the heads of dogs were found on the steps leading to the home where Osburn, his sister, and girlfriend all live on Old Elberton Road. Osburn called the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, which sent a deputy to investigate the bizarre matter, but the motive for someone leaving the heads, or even how the dogs died, is a mystery. … “My sister didn’t even go to work the first night because she was so shook up about it,” he said, explaining that his sister refused to take a close look at the head.”

I’d be shook up, too. It seems demonic, like something people do in satanic cults like voodoo, or in the ancient days of bloody pagan practices.

I am sure that examples abound of people doing strange things like these in your area too. But the interesting thing is that the Paul wrote that men will be selfish, brutal, slanderous, uncontrolled… etc., in church! The heightening of bizarre behavior outside the church seems to me to be a dark stain that is slowly encroaching into the last sanctuary- the local worship place. When it starts seeping in in greater force, I wonder what that would look like? Would it look like the above, youths showing up drunk to worship and urinating on the couch? With youngsters so out of control in AWANA that the police have to be called?

I know one thing Paul’s prophecy looks like, is spiritual abuse. I’ve written about that before, several times. Spiritual abuse is performed by men who seem godly, adopting a form of it but denying its power. At root, abusive pastors, leaders, deacons, teachers etc are selfish, because they deny God’s power so they can exalt their own power. Spiritual abuse is brutal.

I’d imagine that being slandered in church is a terrible blow to a Christian, too. We open ourselves up to trust levels we don’t even do in families or workplaces. When our character is impugned by someone who had purported to love the truth, it is a severe blow. Paul knew this. In 1 Corinthians 10 he spends a good deal of time defending his ministry. After Paul founded it, he left the Corinthian church to check on his other churches. Immediately, false teachers swooped in and through small lies and big ones, not only succeeded in making the Corinthians doubt Paul’s teaching, but their doubt extended to impact against the spread of the Gospel. When a person’s character is doubted it destroys their teaching. Maybe it was those fake-godly men he was remembering when he warned Timothy about future encroachments of other ones inside the church.

Note how Paul ended the first set of verses at verse 5: “Avoid such people.”

We are not just to intellectually note that such people exist in the church. We are not simply to mark when it happens. We are to DO something about it. We are to avoid them.

Referring to the verse in Corinthians, Phil Johnson preached about spiritual warfare, saying, “A lot of times spiritual warfare calls us to engage with people who look like, and pass themselves off as, ministers of righteousness.” (2 Corinthians 11:15).

Again, I wonder how this will play out in real life. This command to “avoid such people” is a difficult thing. I mean, if you notice a deacon in your church, or a teacher or leader who is displaying one of the characteristics above, as a pattern of behavior that impacts the peacefulness of the church or the witness of the Gospel (not as a one-time error- please don’t jump to conclusions), how do we avoid them?

Do I alert the media? Change my pew? Get off the committee? Quit Sunday School? It is a difficult thing. I suppose of someone was caught stealing the tithes or molesting the children it would be clear that avoidance would be the least of the actions taken. But if they were slandering? Being ungrateful? Unappeasable? Taking Paul’s recommended action seems to me to be trickier to enact. But we must. It is prophesied to happen and the recourse is a command, not a suggestion.

I don’t have the answer yet, but I am sure that with further study and prayer the Holy Spirit will illuminate my mind. He is great to help bring the bible to life and its precepts to action. But I’m not looking forward to the day when the behavior such as Paul listed above comes into the church. But I wanted us to be aware of its prophetic imminence and to start praying how to keep loving even when people who faked us out for many years turn out to be brutal, slanderous, selfish etc toward us. Be ready. And part of being ready means being strong in our faith because when it happens to you, it will make you want to lie down and quit. We have to strengthen our armor now.

The great opportunity we have is that when the ungodly ones are revealed in our lives and our worship, our witness can be even brighter for Jesus, pointing to Him as the way and the truth and the life. Darkness is prophesied to steal into the pew, the pulpit, the classroom, but we are forewarned. We will be ready, we will be peaceful, loving, and bright with His glory, having prayed for strength and love to ride the waves of the coming church brutality and selfishness.

Our home is in heaven, and soon, we will never have to guard ourselves again. We will never have to gird ourselves with weapons. We can just…be. Cling to this thought, wonderful people:

“Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:20)

jesus, jews, nazi, prophecy

Hungarian politician’s call for a "Jew-list" sparks protests

Posted on December 3, 2012 by elizabethprata

Thousands of Hungarians protest against compiling lists of Jews posing ‘security risk’
Over 10,000 have come out to an anti-Nazi rally in Budapest to demonstrate against a proposal of a far-right leader to draft lists of Hungarian Jews who may represent a “security risk”. The government and opposition parties both joined the protest.
It all started when Marton Gyongyosi of the of the Hungarian Movement for a Better Hungary (Jobbik), the country’s largest far-right party, stated that it was time to determine “how many people of Jewish origin there are here, especially in the Hungarian parliament and the Hungarian government, who represent a certain national security risk.”
Gyongyosi argued that this was needed because of the tensions after an eight-day attack on Gaza. He also said that Hungary’s Foreign Ministry had “rushed to make an oath of allegiance to Israel.”
After the statement, Gyongyosi issued an apology, but still reaffirmed that Hungary needs to be cautious of “Zionist Israel and those serving it also from here.”

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

The hatred that satan has fomented in them, the LORD will push forward to its inevitable conclusion. Just as Pharaoh was given an opportunity to let the Israelites go, his heart hardened and he refused. As 1 Samuel 6:6 says, “Why should you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? After he had dealt severely with them, did they not send the people away, and they departed?”

Matthew Henry says of the Samuel verse, “Sinners lengthen out their own miseries by refusing to part with their sins.” At a point God deems perfect, He ends the argument and decides for them, rendering the judgment He sees they need. Sometimes this includes pushing forward what is already in their hearts to a conclusion. The entire Tribulation will be a time when humanity’s God-hating, sin-loving choices will be brought forward to fill the cup of wrath to the top. After Revelation 13, humanity’s choices will displayed in black and white, (take the Mark of the Beast, or not), their hearts will be set like concrete, and there will be no going back.

Some examples of how God pushes forward what is already in their hearts can be found in Isaiah 19:14-
“The Lord has poured into them a spirit of dizziness; they make Egypt stagger in all that she does, as a drunkard staggers around in his vomit.”

And Ezekiel 38:21,
“I will summon a sword against Gog on all my mountains, declares the Lord GOD. Every man’s sword will be against his brother.”

And Zechariah 12:2a,
“I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling.”

It seems that the protests in Hungary fit the prophecy above. Once again, Jerusalem makes the surrounding peoples reel, as in this headline too, when Palestinian Authority’s Abbas said that their flag will wave in East Jerusalem.

The hatred of Jews we see rising so fast is not a personal one. It is all a spiritual battle. Always remember, “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12)

Now is the time to remember that Ephesians verse each and every day.

The Hungarian politician did not ask for the “Jew-list” because he suddenly decided to become suspicious of Jews, it was satan’s influence which put that on his heart. The protests by the Hungarians were not against the politician who had asked for the “Jew-list” but were organized by Jewish and civic groups

The leader of one of the political parties in Hungary who participated in the protest said, “He added that “genocide is always preceded by lists,” arguing that it was unacceptable that “people should fail to learn the lessons of the past 100 years.”

It is unacceptable. But they will still fail to learn, because satan will continue to foment hatred of God’s people. And the lists, I imagine that in the Tribulation the lists will be voluminous. Who can buy or sell, who is a Christian or a Jew…

God is long-suffering. “And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,” (Exodus 34:6)

But He has appointed a Day when His wrath will take over from His long-suffering. When we read of events like that protest in Hungary and the increasing call for rounding up the Jews, we can practically see the evil spirit being poured out by satan. God’s plan is advancing and that means our prayers should become more fervent too.

“My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.” (Psalms 5:3)

damascus, isaiah 17, prophecy

Isaiah 17:1 fulfillment coming near?

Posted on December 2, 2012 by elizabethprata

This is worrisome… Israel National News reports,

Report: New Activity at Syrian Chemical Weapon Sites
There are signs of new activity at Syrian chemical weapons sites, Western intelligence officials said, according to The New York Times.

“There are signs of new activity at Syrian chemical weapons sites, Western intelligence officials said, according to The New York Times. The report, published Saturday, quoted a U.S. intelligence official as saying the regime of President Bashar al-Assad is “doing some things that suggest they intend to use the weapons. “It’s not just moving stuff around,” he explained. “These are a different kind of activities.”

“It is possible Syrian Army forces are preparing to use the weapons in a last-ditch effort to save the government, officials told the paper. However, it is also possible they are simply warning to Western nations about the implications of providing assistance to rebel forces, they added.”

“Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has said repeatedly that he will not allow an existential risk to the Jewish State. This past summer, Netanyahu said during an interview on the U.S.-based television program “Fox News Sunday” that it is essential to prevent Syrian weapons from falling into the wrong hands.”

“One major concern is the possibility that part of the Syrian arsenal may be transferred to Lebanon. “Could you imagine Hizbullah – the people are conducting with Iran all these terror attacks around the world – could you imagine them having chemical weapons?” he asked the interviewer.”

“It would be like Al Qaeda having chemical weapons,” he continued. “It’s something that is not acceptable to us, not acceptable to the United States and to any peaceable country in the world. “So I think that this is something we’ll have to act to stop if the need arises,” he said. “And the need might arise if there’s a regime collapse, but not a regime change.”

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

A little-known fact is that Syria’s chemical and bio-weapons are highly sophisticated. Dr. Jill Dekker is a consultant to the NATO Defense Establishment in bio-warfare and counter terrorism. Dr. Dekker is also a member of the board of advisers of the Intelligence Summit. She gave an interview to the New English Review in December 2007. I wrote about that in 2010, here. In Dr. Dekker’s interview, she said,

“In 2007 Syria promised bio-weapon retaliation against Israel should Israel strike Iran. In the New English Review, consultant to the NATO Defense Establishment in bio-warfare and counter terrorism expert Dr. Jill Dekker said that “Contrary to how the US State Department and other agencies tend to downplay the sophistication of the Syrian biological and nuclear programs, they are very advanced. Syria has always had the most advanced chemical weapons program in the Middle East.” At that time, Dr. Dekker said that Syria had shifted in their philosophy of using bio-weapons from special weapons to conventional arsenal, and they have the will to do it. Why? Realizing they have no practical opportunity to reach parity with Israel or the US on conventional weapons, they decided to pursue bio-weaponry and were at that time fixing conventional missiles with a highly virulent anthrax germ with the help of Russian scientists. Ominously for the world, the US nor the UN were particularly reactive to the Syrians’ re-definition of bio-weaponry as conventional and offensive. Ominously for prophecy, the Syrians run their biological programs out of the Syrian Scientific Research Council (SSRC) in Damascus.”

“Isaiah 17:1 states that Damascus will be destroyed. It will be a heap of ruins and will cease from being a city. That prophecy has not been fulfilled yet because Damascus, being the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world, has never been abandoned nor destroyed.”

The prophecy does not state how Damascus will be destroyed. The prophecy only says it will be razed to the ground. It doesn’t say who destroys Damascus. It could happen by nuke accidentally unleashed by terrorists, by God’s direct hand, by Israel, or by some other nation, (Turkey??) or in a way we can’t foresee. However it happens, it happens fast. (Isaiah 17:14).

Please keep the Syrians in your prayers. They have a devastating and bitter road ahead. God loves them, too. So many are rebelling against Him, judgment will come. Damascus is a city of 2 million, with an additional 2 million in suburbs. They will all die. And with chemical weapons being moved about, the ongoing revolution in Damascus, and the prophesied wars and rumors of wars everywhere, as stated in Matthew 24, life is hard and mean, getting worse by the day. Their death will be eternal and agonizing. Have compassion for the deluded Muslims who live there and beg God for mercy on their souls.

adam, compassion, God

God’s incredible compassion

Posted on December 2, 2012May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

Do you need a reminder about how MUCH God loves us? Oh, He is so compassionate!!

“And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.” (Genesis 3:21)

Satan had just deceived Eve and Adam. They both had listened to the devil’s lie and partaken of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, disobeying God. (Genesis 3:6-7; Gen 2:9). There was one rule and they broke it, and sin entered their heart and the world.

What a terrible moment! An awful thing happened…two humans living in perfection and walking in direct fellowship with God, rebelled. Listening to satan’s lie they decided that God was holding out on them and they sought more.

They learned different very quickly. However, the damage was done. God cursed the serpent, and the wife, and the husband. (Genesis 3:14-19).

But then, then, His incredible love and compassion reigns. The consequences of their act will remain, but God ‘made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.’

He didn’t say, ‘I’ll teach you to make clothes.’ He didn’t say, ‘Figure it out for yourselves, you deserve it.’ He made clothes, and then HE clothed them. What love!!

But it gets even better. God made clothes for them out of skins. The presumption is that an animal died if God made the clothes out of skins. And if skins were used, blood was shed.

So… the first blood shed on earth was done by God, and for the purpose of covering his sinning children.

Let that sink in for a moment.

Now we have Jesus covering us:

Lars Justinen, artist, “Robe of Righteousness”

The first Adam was covered by God, and the Last Adam IS the covering of God. (1 Corinthians 15:45). Rejoice in His incredible love for us, brethren. We serve a compassionate God.

gog magog, israel

Iran, Israel, & heavenly intervention

Posted on December 2, 2012 by elizabethprata

Here is some Israel news. Most remaining prophecy, at root, is about Israel. God has unfinished business with His nation.

Israeli Defense Chief Sounds Ready to Hit Iran, Thanks in Part to Iron Dome
“Israel’s retiring defense chief thinks Iran needs to be “coerced” in 2013 from building an atom bomb, despite any U.S. hopes that sanctions will bring Tehran to the negotiating table. And the recent success of his new, U.S.-funded missile defenses seems to have convinced him that Israel is better able than ever to deter its Iran-backed foes. “Of course, we would love to see some heavenly intervention that will stop them, to wake up some morning and learn that they’ve given up on their nuclear intentions,” Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak told reporters at the Pentagon Thursday during a joint press conference with Leon Panetta, his American counterpart.”

I had mentioned yesterday that Israel’s current military success is a wonderful thing, culturally, in that the citizens of the nation have a bit more reassurance that they can live through the day without a terrorist rocket falling on them. But in the long run it is actually counterproductive spiritually, because as long as they rely on themselves they will not rely on the Holy God of Israel. You see the Defense Minister’s next statement:

“You cannot build a strategy based on these wishes or prayers.”

Oh, yes you can. Elisha did.

“When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” He said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then Elisha prayed and said, “O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. (@ Kings 6:16-17)

God is the protector of all who are His servants and of His holy nation.

“What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31)

God will use the Gog Magog war that’s prophesied in Ezekiel 38-39 to show His people and His nation once again that He is their protector.

“And my holy name I will make known in the midst of my people Israel, and I will not let my holy name be profaned anymore. And the nations shall know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel. Behold, it is coming and it will be brought about, declares the Lord God. That is the day of which I have spoken.” (Ezekiel 39:7-8)

Heavenly intervention WILL occur. It will happen exactly as He said and n in His timing. Keep watching. It seems that it may be sooner rather than later.