The News at Seven - By Cynthia Nuara - http://www.raptureready.com/soap2/nuara18.html
"And they asked Him, 'Teacher, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?'" (Luke 21:7).
Let's take a look at the news reports of just the first week of July 2014, in relation to the Bible and prophecy.
Netanyahu Decides to Expand Gaza Operation, Orders Preparations for Ground Offensive
Following high level security deliberations Tuesday morning Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu decided to expand the military operation in Gaza, including beginning preparations for a ground operation. The deliberations took place following a Monday night rocket barrage on Israel and the feeling in Jerusalem that Hamas is interested in escalation. -JPost.com
God's Word tells us that, in the last days, the whole world will be focused on Jerusalem. "In that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it" (Zechariah 12:2-3).
Britain's Largest Trade Union Joins Israel Boycott
The UNITE union adopted the anti-Israel motion at its first policy conference, calling "to vigorously promote a policy of divestment from Israeli companies." The motion added that such a boycott would be "similar to the boycott of South African goods during the era of apartheid." -IsraelNationalNews.com
"I will bless those who bless you (Israel) and him who dishonors you I will curse" (Genesis 12:3). "For the LORD of Hosts says this: "He has sent Me for His glory against the nations who are plundering you, for anyone who touches you touches the pupil of His eye" (Zechariah 2:8).
"No weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their vindication from Me, declares the Lord" (Isaiah 54:17).
Isis Chief Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi Appears in First Video
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of Islamist militant group Isis, has called on Muslims to obey him, in his first video sermon. Baghdadi has been appointed caliph by the jihadist group, which has seized large swathes of Iraq and Syria. -BBCnews.com
As Syrian Regime Strikes Isis, Analysts Debate What Comes Next
The attack surprised those who assumed that Assad, who has until now been fairly passive in fighting ISIS in the east, would focus on the war's other fronts while letting armed groups fight among - and ultimately weaken - themselves. But as reports emerged that ISIS has been gaining recruits from Jabhat al-Nusra and other extremist groups, concern spread in Damascus that its power could grow faster than expected - possibly requiring intervention. -ABCnews.com
"The burden of Damascus: Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap" (Isaiah 17:1).
North Korea Leader Directs Island Assault Drill: Report
North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un warned the South would "regret bitterly" any incursion of their disputed sea border as he directed a large-scale mock assault on an island, state media said Saturday. -YahooNews.com
"You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars..." (Matthew 24:6).
Rising Red Tide: China's Navy in Frenzy To Build New Nuclear-Powered Attack Subs
China's military is investing heavily in advanced submarines, including both ballistic and cruise missile firing vessels and attack subs. Recently, Beijing showed off what appears to be a mock-up of its next-generation nuclear-powered attack submarine, according to veteran military analyst, Rick Fisher. -WashingtonTimes.com
Japan Set For First Arms Export Under New Rules
Japan is set to approve its first arms export following relaxation of its self-imposed ban, as the nation aims to boost its global military and economic presence, a report said Sunday. - JapanToday.com
Putin Says Russia Must Boost Arms Exports: RIA News Agency
Russia should boost its arms exports to help the industry upgrade and add more high-end jobs to the labor market, President Vladimir Putin was quoted as saying on Monday. Russia is the focus of military tensions with the West over its annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. It has also been a long-standing arms supplier to Syria and ally of President Bashar al-Assad, who opposition forces are seeking to oust. -Reuters.com
Major Victory for Ukrainian Forces in Area Held By Rebels
Government forces made a major advance Saturday in a nearly three-month fight against pro-Russian militants, raising the national flag back over the town of Slavyansk in eastern Ukraine. -LAtimes.com
Afghanistan: Taliban Rocket Attack on Hundreds of Oil Tankers Outside Kabul
Firefighters spent all night tackling the blaze, but fires were still burning on Saturday morning. The tankers were reportedly transporting fuel for Nato forces and were parked at the time of the attack. An Afghan security official quoted by the AP news agency said that at least 400 fuel tankers caught fire in a parking lot in the outskirts of Kabul. -BBCnews.com
Israel Skeptical of Iran Nuclear Deal by Deadline, Pledges to Help Jordan Push Back ISIS
Israel does not expect world powers to reach a nuclear agreement with Iran by a late July deadline, a government minister said on Friday, accusing Tehran of maintaining a "hard line" at talks under way in Vienna. Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz spoke on the second day of what could be the final round of talks aimed at ending a decade-old international dispute over Iran's nuclear program that Israel sees as a threat to its existence. -JPost.com
"While people are saying, 'There is peace and security,' then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape'" (1 Thessalonians 5:3).
Violent Unrest in Western Uganda Could Presage Islamic Rebellion
Ugandan troops have killed more than 60 suspected insurgents accused of taking part in weekend assaults on police stations and military barracks, a military official said on Monday amid ongoing clashes with gunmen in a volatile region near Uganda's border with Congo. Military officials have recently warned that a Ugandan Islamic extremist rebel group known as ADF, which launched a violent insurgency in the area in the 1990s, is trying to regroup. -TheEpochTimes.com
Kenyan Coastal Region of Lamu Hit by Deadly Attacks
At least 29 people have been killed in two deadly shooting attacks in Kenya's coastal districts, the interior ministry has said. Witnesses said heavily armed men raided a trading centre in the village of Hindi, in Lamu County, and a police station in Gamba, Tana River County, overnight on Saturday. The Somali militant Islamist group al-Shabab said it was behind the killings. -BBC.com
"Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold" (Matthew 24:12).
Gang Violence in Chicago over July 4th Weekend: More than 60 Shot, Nine Dead
Chicago's police superintendent lashed out at what he called lax state and federal gun laws after a violent Fourth of July weekend that saw more than 60 people shot and nine killed in a city already known for frequent shootings... McCarthy is agitating for laws that aren't going to fix anything...Chicago's murder rate actually dropped after concealed carry laws. Gang members will always get their hands on guns. It's ordinary people who benefit from concealed carry. -FrontPageMag.com
"For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy" (2 Timothy 3:2).
All Employment Growth Since 2000 Went to Immigrants
Government data show that since 2000 all of the net gain in the number of working-age (16 to 65) people holding a job has gone to immigrants (legal and illegal). This is remarkable given that native-born Americans accounted for two-thirds of the growth in the total working-age population. Though there has been some recovery from the Great Recession, there were still fewer working-age natives holding a job in the first quarter of 2014 than in 2000. -RightSideNews.com
Part-Time Nation
Last Thursday, mainstream media trumpeted the creation of 288,000 jobs and the reduction in the unemployment rate from 6.3 percent to 6.1 percent. Lost in the manufactured euphoria are the sobering details: America is well on its way to becoming a nation where millions of workers can only find part-time, lower-paying jobs...An economy where more businesses are dying than are being born-and human beings are viewed as "inventory"-does not inspire anything resembling enduring confidence. -FrontPageMag.com
Pro-Amnesty Crowd Burns American Flag at Murrieta on 4th Of July
Bonnie Lewis, an anti-illegal immigration activist, told Breitbart News that she saw one of the pro-amnesty activists dragging an American flag on the ground. "I said: 'Hey, don't do that.' He said: 'That's where it belongs.'" Another anti-illegal immigration activist said that pro-amnesty demonstrators called her a "f***ing whore" in Spanish, and shouted, "F*** America!" -Breitbart.com
General: Border Crisis Threatens U.S. Existence
John Kelly, the top U.S. general in charge of Central and South America, worries about what's "easily" smuggled in. America's porous southern border and the recent surge in illegal immigration is more than just a "humanitarian crisis; it's a threat to the United States very existence. Particularly in regards to the drug trade, murder rates and terrorist activity brewing in Central America, Kelly says, the waves of Latin Americans sweeping through Mexico and illegally into Texas presents a threat to the U.S. every bit as serious as Iran or North Korea. -WND.com
Mexican Flag-Wearing La Raza Militants Arrive in Murrieta
An image (see site) posted by an activist who is protesting against the arrival of illegal immigrants in the flash point town of Murrieta shows the arrival of La Raza militants adorned with the Mexican flag. According to Eric Odom, the La Raza members told him they were there to "protect the children." La Raza, which literally translates as "the race," has been connected to the Chicano Student Movement of Aztlan (MEChA), an extremist Mexican race hate group which firmly believes in exploiting illegal immigration to bring about 'La Reconquista', a violent overthrow of the southern U.S. states that would be absorbed into Greater Mexico. -InfoWars.com
God's warnings and judgments against a disobedient nation in ancient times can be applied to us today. "If you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth" (Deuteronomy 28:1).
[BUT,] "Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart, because of the abundance of all things, therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the Lord will send against you, in hunger and thirst, in nakedness, and lacking everything. And he will put a yoke of iron on your neck until he has destroyed you. The Lord will bring a nation against you from far away, from the end of the earth, swooping down like the eagle, a nation whose language you do not understand" (Deuteronomy 28: 47-49).
Federal Agents with Riot Gear Arriving in Murrieta to Subdue Immigration Protesters
Federal agents will be arriving in Murrieta, Calif., the site of ongoing protests against the recent flood of illegal immigrants into the town, on Monday to quell protesters, Breitbart has learned. Murrieta has been in the news since June 1 when protesters blocked a convoy of buses carrying illegal immigrants to a local border patrol station. (RELATED: Hispanics Split Over Obama's Border Meltdown) Protesters have not left yet, and federal agents are supposedly fed up with American citizens being concerned about their hometown. -TruNews.com
God, through the prophet Samuel, warned that the humanistic system of government that Israel wanted was a rejection of God that would lead to tyranny. But they insisted, so God told Samuel, "Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them" (1 Samuel 8:9).
America would have done well to have heeded that same warning. But, as you've heard, "Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it." Our children are being indoctrinated into a socialistic, godless system. To those who believe that a welfare state is a gift from God-it is not; it's a judgment from Him. Yes, God calls on "individuals" to help those "who are unable to care for themselves," but socialism leads to dictatorship and makes slaves of all.
Obama, Muslim Brotherhood, and Mideast Chaos: Presidential Study Directive 11
A recent Gulf News report sheds some light on how and why the United States helped bring the Muslim Brotherhood and its Islamist allies to power, followed by... subsequent chaos and atrocities in the Mideast region. The administration conducted an assessment of the Muslim Brotherhood in 2010 and 2011, beginning even before...the "Arab Spring" erupted in Tunisia and in Egypt. The President personally issued Presidential Study Directive 11 (PSD-11) in 2010, ... ultimately concluding that the US should shift from its longstanding policy of supporting "stability" in the Middle East and North Africa (support for "stable regimes" even if they were authoritarian), to a policy of backing "moderate" Islamic political movements. -HumanEvents.com.
"And He (Jesus) called the people to him and said to them, 'Hear and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.' Then the disciples came and said to him, 'Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?' He answered, 'Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up. Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit'" (Matthew 15: 10-14).
Children's Christian Ministry Called Psychologically Harmful to Children
A Christian nonprofit, Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF), is facing opposition in Portland as it seeks to bring youths to Christ. On its website, CEF states that "the purpose of Good News Club is to evangelize boys and girls with the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and establish (disciple) them in the Word of God and in a local church for Christian living." Critics of CEF and the Good News Club say the program teaches fundamentalist beliefs to children, and encourages fear, judgment, and divisiveness in youth. -ChristianToday.com
Archbishop Condemns Satanic 'Black Mass' at Okla. City Civic Center as Sacrilegious
Catholic Archbishop Paul Coakley, head of the archdiocese of Oklahoma City, condemned a scheduled Black Mass by a satanic group, for which tickets are being sold at the Oklahoma City Civic Center, as "sacrilegious," a "blasphemous mockery of the Mass. ...The Black Mass of Oklahoma, being offered by the group Dakhma of Angra Mainyu, is scheduled to take place in the Civic Center Music Hall on Sept. 21. -CNSnews.com
"Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter" (Isaiah 5:20).
"If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you" (John 15:18-19).
Big Earthquakes Double In 2014 - And They're Not Linked
If you think there have been more earthquakes than usual this year, you're right. A new study finds there were more than twice as many big earthquakes in the first quarter of 2014 as compared with the average since 1979. "We have recently experienced a period that has had one of the highest rates of great earthquakes ever recorded." -CBSnews.com
There were other earthquakes in the first seven days of July, but I'm only including the ones that registered a magnitude of 6.0 and over: A 6.9 earthquake hit Mexico, Guatemala; A 6.0 Earthquake Hit off Western Indonesia; A 6.6 earthquake hit Papua, New Guinea.
United Nations Asks the Private Sector for Help with Eradicating World Hunger
More than 840 million people in the world suffer from hunger or have malnourishment problems, of these, 60% are women. The World Food Program (WFP), dependant on the UN and which fights to eradicate this situation, helped more than 80 million people from 75 countries last year and this year is looking to reach 100 million. -The Diplomat
World Health Organization Urges Global Effort to Contain Ebola
In a communiqué issued at the end of the U.N. World Health Organization's two-day emergency ministerial meeting on the Ebola virus in Accra, Ghana, health ministers from 11 West African nations called for immediate action, agreeing that the current outbreak poses a serious threat to all countries in the region and beyond. -WND.com
Fears of Undetectable Bombs Heightens Security At Europe's Airports
Passengers on U.S.-bound flights from Europe endured lengthy security checks Friday amid new fears terrorists could sneak high-tech bombs aboard in cell phones, shoes, energy drinks, or even implanted in their flesh.
"And there will be great earthquakes, and in various places plagues and famines; and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven" (Luke 21:11).
The Alleged Pedophile Ring at the Heart of the British Establishment
The country was still reeling from the horrors of the Jimmy Savile child abuse scandal that saw the BBC accused of cover up and culture of secrecy to protect itself. But the expose opened the door on a potentially even more explosive scandal - the claims of a VIP Westminster pedophile ring operating from the heart of the British Establishment from the 1960s onwards. It has led to allegations of a massive cover up across Whitehall spanning decades, pressure on the police and prosecutors not to pursue cases and the apparent disappearance of key dossiers and files detailing claims of child abuse and alleged attackers. More than 10 current and former politicians are said to be on a list of alleged child abusers now being investigated by police and the pressure is growing for a public inquiry. -Telegraph.co.uk
"But he that shall scandalize one of these little ones that believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone should be hanged about his neck, and that he should be drowned in the depth of the sea" (Matthew 18:6).
"Just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire" (Jude 1:7).
Chilling Implications: Largest Bank, JPMorgan Chase, Asks Workers if They Support Homosexuality
The largest bank in the United States, JPMorgan Chase, now allegedly requires its employees to state whether or not they are supporters of the homosexual lifestyle. The bank has overtly supported homosexuality for several years, appearing in several "gay pride" events and even offering a number of special benefits to bank employees who identify as "LGBT." Now, JPMorgan Chase has taken their LGBT support even further, reportedly requiring all their employees to voice whether or not they support the "LGBT community." -ChristianNews.net
United Nations Recognizes Gay Marriages for Staffers
The United Nations is recognizing the gay marriages of all its staffers, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced Monday. Previously, the United Nations only recognized the unions of staffers who came from countries where gay marriage is legal, U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said. -USAtoday.com
"Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh?' So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate'" (Matthew 19: 4-6).
A 'Gay' Hamburger? Burger King Selling 'The Proud Whopper'
The burger in its colorful packaging was sold through July 3 at a Burger King in San Francisco, which is known for its celebration and promotion of homosexuality and where sexually-transmitted diseases well exceed the national average. Last weekend, the fast food chain sponsored the 44th annual San Francisco Pride Celebration & Parade. Its downtown restaurant workers sold "Proud Whoppers" and handed out some 50,000 rainbow Burger King crowns that were worn by parade participants and spectators.
But Burger King is not the first major corporation to come out in support of homosexuality. Chipotle, whose owner is openly homosexual, has sponsored floats in homosexual pride events nationwide. Additionally, Starbucks, whose CEO told a shareholder who objected to the company's promotion of homosexuality last year that he could sell his shares, recently marked the 40th anniversary of Seattle Pride by flying an enormous 800 square foot rainbow flag over its headquarters in Seattle. -ChristianNews.net
City Cancels Chick-fil-A Sponsored Event, Cite Owners' 'Criminal' Christian Beliefs
Evidently, the Nanaimo city councilors took issue with the Christian faith of Chick-fil-A's president, Dan Cathy. According to minutes from a May 5 city council meeting, city leaders voted 8 to 1 to cancel the event because they did not want to be associated with Cathy's Christian beliefs. "As owners of the facility," the event-canceling motion states, "any events that are associated with organizations or people that promote or have a history of divisiveness, homophobia, or other expressions of hate [will] not be permitted [by the city]." -ChristianNews.net
Obama Remembers College Professor at White House LGBT Pride Event
"He was the first openly gay person that I knew who was unapologetic, who stood his ground," Obama said. "He helped shape how I think about so many of these issues, and those sort of quiet heroes that sometimes don't get acknowledged." President Obama celebrated other accomplishments of the gay and lesbian community since last year's event. "A lot has happened in the year since we last gathered here together. Same-sex marriage has gone into effect in 10 more states, which means that 43 percent of Americans now live in states where you're free to marry who you love. The NFL drafted its first openly gay player," he said to nearly 500 guests in the East Room. -CNN Political Ticker
"Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about god for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions.
For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error" (Romans 18:24-27).
Pope's Unity Push in High Gear
The new Jesuit pope is moving rapidly into the vacuum of world politics. As post-Christian America gives up its leadership to the "community of nations," a vacuum is left that Satan's end-time leaders are quick to fill. -Chick.com Battle Cry
Pope Stirs Controversy Amongst Evangelicals
VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis created a controversy amongst Evangelicals this week, when he stated in his weekly address, that those who believe they can maintain a "personal" and "direct" relationship with Jesus Christ outside the "mediation of the Church" was "dangerous and harmful."
In his weekly address from St. Peter's Square, the Pope said, "No one becomes Christian on his or her own! Is that clear? No one becomes Christian by him- or herself."
"Christians are not made in a laboratory. A Christian is part of a people who comes from afar. The Christian belongs to a people called the Church and this Church is what makes him or her Christian, on the day of Baptism, and then in the course of catechesis, and so on," the Pontiff continued.
"We are able to live this journey not only because of others, but together with others. In the Church there is no 'do it yourself', there are no 'free agents'," the Pope added.
"At times one hears someone say: 'I believe in God, I believe in Jesus, but I don't care about the Church...' How many times have we heard this? And this is not good. There are those who believe they can maintain a personal, direct and immediate relationship with Jesus Christ outside the communion and the mediation of the Church. These are dangerous and harmful temptations," he continued.
"Dear friends, let us ask the Lord, through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, for the grace never to fall into the temptation of thinking we can make it without the others, that we can get along without the Church, that we can save ourselves on our own, of being Christians from the laboratory," the Pope concluded.
Evangelicals have long maintained that one must become "born again" and true faith is not a religion, but a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
While many evangelicals are members of churches of many different denominations, the common denominator amongst Evangelicals is the need for a "personal relationship" with Jesus Christ as the sole mediator to God. As Evangelicals often quote, "For there is one mediator between God and Man; the man Jesus Christ" (1 Timothy 2:5). -Worthynews.com
Why are many referring to this pope as the top candidate for the False Prophet of the Tribulation? It is because the Bible warns us of the False Prophet who will come with dual authority, both religious and political. He will head up the world's religions, and his purpose is to claim Antichrist to be God. This lamb-like but controversial-speaking pope has significantly stepped up his efforts lately to bring the world's religions to the Roman Mother Church.
"Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon. It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed" (Revelation 13:11-12).
To read a Bible commentary on the Mother of Harlots who sits on seven mountains, go to biblegateway.com/resources/all-women-bible/Mother-Harlots.
Whether or not you agree with all you've read, these are some significant news reports of the first week of July 2014. Much bigger "news at seven" will be reported sooner than most of the world realizes, when that renegade beast, the man of lawlessness - the Antichrist -"will confirm a covenant with many for one 'seven.' In the middle of the 'seven' he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him" (Daniel 9:27).
News in Seven: There is Hope in Christ
1. We have the "hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began" (Titus 1:2). "The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance" (2 Peter 3:9).
2. "God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). "For God so loved the world, that He gave his only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).
3. 'For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9). It is not good works that saves you; it is salvation in Christ which causes you to desire to do good works. "And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:6).
4. Christ will keep us from the wrath to come in the tribulation. "Wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come" (1 Thessalonians 1:10). "For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thessalonians 5:9). "Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth" (Revelation 3:10).
5. "Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also" (John 14:1-3).
6. "But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words" (1 Thessalonians4: 13-18).
7. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith-more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire-may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 1:3-7).
"And they asked Him, 'Teacher, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?'" (Luke 21:7).
Let's take a look at the news reports of just the first week of July 2014, in relation to the Bible and prophecy.
Netanyahu Decides to Expand Gaza Operation, Orders Preparations for Ground Offensive
Following high level security deliberations Tuesday morning Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu decided to expand the military operation in Gaza, including beginning preparations for a ground operation. The deliberations took place following a Monday night rocket barrage on Israel and the feeling in Jerusalem that Hamas is interested in escalation. -JPost.com
God's Word tells us that, in the last days, the whole world will be focused on Jerusalem. "In that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it" (Zechariah 12:2-3).
Britain's Largest Trade Union Joins Israel Boycott
The UNITE union adopted the anti-Israel motion at its first policy conference, calling "to vigorously promote a policy of divestment from Israeli companies." The motion added that such a boycott would be "similar to the boycott of South African goods during the era of apartheid." -IsraelNationalNews.com
"I will bless those who bless you (Israel) and him who dishonors you I will curse" (Genesis 12:3). "For the LORD of Hosts says this: "He has sent Me for His glory against the nations who are plundering you, for anyone who touches you touches the pupil of His eye" (Zechariah 2:8).
"No weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their vindication from Me, declares the Lord" (Isaiah 54:17).
Isis Chief Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi Appears in First Video
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of Islamist militant group Isis, has called on Muslims to obey him, in his first video sermon. Baghdadi has been appointed caliph by the jihadist group, which has seized large swathes of Iraq and Syria. -BBCnews.com
As Syrian Regime Strikes Isis, Analysts Debate What Comes Next
The attack surprised those who assumed that Assad, who has until now been fairly passive in fighting ISIS in the east, would focus on the war's other fronts while letting armed groups fight among - and ultimately weaken - themselves. But as reports emerged that ISIS has been gaining recruits from Jabhat al-Nusra and other extremist groups, concern spread in Damascus that its power could grow faster than expected - possibly requiring intervention. -ABCnews.com
"The burden of Damascus: Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap" (Isaiah 17:1).
North Korea Leader Directs Island Assault Drill: Report
North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un warned the South would "regret bitterly" any incursion of their disputed sea border as he directed a large-scale mock assault on an island, state media said Saturday. -YahooNews.com
"You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars..." (Matthew 24:6).
Rising Red Tide: China's Navy in Frenzy To Build New Nuclear-Powered Attack Subs
China's military is investing heavily in advanced submarines, including both ballistic and cruise missile firing vessels and attack subs. Recently, Beijing showed off what appears to be a mock-up of its next-generation nuclear-powered attack submarine, according to veteran military analyst, Rick Fisher. -WashingtonTimes.com
Japan Set For First Arms Export Under New Rules
Japan is set to approve its first arms export following relaxation of its self-imposed ban, as the nation aims to boost its global military and economic presence, a report said Sunday. - JapanToday.com
Putin Says Russia Must Boost Arms Exports: RIA News Agency
Russia should boost its arms exports to help the industry upgrade and add more high-end jobs to the labor market, President Vladimir Putin was quoted as saying on Monday. Russia is the focus of military tensions with the West over its annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. It has also been a long-standing arms supplier to Syria and ally of President Bashar al-Assad, who opposition forces are seeking to oust. -Reuters.com
Major Victory for Ukrainian Forces in Area Held By Rebels
Government forces made a major advance Saturday in a nearly three-month fight against pro-Russian militants, raising the national flag back over the town of Slavyansk in eastern Ukraine. -LAtimes.com
Afghanistan: Taliban Rocket Attack on Hundreds of Oil Tankers Outside Kabul
Firefighters spent all night tackling the blaze, but fires were still burning on Saturday morning. The tankers were reportedly transporting fuel for Nato forces and were parked at the time of the attack. An Afghan security official quoted by the AP news agency said that at least 400 fuel tankers caught fire in a parking lot in the outskirts of Kabul. -BBCnews.com
Israel Skeptical of Iran Nuclear Deal by Deadline, Pledges to Help Jordan Push Back ISIS
Israel does not expect world powers to reach a nuclear agreement with Iran by a late July deadline, a government minister said on Friday, accusing Tehran of maintaining a "hard line" at talks under way in Vienna. Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz spoke on the second day of what could be the final round of talks aimed at ending a decade-old international dispute over Iran's nuclear program that Israel sees as a threat to its existence. -JPost.com
"While people are saying, 'There is peace and security,' then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape'" (1 Thessalonians 5:3).
Violent Unrest in Western Uganda Could Presage Islamic Rebellion
Ugandan troops have killed more than 60 suspected insurgents accused of taking part in weekend assaults on police stations and military barracks, a military official said on Monday amid ongoing clashes with gunmen in a volatile region near Uganda's border with Congo. Military officials have recently warned that a Ugandan Islamic extremist rebel group known as ADF, which launched a violent insurgency in the area in the 1990s, is trying to regroup. -TheEpochTimes.com
Kenyan Coastal Region of Lamu Hit by Deadly Attacks
At least 29 people have been killed in two deadly shooting attacks in Kenya's coastal districts, the interior ministry has said. Witnesses said heavily armed men raided a trading centre in the village of Hindi, in Lamu County, and a police station in Gamba, Tana River County, overnight on Saturday. The Somali militant Islamist group al-Shabab said it was behind the killings. -BBC.com
"Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold" (Matthew 24:12).
Gang Violence in Chicago over July 4th Weekend: More than 60 Shot, Nine Dead
Chicago's police superintendent lashed out at what he called lax state and federal gun laws after a violent Fourth of July weekend that saw more than 60 people shot and nine killed in a city already known for frequent shootings... McCarthy is agitating for laws that aren't going to fix anything...Chicago's murder rate actually dropped after concealed carry laws. Gang members will always get their hands on guns. It's ordinary people who benefit from concealed carry. -FrontPageMag.com
"For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy" (2 Timothy 3:2).
All Employment Growth Since 2000 Went to Immigrants
Government data show that since 2000 all of the net gain in the number of working-age (16 to 65) people holding a job has gone to immigrants (legal and illegal). This is remarkable given that native-born Americans accounted for two-thirds of the growth in the total working-age population. Though there has been some recovery from the Great Recession, there were still fewer working-age natives holding a job in the first quarter of 2014 than in 2000. -RightSideNews.com
Part-Time Nation
Last Thursday, mainstream media trumpeted the creation of 288,000 jobs and the reduction in the unemployment rate from 6.3 percent to 6.1 percent. Lost in the manufactured euphoria are the sobering details: America is well on its way to becoming a nation where millions of workers can only find part-time, lower-paying jobs...An economy where more businesses are dying than are being born-and human beings are viewed as "inventory"-does not inspire anything resembling enduring confidence. -FrontPageMag.com
Pro-Amnesty Crowd Burns American Flag at Murrieta on 4th Of July
Bonnie Lewis, an anti-illegal immigration activist, told Breitbart News that she saw one of the pro-amnesty activists dragging an American flag on the ground. "I said: 'Hey, don't do that.' He said: 'That's where it belongs.'" Another anti-illegal immigration activist said that pro-amnesty demonstrators called her a "f***ing whore" in Spanish, and shouted, "F*** America!" -Breitbart.com
General: Border Crisis Threatens U.S. Existence
John Kelly, the top U.S. general in charge of Central and South America, worries about what's "easily" smuggled in. America's porous southern border and the recent surge in illegal immigration is more than just a "humanitarian crisis; it's a threat to the United States very existence. Particularly in regards to the drug trade, murder rates and terrorist activity brewing in Central America, Kelly says, the waves of Latin Americans sweeping through Mexico and illegally into Texas presents a threat to the U.S. every bit as serious as Iran or North Korea. -WND.com
Mexican Flag-Wearing La Raza Militants Arrive in Murrieta
An image (see site) posted by an activist who is protesting against the arrival of illegal immigrants in the flash point town of Murrieta shows the arrival of La Raza militants adorned with the Mexican flag. According to Eric Odom, the La Raza members told him they were there to "protect the children." La Raza, which literally translates as "the race," has been connected to the Chicano Student Movement of Aztlan (MEChA), an extremist Mexican race hate group which firmly believes in exploiting illegal immigration to bring about 'La Reconquista', a violent overthrow of the southern U.S. states that would be absorbed into Greater Mexico. -InfoWars.com
God's warnings and judgments against a disobedient nation in ancient times can be applied to us today. "If you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth" (Deuteronomy 28:1).
[BUT,] "Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart, because of the abundance of all things, therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the Lord will send against you, in hunger and thirst, in nakedness, and lacking everything. And he will put a yoke of iron on your neck until he has destroyed you. The Lord will bring a nation against you from far away, from the end of the earth, swooping down like the eagle, a nation whose language you do not understand" (Deuteronomy 28: 47-49).
Federal Agents with Riot Gear Arriving in Murrieta to Subdue Immigration Protesters
Federal agents will be arriving in Murrieta, Calif., the site of ongoing protests against the recent flood of illegal immigrants into the town, on Monday to quell protesters, Breitbart has learned. Murrieta has been in the news since June 1 when protesters blocked a convoy of buses carrying illegal immigrants to a local border patrol station. (RELATED: Hispanics Split Over Obama's Border Meltdown) Protesters have not left yet, and federal agents are supposedly fed up with American citizens being concerned about their hometown. -TruNews.com
God, through the prophet Samuel, warned that the humanistic system of government that Israel wanted was a rejection of God that would lead to tyranny. But they insisted, so God told Samuel, "Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them" (1 Samuel 8:9).
America would have done well to have heeded that same warning. But, as you've heard, "Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it." Our children are being indoctrinated into a socialistic, godless system. To those who believe that a welfare state is a gift from God-it is not; it's a judgment from Him. Yes, God calls on "individuals" to help those "who are unable to care for themselves," but socialism leads to dictatorship and makes slaves of all.
Obama, Muslim Brotherhood, and Mideast Chaos: Presidential Study Directive 11
A recent Gulf News report sheds some light on how and why the United States helped bring the Muslim Brotherhood and its Islamist allies to power, followed by... subsequent chaos and atrocities in the Mideast region. The administration conducted an assessment of the Muslim Brotherhood in 2010 and 2011, beginning even before...the "Arab Spring" erupted in Tunisia and in Egypt. The President personally issued Presidential Study Directive 11 (PSD-11) in 2010, ... ultimately concluding that the US should shift from its longstanding policy of supporting "stability" in the Middle East and North Africa (support for "stable regimes" even if they were authoritarian), to a policy of backing "moderate" Islamic political movements. -HumanEvents.com.
"And He (Jesus) called the people to him and said to them, 'Hear and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.' Then the disciples came and said to him, 'Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?' He answered, 'Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up. Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit'" (Matthew 15: 10-14).
Children's Christian Ministry Called Psychologically Harmful to Children
A Christian nonprofit, Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF), is facing opposition in Portland as it seeks to bring youths to Christ. On its website, CEF states that "the purpose of Good News Club is to evangelize boys and girls with the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and establish (disciple) them in the Word of God and in a local church for Christian living." Critics of CEF and the Good News Club say the program teaches fundamentalist beliefs to children, and encourages fear, judgment, and divisiveness in youth. -ChristianToday.com
Archbishop Condemns Satanic 'Black Mass' at Okla. City Civic Center as Sacrilegious
Catholic Archbishop Paul Coakley, head of the archdiocese of Oklahoma City, condemned a scheduled Black Mass by a satanic group, for which tickets are being sold at the Oklahoma City Civic Center, as "sacrilegious," a "blasphemous mockery of the Mass. ...The Black Mass of Oklahoma, being offered by the group Dakhma of Angra Mainyu, is scheduled to take place in the Civic Center Music Hall on Sept. 21. -CNSnews.com
"Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter" (Isaiah 5:20).
"If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you" (John 15:18-19).
Big Earthquakes Double In 2014 - And They're Not Linked
If you think there have been more earthquakes than usual this year, you're right. A new study finds there were more than twice as many big earthquakes in the first quarter of 2014 as compared with the average since 1979. "We have recently experienced a period that has had one of the highest rates of great earthquakes ever recorded." -CBSnews.com
There were other earthquakes in the first seven days of July, but I'm only including the ones that registered a magnitude of 6.0 and over: A 6.9 earthquake hit Mexico, Guatemala; A 6.0 Earthquake Hit off Western Indonesia; A 6.6 earthquake hit Papua, New Guinea.
United Nations Asks the Private Sector for Help with Eradicating World Hunger
More than 840 million people in the world suffer from hunger or have malnourishment problems, of these, 60% are women. The World Food Program (WFP), dependant on the UN and which fights to eradicate this situation, helped more than 80 million people from 75 countries last year and this year is looking to reach 100 million. -The Diplomat
World Health Organization Urges Global Effort to Contain Ebola
In a communiqué issued at the end of the U.N. World Health Organization's two-day emergency ministerial meeting on the Ebola virus in Accra, Ghana, health ministers from 11 West African nations called for immediate action, agreeing that the current outbreak poses a serious threat to all countries in the region and beyond. -WND.com
Fears of Undetectable Bombs Heightens Security At Europe's Airports
Passengers on U.S.-bound flights from Europe endured lengthy security checks Friday amid new fears terrorists could sneak high-tech bombs aboard in cell phones, shoes, energy drinks, or even implanted in their flesh.
"And there will be great earthquakes, and in various places plagues and famines; and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven" (Luke 21:11).
The Alleged Pedophile Ring at the Heart of the British Establishment
The country was still reeling from the horrors of the Jimmy Savile child abuse scandal that saw the BBC accused of cover up and culture of secrecy to protect itself. But the expose opened the door on a potentially even more explosive scandal - the claims of a VIP Westminster pedophile ring operating from the heart of the British Establishment from the 1960s onwards. It has led to allegations of a massive cover up across Whitehall spanning decades, pressure on the police and prosecutors not to pursue cases and the apparent disappearance of key dossiers and files detailing claims of child abuse and alleged attackers. More than 10 current and former politicians are said to be on a list of alleged child abusers now being investigated by police and the pressure is growing for a public inquiry. -Telegraph.co.uk
"But he that shall scandalize one of these little ones that believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone should be hanged about his neck, and that he should be drowned in the depth of the sea" (Matthew 18:6).
"Just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire" (Jude 1:7).
Chilling Implications: Largest Bank, JPMorgan Chase, Asks Workers if They Support Homosexuality
The largest bank in the United States, JPMorgan Chase, now allegedly requires its employees to state whether or not they are supporters of the homosexual lifestyle. The bank has overtly supported homosexuality for several years, appearing in several "gay pride" events and even offering a number of special benefits to bank employees who identify as "LGBT." Now, JPMorgan Chase has taken their LGBT support even further, reportedly requiring all their employees to voice whether or not they support the "LGBT community." -ChristianNews.net
United Nations Recognizes Gay Marriages for Staffers
The United Nations is recognizing the gay marriages of all its staffers, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced Monday. Previously, the United Nations only recognized the unions of staffers who came from countries where gay marriage is legal, U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said. -USAtoday.com
"Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh?' So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate'" (Matthew 19: 4-6).
A 'Gay' Hamburger? Burger King Selling 'The Proud Whopper'
The burger in its colorful packaging was sold through July 3 at a Burger King in San Francisco, which is known for its celebration and promotion of homosexuality and where sexually-transmitted diseases well exceed the national average. Last weekend, the fast food chain sponsored the 44th annual San Francisco Pride Celebration & Parade. Its downtown restaurant workers sold "Proud Whoppers" and handed out some 50,000 rainbow Burger King crowns that were worn by parade participants and spectators.
But Burger King is not the first major corporation to come out in support of homosexuality. Chipotle, whose owner is openly homosexual, has sponsored floats in homosexual pride events nationwide. Additionally, Starbucks, whose CEO told a shareholder who objected to the company's promotion of homosexuality last year that he could sell his shares, recently marked the 40th anniversary of Seattle Pride by flying an enormous 800 square foot rainbow flag over its headquarters in Seattle. -ChristianNews.net
City Cancels Chick-fil-A Sponsored Event, Cite Owners' 'Criminal' Christian Beliefs
Evidently, the Nanaimo city councilors took issue with the Christian faith of Chick-fil-A's president, Dan Cathy. According to minutes from a May 5 city council meeting, city leaders voted 8 to 1 to cancel the event because they did not want to be associated with Cathy's Christian beliefs. "As owners of the facility," the event-canceling motion states, "any events that are associated with organizations or people that promote or have a history of divisiveness, homophobia, or other expressions of hate [will] not be permitted [by the city]." -ChristianNews.net
Obama Remembers College Professor at White House LGBT Pride Event
"He was the first openly gay person that I knew who was unapologetic, who stood his ground," Obama said. "He helped shape how I think about so many of these issues, and those sort of quiet heroes that sometimes don't get acknowledged." President Obama celebrated other accomplishments of the gay and lesbian community since last year's event. "A lot has happened in the year since we last gathered here together. Same-sex marriage has gone into effect in 10 more states, which means that 43 percent of Americans now live in states where you're free to marry who you love. The NFL drafted its first openly gay player," he said to nearly 500 guests in the East Room. -CNN Political Ticker
"Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about god for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions.
For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error" (Romans 18:24-27).
Pope's Unity Push in High Gear
The new Jesuit pope is moving rapidly into the vacuum of world politics. As post-Christian America gives up its leadership to the "community of nations," a vacuum is left that Satan's end-time leaders are quick to fill. -Chick.com Battle Cry
Pope Stirs Controversy Amongst Evangelicals
VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis created a controversy amongst Evangelicals this week, when he stated in his weekly address, that those who believe they can maintain a "personal" and "direct" relationship with Jesus Christ outside the "mediation of the Church" was "dangerous and harmful."
In his weekly address from St. Peter's Square, the Pope said, "No one becomes Christian on his or her own! Is that clear? No one becomes Christian by him- or herself."
"Christians are not made in a laboratory. A Christian is part of a people who comes from afar. The Christian belongs to a people called the Church and this Church is what makes him or her Christian, on the day of Baptism, and then in the course of catechesis, and so on," the Pontiff continued.
"We are able to live this journey not only because of others, but together with others. In the Church there is no 'do it yourself', there are no 'free agents'," the Pope added.
"At times one hears someone say: 'I believe in God, I believe in Jesus, but I don't care about the Church...' How many times have we heard this? And this is not good. There are those who believe they can maintain a personal, direct and immediate relationship with Jesus Christ outside the communion and the mediation of the Church. These are dangerous and harmful temptations," he continued.
"Dear friends, let us ask the Lord, through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, for the grace never to fall into the temptation of thinking we can make it without the others, that we can get along without the Church, that we can save ourselves on our own, of being Christians from the laboratory," the Pope concluded.
Evangelicals have long maintained that one must become "born again" and true faith is not a religion, but a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
While many evangelicals are members of churches of many different denominations, the common denominator amongst Evangelicals is the need for a "personal relationship" with Jesus Christ as the sole mediator to God. As Evangelicals often quote, "For there is one mediator between God and Man; the man Jesus Christ" (1 Timothy 2:5). -Worthynews.com
Why are many referring to this pope as the top candidate for the False Prophet of the Tribulation? It is because the Bible warns us of the False Prophet who will come with dual authority, both religious and political. He will head up the world's religions, and his purpose is to claim Antichrist to be God. This lamb-like but controversial-speaking pope has significantly stepped up his efforts lately to bring the world's religions to the Roman Mother Church.
"Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon. It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed" (Revelation 13:11-12).
To read a Bible commentary on the Mother of Harlots who sits on seven mountains, go to biblegateway.com/resources/all-women-bible/Mother-Harlots.
Whether or not you agree with all you've read, these are some significant news reports of the first week of July 2014. Much bigger "news at seven" will be reported sooner than most of the world realizes, when that renegade beast, the man of lawlessness - the Antichrist -"will confirm a covenant with many for one 'seven.' In the middle of the 'seven' he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him" (Daniel 9:27).
News in Seven: There is Hope in Christ
1. We have the "hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began" (Titus 1:2). "The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance" (2 Peter 3:9).
2. "God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). "For God so loved the world, that He gave his only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).
3. 'For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9). It is not good works that saves you; it is salvation in Christ which causes you to desire to do good works. "And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:6).
4. Christ will keep us from the wrath to come in the tribulation. "Wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come" (1 Thessalonians 1:10). "For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thessalonians 5:9). "Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth" (Revelation 3:10).
5. "Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also" (John 14:1-3).
6. "But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words" (1 Thessalonians4: 13-18).
7. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith-more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire-may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 1:3-7).
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