The Tribulation at Our Doorstep

 The Tribulation at Our Doorstep – Pastor Mike Taylor – https://pastormiketaylor.blogspot.com/2022/05/the-tribulation-at-our-doorstep.html 15 “When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) 16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: 17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: 18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. 19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! 20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: 21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.” (Matthew 24:15-22) As the hour approaches for the start of the Tribulation and the end of this present age, I have many Christians that email me and wonder “Are we in the Tribulation now, orcan it get any worse that what we see already at the present?”....Some come to the erroneous conclusion that we are in the first part of the Tribulation, as the world is going stark raving mad. Environmental disasters of earthquakes, volcano eruptions, droughtleading to famine in third world countries, when ISIS was beheading Christians in the Middle East, and nuclear threats from Iran and North Korea, and now even China and Russia, leave many wondering if we are indeed, in the first years of the coming Tribulation.Are we? The Lord God gave us definite signs of when the beginning of the Tribulation would start, and although I would agree that we are bumping right up to the time the Bible callsJacob's trouble, we have not crossed that red line that says we are in the Tribulation just yet. Why do I say that? THE PURPOSE OF THE COMING TRIBULATION The Tribulation has a primary, secondary purpose and even a third reason for the time. From the perspective of Israel the Tribulation has a primary purpose. From the prophetDaniel, that primary purpose is six fold: "Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people [Daniel and the Jews] and upon thy holy city, [Jerusalem] to (1) finish the transgression, and to (2) make an end of sins, andto (3) make reconciliation for iniquity, and to (4) bring in everlasting righteousness, and to (5) seal up the vision and prophecy, and to (6) anoint the most Holy." (Daniel 9:24) That primary purpose had been going on from the rebuilding of the Temple after the Babylonian exile and ancient Israel's return to her own land for 483 years, when Jesus rodeinto the city of Jerusalem riding on the back of a donkey. "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass,and upon a colt the foal of an ass.” (Zechariah 9:9) Thus Jesus fulfilled the prophecy in the 483rd year of the Prophecy and if Israel would have accepted their Messiah, then the Kingdom of God would have come upon the earthat that time, but that was not God's plan. Several days later, Jesus would be tried, convicted in a Sanhedrin court, sentenced by a Roman governor and crucified on a cross for the sole reason of being the Messiah they did not want to accept. Their image oftheir “political Savior” was a King David type, not this lowly carpenter who wanted to save them from their sins. They didn't need a Savior, (in their deceived thinking) as they had the law of Moses, which they didn't realize could not save them from beingseparated from God the Father for all eternity. They knew of the timing of the coming Messiah, and here He was standing right in front of them, but they didn't like His spiritual message of repentance. When Jesus died on that cross, the time period of 490 years that Gabriel told Daniel would be required to fulfill that prophecy, stopped and has been on hold now for nearly2000 years. That leaves a final 7 years (490-483=7 years) of the prophecy to the nation of Israel on hold. God will complete His promise to the Jewish people in the near future. But for the Church that was born at Pentecost because of the blood sacrifice Jesus paid, points 1-4 of the above verse was accomplished at the cross. The last two points of5-6 are yet to be fulfilled, but neither of them apply to the Church anyway. The prophecy is for the Jewish people and of Jerusalem with a rebuilt Temple standing on the Temple Mount and the anointing of the Messiah taking place at the 2nd Coming of Jesusto reign and rule for a Millennium. The primary purpose of the Tribulation, therefore, is to effect the national redemption of the Jews. 2 “But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap: 3 And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offeringin righteousness. 4 Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in former years.” (Malachi 3:2-4) Israel will be refined through much persecution, until they recognize their Messiah that their forefathers rejected in 33 AD and they still do today. There is a secondary purpose as outlined in Revelation chp. 9: "Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts." (Revelation 9:21) In reading the whole of chapters 6- 9 of this apocalyptic book, gives you the reason for the coming Tribulation. God is putting down all rebellion upon the earth, known asthe “nations” who will not repent of their sinful lives, or give God any glory. But those who love their unrighteousness and sinful practices will not repent even in the face of this horrific judgment that is being poured out on them, and it only gets worse,much worse. This secondary purpose is to purge this earth of unrepentant, rebellious mankind that rejects Christ as Lord of their lives. God will nearly wipe this planet clean of allhuman life. By definition, to be a Christian, one must repent of one's sins. So the Church has no purpose in God's judgment against these “unrepentant, lawless” sinners. There is also a third reason for the Tribulation. It is to allow Satan full and free reign over the earth and its inhabitants. Among the many purposes of Heaven outlined inGod's Word is the trial of Satan. At the conclusion of the Tribulation, there will no doubt remaining among the angels and the inhabitants of God's realm, (the saints of God) to the depth of Satan's guilt or the severity of the forthcoming punishment. Thiswas prophesied in Isaiah what would become of Lucifer, now known as Satan (the adversary) when he was cast out of heaven when he proclaimed his infamous “I wills” to be like the Most High God.... "Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made theearth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?" (Isaiah 14:15-17) HARPAZO OF THE CHURCH OF THE LIVING GOD The doctrine of imminency teaches that Jesus could come at any moment and “snatch by force” His redeemed bride which is HARPAZO in the Greek that Paul spoke of in 1st Corinthiansand 1st Thessalonians 15 “For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up (HARPAZO) together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” (1st Thessalonians 4:15-18) What is the dictionary definition of what Paul wrote above of the HARPAZO, or being “caught up” in English.. 1) to seize, carry off by force 2) to seize on, claim for one' s self eagerly 3) to snatch out or away The fulfillment of this passage could come at any moment, from the day of Paul until the starting point of the Tribulation. How do I know that it is confined to that periodof time? Glad you asked. Because the Bible expressly promises us that the Tribulation will not start until Satan has total control over this earth. In order for Satan to have total control (and therefore no excuse) the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit and His ministry of identifying and restraining evil must beremoved. Jesus promises that the Holy Spirit would indwell within me until He returns, as I am neither of the “house of Israel” or part of the Christ rejecting Gentile nations andhave no part in the coming Tribulation, but the scripture says that the coming Anti-Christ will overcome the “saints” during the tribulation. “And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” (Revelation 13:7-8) If the Holy Spirit must be 'taken out of the way' BEFORE the Antichrist can be revealed, which is the only logical way to interpret what Paul wrote in 2nd Thessalonians 2:7-9, 7 “For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,” So if God is withdrawing the work of the Holy spirit, that would leave me comfortless, if as a Christian I am found to be still present during the time known as Jacob's Trouble,the Tribulation. If God has left me alone just when I need Him the most, then Jesus broke His Word, and we know Jesus cannot lie. 16 “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. 18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.” (John 14:16-18) No matter how I try to read the above verses otherwise, I cannot be present during this time. Until the Holy Spirit is “taken out of the way” then that Wicked cannot be revealed,which is the Anti-Christ. This may be confusing to some, but let us identify the players in the preceding verses listed above in 2nd Thessalonians 2:7-9. The “mystery of iniquity” or the spirit ofthe Anti-Christ (1st John 4:3) "He who letteth". First, "he" is a personal pronoun, so this isn't a 'thing' to be taken out of the way, but a 'Him'. 'To let' is an old English phrase that signifies indwelling, as in the phrase, "Room to Let." When the verse speaks of “that Wicked” it is also a personal pronoun and in context, refers to the one whom Jesus will destroy at His Second Coming. So in modern everyday English, the meaning of the passage says “the Anti-Christ won't be revealed until the Holy Spirit's presence is taken out of the way”...So the pointof the passage that should not be any bone of contention, is that if the Holy Spirit is removed, and we have God's Holy Spirit within us, and Jesus will NOT leave us alone without comfort, then if the Holy Spirit is leaving, then so shall God's Church. Everyborn again believer on this planet will be removed at the very same instant as God's Holy Spirit. Since Satan cannot overcome God, and God is dwelling in me, then the Anti-Christ can't overcome me if I were still on the earth. I cannot picture a situation in which I would lose the Holy Spirit's indwelling presence while I am still alive on this earth. It is unthinkable. THE CHURCH REMOVED So now that I hope you can see that the Church will be removed prior to the Anti-Christ being revealed and we will not be subject to God's Wrath. Now some say that the firstpart of the Tribulation is promoted by Satan and evil men. Many try to say that God's wrath is not revealed until the 6th seal is opened, as the righteousness indignation of God's judgment is finally revealed..is that true? I ask you. Who is opening the sealsof the “title deed to this earth” by removing all rebellion on the planet? From the first seal until the last, the author of this judgment is Jesus Christ the Lord. He is causing events to happen. He is using men to enact judgment on other lawless men, justas He used Babylon and Assyria as the iron rod of judgment on Israel for their lawless behavior and rejecting the laws of God. So here God is doing the same thing by using men to bring about the beginning of His wrath indirectly, but will show His indignationdirectly in subsequent seals of judgment. In chapter 6, the men of earth know who is causing the problems and the evil that befalls them, and they cry out: 15 “And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in thedens and in the rocks of the mountains; 16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: 17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” (Revelation 6:15-17) LET US ANAZLYZE THIS COMING TRIBULATION. Where do we get seven years of tribulation? Some ask me that question and assert that there is no basis for it... Daniel says that Antichrist rules for one 'week' -- or seven years. 27 “And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreadingof abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.” (Daniel 9:27) I've even had some deceived notions that this above verse is speaking of Jesus causing a covenant to be broken in mid-week, but clearly it is speaking of an abomination ofdesolation that only happened one other time with Antiochus Epiphanes when he desecrated the Holy Temple and spawned the Maccabean revolt. The first three and one half years are a period of false peace for Israel. Because of confirming a covenant with Israel, the coming Anti-Christ will reveal himself by enforcinga pre-existence covenant that is possibly the Oslo Accord from the earth 1990s or the Abrahamic Covenants during Trump's administration. The last three and one half years are a period of intense persecution and Great Tribulation for the Jewish people. It isthe remaining 7 years left to fulfill the prophecy given by Gabriel to Daniel, that has been on hold for the Age of Grace that we have been living in for almost 2000 years now. No matter how novel an interpretation one may develop to argue against the seven year period, Daniel also identifies it as a period of 2520 days, divided into two periodsof 1260 days each. The first part is the Tribulation that causes a false peace for Israel, but is surrounded by unrest and war around the globe. The last 1260 days are known as the Great Tribulation, when the AC is revealed as the abomination that causethdesolation, and Israel will know they have made a pact deal with the devil. They will run for their very lives, but many will not believe the prophecy and will not escape into the wilderness, just as it was in 70 AD when those who believed fled to the mountainfortress in Petra, in the Jordanian wilderness. (see chp. 12 of Revelation v. 14-17) Now to those who make a wishful thinking by asking the specific question “why cannot Christ's coming for His elect occur during the first half of the tribulation?” Scriptureoutlines a season (of tribulation) for the purpose of judgment that is to last seven years. As mentioned, the tribulation is the not the time for the Church's redemption, it is Israel's time. The purpose in general is the refinement of Israel as silver is refinedin the fiery furnace for purification, and the removal of rebellion and the judgment of the lost. The Church is being judged now in this Age of Grace. Those who have God's earnest deposit of His Holy Spirit residing within their own spirit have a guaranteeof redemption and glorification when Jesus comes for His bride, His Church. The Church of the Living God is neither under judgment or in need of redemption. She has already been redeemed, and judged righteous by the blood of the Lamb, our Savior, Jesus Christ. To not believe the above redemption of our bodies at the rapture of the Church is to believe that Jesus' sacrifice in His own blood on a Roman cross was not good enough tosave us to the uttermost. It is to believe in a type of Catholic purgatory that Jesus did NOT pay it all once for all time. WHAT IF WE DO HAVE TO SUFFER SOME OF THE TRIBULATION? Some hypothesize, and it's pure speculation, that if there is not a removal of the Bride of Christ before the Tribulation starts, could it not cause some to turn away fromtheir faith, as was talked about in the gospels. They say, “won't there be some suffering on the part of Christians?”...”and if so, we are causing those to become discouraged and fall away”. I agree that we shall not escape all suffering, as that has been part of the human condition since man was created. There is persecution and modern day martyrdom in such placesas the Middle East, Communist China, and Central Africa. This is not an ancient concept, but continues to this day by evil men. There is a major difference between the sufferings of men at the hand of other evil men, by one phrase ...”The Wrath of God”. Tribulation saints differ from the Bride of Christsaved during the Age of Grace, or the Church Age. Those saved during this horrific seven years will have their metal tested as like no other period of time memorial. Evil is rampant. Satan seeks to destroy all mankind, but in the process gain worship for himself,and attempts to destroy all of the nation of Israel to make God out a liar. And I must point out again a major distinction between the saints of the Church age, and the Tribulation saints by God's Holy Word: Of the Church Age saints, John writes: "Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world." (1st John 4:4) During the Tribulation, it is the saints that are overcome: "And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations." (Revelation 13:7) The same Apostle John wrote both verses. Is it not 'pure speculation' to assume that the differences in status are irrelevant? Two set of saints are not the same. The churchAge is the Bride, the Tribulation saints will be the guest at the ceremony as they are in martyrdom. A final question that has been kicked around on Christian forums I host, that is “if the pre-tribulation rapture of the church is true, how does that give God any glory. Wouldn'tit be more glory to Him, if Christ appears amidst the persecution of His saints and rescues them from the Anti-Christ and Satan?” I am reminded of a verse that Jesus spoke to the Apostle Thomas, you now, doubting Thomas? "Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen Me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed." (John 20:29) Paul speaks of this very thing in Romans 8, which if we are saved by grace through faith, when Christ actually appears, how much faith will be necessary when you see Him inall His glory? 24 “For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? 25 But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.” (Romans 8:24-25) As bad as it seems, and my friend, it will get exponentially worse, from chp. 6 of Revelation till chp. 19 when the Saints of God come back on white horse clothed in linen,white and clean following the Lord of Lords, and King of Kings..Jesus our God and Savior.. 11 “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fiercenessand wrath of Almighty God.” (Revelation 19:11-15) Jesus has come, rebellion has been put down. The saints rule the earth along with our Lord Jesus, and the Millennium starts and returns the earth to what it came from, perfection. But of this writing, the antichrist has not yet been revealed. The peace treaty has not yet been confirmed. Temple worship has not yet been restored. All these are eventsthat take place BEFORE the Great Tribulation begins. It is that termination of sacrifice that begins the Great Tribulation. The antichrist can't cause the sacrifice to cease until AFTER it has begun. That can't happen until the Jews possess the Temple Mount. The antichrist cannot take his seatin the Temple of God, causing Israel to reject him, which kicks off the Great Tribulation, until AFTER there is a Temple to sit in. None of this has happened, but make no mistake, it could happen almost overnight. These events noted just in the preceding two paragraphs are totally INDEPENDENT of the raptureof the Church. None of them exist because we are not in the Tribulation just yet, but it's right over the near horizon and is looming larger and larger with each passing day. We are indeed close, but we are not quite there yet...Reader take warning. I urgeyou to believe on the only begotten Son of God, slain from the foundation of the earth, and miss this coming Tribulation, by grace through faith. 16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John3:16-18) 8 “But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.” (Romans 10:8-11)

Running Out of Normal

 Running Out of Normal – Pete Garcia - https://www.rev310.net/post/running-out-of-normal I was at the Prophecy Watcher’s conference this past weekend, and it was a truly amazing experience. Arriving a day early, I was pleasantly surprised when Pastor Tom Hughesand his family also arrived giving us ample amounts of time to talk and reflect on the state of the world. I was also pleased to meet and spend time with Dr. Tommy Ice, Don Mercer, Bob Maginnis, Bill Sallus, Olivier Melnick, Nathan Jones, Lee Brainard, MondoGonzales, Ken Johnson, Derek & Sharon Gilbert, and many more. I also got to meet so many wonderful people from all over the US and Canada. All of the presentations were amazing, informative, and very encouraging. But it was during Mondo Gonzales’ briefing, Is the Rapture in the Olivet Discourse? that the title of this article came to mind. It got me thinking of all the earth-shattering,norm-breaking, and life-changing events which have been happening since 9/11. It was then I realized one of the most underrated major signs of the end of the age is the fact that we are running out of normal life. And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day thatNoah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone fromheaven and destroyed them all. Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed. Luke 17:27-30 Assessment I don’t know about you, but I’ve never considered Luke 17 as referring to the Second Coming, primarily, because during the 70th Week (i.e., the Tribulation), life will beanything but normal. Just consider the fact that during the Seal Judgments alone, a quarter of the world’s population will die. The oceans will be turning to blood. The trees and vegetation will be burned up. An army of demonic locusts will be unleashed uponthe earth. 100 lb. hailstones will be cast upon the earth. How anyone can think that is normal is beyond my comprehension. So, we should know without any doubt, that the ‘days of the Son of Man’ Christ is referring to, is not events inside the 70th Week, butthose that precede it. For this, I refer back to the title by saying we are running out of normal. •The events on September 11, 2001, would come to change life on earth for the next 22 years. Security enhancements at airports. Sweeping government surveillance powers tomonitor their citizens in the name of ‘national security.’ Two major military conflicts in the Middle East. Major terrorist groups rising up to challenge said conflicts (Al Qaeda, ISIS, the Taliban, etc.). There was a clear distinction between life before9/11, and life after 9/11. •Next, we had the global economic crisis of 2008, where major banking institutions (beginning with the Lehman Brothers) began collapsing which set off a cascading effect offinancial failures within the mortgage industry and banking. Major government financial bailouts (three of them) were put together to ‘bail out’ the banks from collapsing. Where that money is now, is anyone’s guess. But life before this event, and life after,have never been the same. •We’ve had the rise of social media, which has not only ushered in the Age of Information but has altered how an entire generation sees itself. This also allowed for the riseof information warfare to occur on an unprecedented scale, where political ideologies became the determining factor in who gets access and who doesn’t. •We’ve had a sweeping rise of globalism, where nations’ are increasingly bent on rushing into a global government and governance. Whether we are talking about the UN Agenda2020, 2030, the Fourth Industrial Revolution, or the Great Reset, the push to implement global government has never been stronger. This seems to be not only unavoidable but forcefully inevitable. •We’ve had the most unlikely candidate in the world sweep to power. President Donald Trump and his nationalist platform, while incredibly successful, were viewed by the leftand globalists, as THE threat to their promised new world order. Definitely no mistaking life before MAGA and life after the 2020 election heist. •There are other technological breakthroughs like the Internet, digital cryptocurrencies, 5G internet service, Starlink Satellites, electronic cars, Mar’s expeditions, congressionaldisclosure on UFOs/AUPs, advancements in and dependency upon Artificial Intelligence, hypersonic missiles, as well as sweeping shifts in the global society to normalize the LGBTP, Critical Race Theory, weaponized immigration, and Woke agendas, and so manyothers that it’s impossible to list them all. •We’ve had four pandemic scares (Avian Flu, Swine Flu, Zika Virus, and Ebola), as well as one global pandemic (Covid-19). Whether the global economic shutdowns, lock-ins,mandatory vaccinations, and mask policies were necessary or not, there is definitely no mistaking life before and after it. •Lastly, there has been an unprecedented and concerted global effort to push environmental alarmism as the crisis du jour as a means to centralize power into the hands ofa singular global government, regardless of the actual facts of the matter. I’m only 47 (soon to be 48) and I can definitively say that life before 9/11 was one way, and life after has been another. In fact, it has only ever gotten weirder, more confusing,and more stressful. Although I suppose this is a subjective statement, I can't help but wonder how much more can we as a human population endure before life is no longer normal. For instance, if you live in North Korea or Iran and life has always been miserable,then this push towards global totalitarianism probably seems just more of the same. But for much of the rest of the world, this Orwellian push is not. Even in places like China where there has always been a strong government over-watch of their citizenry,the recent brutal lockdowns in Wuhan, Shanghai, and Beijing, are extreme even for them. This barbarism was not just on display in normally totalitarian states, but in what was long considered “Western Civilization” in places like Canada, Australia, New Zealand,and South Africa. Places we used to think of as democratic and “freedom-loving” governments, exposed just how necessary a Constitutional Bill of Rights and impartial judicial system was to the functioning of a healthy democracy. But even in the United States(the dominant economic and military power of the last 70 years), there have been abuses of our Constitution in primarily blue (Democrat) states which have begun shaking the foundations of our Constitutional Republic. And given the increasingly ‘global’ nature of all our coming crises’, I would say we are not only inching toward the days of Noah and Lot (global wickedness, violence, andnormalized debauchery), we are already there. How much longer will Jesus’ description of normal life (as depicted in Luke 17’s marriages, buying/selling, planting, and building) be apropos? Understandably, the push to make all of the aforementioned, ‘the new normal,’ is all underway, but just saying so doesn’t make it so. Governmental totalitarianism is stilltyranny. LGBTQP (the P stands for pedophilia in case you were wondering) is still sinful moral depravity no matter how normal they want us to believe it is. Violence is still violence. Murder is still murder. Also understandably, is that this unprecedented spike in wickedness, to the world, is for them, normal. They don’t view LGBTQP as lawlessness, but it is lawless against God’spreordained order for the world. They don’t view abortion on demand up to and through birth, as lawless, but it is to God. They don’t view global government as lawless, but it is to God. There was a good reason why God separated mankind at Babel because Heknew if He didn’t, mankind would have fallen under global tyranny millennia ago and would have destroyed themselves long before any of us would have ever been born. Conclusion Nevertheless, here we are in 2022, a small, remnant community of watching believers increasingly all asking the same question…how much longer Lord? What else is going to happenthat shakes our understanding of normal life? I mean, at this point, nothing is really surprising anymore. I suppose the only thing left that would really shake people up and get them to question reality, is the public and unmistakable arrival of extraterrestrialsto the skies above our earth. As the world keeps goose-stepping towards global tyranny using any and every excuse to do so, nothing is really surprising anymore. How can life be normal when normal wasthrown out the window? Personally, I really can’t think of anything else that’s left that would surprise me. I mean, we’ve had Russia invade Ukraine in the first major military European provocation (nation on nation) since World War II. We are confident thatin the weeks to months ahead, China will retake Taiwan. We are confident that Israel will strike down Iran’s nuclear ambitions in a massive military strike. We are equally confident that the governments of the world will continue pushing us towards a global famine, economic crisis, and new pandemic, in order to reinstitute globalvaccine mandates, food rationing, and all the other necessary prerequisites for their Great Reset. I mean, we can see all that stuff coming a mile away. So to me, it’s not a matter of if, but when all of these things come to pass. So how can we be surprisedwhen we see it coming? How much longer can we buy and sell when the world’s currencies are on the verge of collapse and are presently experiencing skyrocketing inflation? How much longer can we marry, and be given in marriage, when marriage itself is being profaned and unprecedented crises continually rob the world of normal life? How much longer can we plant and build, when the price of building materials is through the roof, and planting is increasingly being taken over by corporate monstrositieslike Bill Gates, Monsanto, and Blackrock? To me, at least, this all begs the question I proposed in the title- that we are running out of normal. When Jesus addressed the disciples' questions regarding the end ofthe age, He give a litany of signs both general and specific but concluded in Luke's account with this encouragement; Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.” Luke 21:28

Why does Jesus say 'no flesh would be saved'?

 End-time alert: Why does Jesus say 'no flesh would be saved'? – WND Staff - https://www.wnd.com/2022/05/end-time-alert-jesus-say-no-flesh-saved/ End-time alert: Why does Jesus say 'no flesh would be saved'? 'There's a reason the time has to be cut short' As events in today's world continue to spiral out of control, some are re-examining a cryptic phrase from Jesus about the end times and His return to Earth. The phrase is found in the 24th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, in which the Son of God was answering questions about the sign of His coming and "the end of the world." The Messiah famously said: "And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened" (Matthew 24:22 NKJV). But what does the phrase "no flesh would be saved" actually mean? "There's actually more than one meaning to this statement," says Joe Kovacs, best-selling author of the new book, "Reaching God Speed: Unlocking the Secret Broadcast Revealingthe Mystery of Everything." "There is both a physical meaning, which millions of people already understand; but there's also an additional meaning on the Spirit or parable level, of which many may beunaware." The author says on the physical level, the events immediately prior to the return of Jesus will put the very existence of humanity on the brink of total destruction. "This verse has been understood by many to indicate that no physical person would survive the horrific end-time events unless the time is shortened and Jesus comes back tointervene." "No flesh being saved can literally mean that no physical human being will survive the catastrophes encompassing the entire planet, which could be from a variety of causes,such as biological pathogens, nuclear warfare or starvation," Kovacs explains. "Some newer Bibles such as the New Living Translation and New International Version even render the verse that way, stating: "In fact, unless that time of calamity is shortened,not a single person will survive" (Matthew 24:22 NLT). "But beyond the obvious physical explanation, there's an additional meaning that can be understood when we employ God's Spirit and think on that higher level." The author, known for his "Shocked by the Bible" series, says the word 'save' used in that Scripture is the Greek word 'sōzō,' and it means to save spiritually, beyond justa physical rescue. "It's the precise word the Bible uses when it talks about our ultimate saving, as in this example: 'You are to name him Jesus, because he will SAVE his people from their sins'"(Matthew 1:21 CSB). "Thus, on the spirit level, when Jesus says in Matthew that no flesh would be saved unless the days are cut short and He intervenes, it's because the minds of people in theflesh will have become so far away from God spiritually that they could not be saved in the spiritual sense. "They will have become so disobedient, rebellious, wickedly sinful, or even unknowing of the plan of God through deception, they would remain in their dying physical stateand never escape the flesh and receive the phenomenal gift of everlasting spirit life, dwelling in the very presence of Almighty God. "This is the reason the time has to be cut short. For the sake of the elect, those few believers who remain on Earth at that time, God will return to save His faithful ones,instantly transforming their mortal bodies from flesh to immortal spirit in the blink of an eye. As the apostle Paul says, 'our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies' (1 Corinthians 15:52–53 NLT). "So the good news amid all the bad news is that people will be saved from their own destructive behavior, as God will cut those horrific days short and save us from ourselves,putting an end to the wicked ways of the world."

Are You Ready?

 Are You Ready? - By Holly Spate - https://www.raptureready.com/2022/05/22/are-you-ready-by-holly-spate/ It is hard to imagine our world getting any crazier than it already is, but it seems each day tops the last, and things are happening at such a pace that it’s hard to keepup. With all that’s going on in our personal lives, in our cities, our country and the world, it can be so tempting to let our minds and hearts get both distracted and discouraged. It can be so easy to get negative and feel overwhelmed. It can be so easy tofeel squeezed by stress and paralyzed by fear. It’s within our human nature to react to what’s happening around us. It’s normal to have feelings and to respond to those feelings. However, as followers of Christ, Jesusmade it clear that we are to live by faith, not by our feelings, as feelings can and will lead us astray. Feelings can fester deeper when we give in to them…when we allow ourselves to take our focus off of our Heavenly Father…leaving our faith behind. We desperatelyneed to resist the urge to give in to our feelings and our fears. When tempted to fear, we should not look around but look up…to Him. We should run to Him. We desperately need to be close to Him, to trust Him, and to put our complete faith in Him, no matterwhat we see, feel, or experience in this life. Seeking Him alone will calm the fears and bring calm. As we live out our days, and we see the chaos, the destruction, the darkness, we need to remember how desperately we need Him…how desperately all of humanity needs Him. John15:5 says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” Philippians 4:13 reminds us, “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” If we abide in Him, if we press into Him, if we hold to His truths and the promises He made, we should not fear. 1 John 4:17-18 states, “This is how love is made completeamong us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” No matter what is going on in this world, no matter what evil ensues, we are told we can have peace and calm in His presence. No matter who sits in government, we can haveassurance in knowing God sits on the throne. No matter how dim things seem to be or how dark things get in this world, we can know with certainty in our hearts that the Son still shines. In John 16:33, Jesus states, “I have told you these things, so that inme you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Our Father is our shield, our hope, our joy, our Savior! He’s our SAVIOR! He came to save us…to rescue us. He is pure love. He is perfect. He is Omnipotent (all-powerful),Omniscient (all-knowing) and Omnipresent (all-present). Thankfully, God did not leave us alone in this world to fend for ourselves. He has given the gift of a helper…the Holy Spirit. He has also blessed us in so many other beautiful ways. He has given us the gift of the Bible, His holy Word. He has given us the ability to pray, which He states is powerful.He has given us His trustworthy promises. He has given us His armor. Ephesians 6:10-18 states, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when theday of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. “Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comesfrom the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spiriton all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” He has given the gift of being joint heirs…sons and daughters of the King of Kings, the maker of heaven and earth. We have an amazing inheritance: “Now if we are children,then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory” (Romans 8:17). And, one day, we will have the gift of a new body and a new home. Each day we have now is a gift from Him, but we have been promised a bright future beyond all of our daysin this present life. We have the blessed hope and the assurance in knowing He is returning for His own. If you are living a life without Him, if He is not your Heavenly Father, if you have not accepted Him into your heart…come to Him today. He died for you. He loves you witha perfect, unconditional love. No matter what sins you’ve committed, He will forgive and wash you clean. He wants to be Lord of your life. Accepting Him into your life will be the greatest decision you will ever make…ever. Romans 10:9-11 says, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with yourheart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” As the world rushes into chaos, you, as God’s child, can rush toward your Heavenly Father… pressing in ever closer to your Creator, the One who formed you, loves you and promisesto never leave or forsake you. Run to your Father’s arms…it is there you will find rest, comfort, assurance, protection and peace. Remember, as the world grows darker, the Son still shines. As the world grows more evil, the Son still reigns. As God’s child, you are in the BEST hands possible. As we see and experience the birth pains and groaning of the earth increasing, we see more clearly that the day is fast approaching when we will soon meet Him in the clouds.One day (maybe very soon), the day will arrive when He will call us home. Imagine what a glorious day that will be… a day when we stand in the presence of our Creator, our Savior, our King! A day that will be the end of this life and the beginningof a bright, beautiful new life for all eternity. Are you looking to Him? Have you accepted the gift of His salvation? Are You Ready? spate.holly@gmail.com

Keeping Our Eyes on the Prize

 Keeping Our Eyes on the Prize – Jonathan Brentner - https://www.jonathanbrentner.com/https/jonathan-brentner-g8fgsquarespacecom/config/2022/5/23/keeping-our-eyes-on-the-prize Looking beyond the mess in this world. As deception, government corruption, violence, and lawlessness increase in our world, it becomes difficult at times to hang on to our hope in Jesus’ imminent appearing. Howdo we keep our focus on the Rapture during these perilous times? Although this may sound a bit bizarre at first, a story about Israel’s first king provides encouragement for those of us weary of waiting for our “blessed hope.” Those familiar with King Saul know that he’s not a stellar example to follow. First Samuel 13 records his failure to wait for Samuel; his sin on this occasion became a criticalturning point in his reign. The excuses that Saul gave to the prophet in defending his impatience on this occasion, however, reveal where his thinking went awry and conversely provide us with valuableinsight for the times when we become impatient waiting for the Lord. I first wrote about this story many years ago during a difficult time in my life when I needed help in waiting for the Lord; I later included it in my book, The Bad Guys ofthe Bible. [i] In just the past week, I began to see how the king’s lame excuses on this occasion reveal a thought process that we also must avoid if we are to keep our eyes on the prizebefore us, our “blessed hope.” FOCUS ON CHRIST, NOT THE MESSY CIRCUMSTANCES First Samuel 13:1-7 records the impossible circumstances facing Saul and the Israelites as the king waited for Samuel. The king had just six hundred men with him and to makematters worse, only Saul and Jonathan had a sward or a spear because the Philistines had taken them away along with their blacksmiths (1 Samuel 13:19-22). First Samuel 13:5 tells us about the overwhelming threat the king’s small band of soldiers faced: “Then the Philistines gathered together to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand which is on the seashore in multitude.” In this dire situation, the Lord, through the prophet Samuel, had instructed the king to wait seven days. At that time, Samuel would offer a sacrifice and give him instructionsregarding the peril that Israel faced. Saul, however, became impatient and offered the sacrifice before the prophet’s arrival. Samuel confronted Saul’s disobedience with a simple yet probing question, “What have you done?” In response, Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattering, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines had mustered at Micmash,. . . I forced myself, and offered the burnt offering” (1 Samuel 13:11-12). As he waited for the prophet’s arrival, Saul fixed his attention on his deserting army, Samuel’s delay, and the huge force assembling against Israel. Saul saw only his impossible situation. He did not consider the Lord or His purpose amid the dangers confronting him. As we wait upon Jesus in whatever situation we find ourselves, we must also focus on Jesus rather than our messy circumstances. We may face multiple dangers in the months ahead as the devil and his minions continue to exert more of their deadly control throughout our world. It’s easy, is it not, tofocus on the various dangers looming in the future and become impatient wondering why the Lord has not yet come to rescue us? I have found that the best antidote for my errant focus is Colossians 3:1-4. The words of this passage bring my focus back to the Lord and provide a welcome respite from theincreasing perils and wickedness of our world. Verse 4 restores my focus on Jesus’ glorious appearing. “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things onthe earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.” AVOID THE FAULTY REASONING OF THE WORLD Saul’s words in 1 Samuel 13:12 reveal another area where his thinking went far off course on that fateful day. The king thought the sacrifice itself would prevent more troopsfrom leaving him and obtain God’s favor (see 1 Samuel 13:11). In other words, he believed that the ends would justify the means. It was okay to disobey God because of its positive outcome in keeping the troops with him. Such thinkingremains popular today in our world. For those of us awaiting Jesus’ appearing, we must also avoid the reasoning of those around us. The world would have us questions our expectation of the Lord’s soon return; “It’s been two-thousand years, why are you foolishly expecting that Jesus will return in your lifetime?” Those opposed to our hope would have us join in their way of looking at the perils before us and believe that today is just like any other time in history. “Things will eventuallyreturn to normal apart from the Lord’s return,” they tell us. So many of those that lead our churches have also fallen for the defective reasoning of the world. I have often heard pastors of churches that claim to be “Bible-believing” preach a sanctified version of Joel Osteen’s book, Your Best Life Now. Week after week they mimic the temporal perspective of the world by focusing the attention of the saints solely on this life alone with no reference to the eternal specifics of their hopefor eternal life. We live in the season of Jesus’ return for His church. We must trust the words of Scripture rather than our own understanding in these last days of human history (Proverbs3:5-6). HOLD TIGHTLY TO GOD’S PROMISES The Lord’s command for the king to wait contained a promise: when Samuel arrived on the seventh day, he would bring the king guidance for the battle; he would tell him whatto do in order for God to win the battle for Israel (1 Samuel 10:8). God had a plan to deliver His people from the Philistine threat. Saul had another assurance from God that he could have relied upon that fateful day. In the process of selecting Saul, the Lord told Samuel that this king would “save my peoplefrom the hand of the Philistines” (1 Samuel 9:16). The king disobeyed because he chose to ignore God’s specific promises. In whatever situation we find ourselves, it’s essential that we know Scripture and hold on tightly to its promises. During the dark years of my life as I experienced heartache after heartache, I discovered the value of a firm grasp on the promises of Scripture. It wasn’t enough for me justto know about the reassuring words of Psalm 27, I memorized them and read them every morning for months. Such a firm grip on Scripture is also vital as we await the Lord’s appearing to take us to the place that He’s preparing for us. I have already read 1 Corinthians 15:20-58,Philippians 3:13-21, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11, Titus 2:11-15, and Romans 8:18-25 many times this year. There’s something about seeing these words on the pages of the Bible that reassures me of Jesus’ imminent appearing and keeps my focus on what Jesus haspromised regarding my future. As our world grows increasingly perilous by the day, it’s not enough just to know about eternal life; it’s essential that we hold tightly to the biblical promises concerningthe specifics of our amazing hope. Jesus will not fail to keep His promises regarding the event that we refer to as the Rapture. Of that we can be absolutely certain. TRUST GOD’S PERSON, NOT RELIGIOUS BEHAVIOR For a long time, I wrestled with another aspect of the excuses that Saul offered to Samuel for His impatience. Something was amiss in his faulty attempt at worship; but atfirst, I couldn’t identify it. Suddenly it occurred to me that the king was treating the Lord as though He was a good-luck charm rather than a living and personal Being. Saul’s excuses reveal that his hope for success rested in the sacrifice itself rather than in the One to whom he was seeking to worship. Saul trusted a religious exerciseto deliver Israel rather than God Himself. He didn’t stop to consider that victory rested solely with the very One he was disobeying. The king treated God as though He were a vending machine. Do the right things for a predictable outcome just like putting money into vending machine and receiving a candybar. Activities such as prayer, Bible study, and worship are of course essential for our walk with the Lord. However, when the tragedies and afflictions of life beset us, it’sthe Lord, the object of our worship and faith, who provides the needed strength and comfort during these dark times. We are already His precious children; we do not need to force Him to lovingly act on our behalf with our “religious behavior.” He’s already doing that each and every momentof our lives! The same is true in regard to our waiting upon the Lord’s appearing. He’s committed to bringing us safely to glory; He will not fail to do so. As we wait, we can relax knowingthat His timing will be perfect. The majority of church leaders today place their hope in things other than Jesus imminent return. One group falsely teaches that their efforts to pray 24/7 will itself enablethe church to rise up and become triumphant throughout the coming Tribulation period and bring in the Lord’s kingdom. Even in churches that claim to be “premillennial,” it seems as though pastors have become impatient in waiting for the Jesus’ appearing and lift up the church itself as thehope of the saints. Is this not also a form of trusting “religious activity” such as King Saul did long ago? I think so. The church is not destined to become a “shining city on a hill” in the midst of adversity during these last days of human history as we know it. The Bible tells us that ourultimate deliverance from this evil day will be the Rapture, not a triumphant church. Yet I have heard this false hope often from the pulpits in America. What do all the above points have in common? Jesus. Jesus is the One we are waiting for. It all comes down to trusting Him, His timing, and His promises to us. Bible study, prayer, worship, and corporate gatherings of the saints are of course essential as we wait, but these things are meant to draw us closer to the Savior and neverbecome the means for us to force our agenda on the world or even our timing on the Savior. I know how easy it is to copy the faulty reasoning of King Saul. I began studying him because I found that I had become a lot like him as a young pastor and wanted to avoidhis disastrous mistakes. For far too long, I erroneously believed that the Lord would automatically bless me because I went to seminary and followed His leading into the pastorate. It was a rude awakeningfor me to discover that such was most definitely not the case. However, after taking me through many years of hardship and affliction, He has blessed me in ways I never could have imagined. Regardless of where your suffering takes you, please remember that eternity is your ultimate hope. There we will all share in glories that will far surpass any earthly outcomewe can imagine. And this glorious time begins with the Rapture. It’s our deliverance! Our future is all about Jesus. Keep your eyes on Him and His return. Trust His timing! Maranatha!! Come soon, Lord Jesus! My new book, The Triumph of the Redeemed-An eternal Perspective that Calms Our Fears in Perilous Times, is now available on Amazon. Note: Please consider signing up for my newsletter on the home page of my website at https://www.jonathanbrentner.com/. It will greatly help me in reaching more people. Thanks! [i] The main points of this article come from my book, The Bad Guys of the Bible – And What they teach us about Walking with God. This is a self-published book and is availableonly on Amazon. This book looks at the lives of several men in the Bible whose temporal focus on life caused them to make bad decisions.

The Level of Evil In Our Society Is Off The Charts

 The Level of Evil In Our Society Is Off The Charts - by MichaelSnyder - http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/the-level-of-evil-in-our-society-is-off-the-charts/ What in the world has happened to our society? Every day I scour dozens of news websites as I do research for my articles and upcoming books, and every day I am horrifiedby all of the evil that I encounter. We are a deeply, deeply sick society, and more symptoms emerge with each passing day. For example, what would cause an 18-year-old to walk into an elementary school and start gunning down young children? When I was growingup, I never once imagined something like that could possibly ever happen in any of the public schools that I attended. But now this sort of thing is becoming a regular occurrence in America, and the great tragedy that we witnessed on Tuesday quickly made headlinesall over the nation… A gunman opened fire at an elementary school in Uvalde on Tuesday, killing 18 students and one teacher, Gov. Greg Abbott said. The gunman, identified by law enforcement as18-year-old Salvador Ramos, was also killed, Abbott said. Ramos was reportedly a student at Uvalde High School or was a former student, Abbott said. Uvalde Police Chief Pete Arredondo said it appears that Ramos acted alone. It was not immediately clear how many people, in addition to the dead, were wounded, but Arredondo said there were “several injuries.” It is also being reported that Ramos actually shot his own grandmother before going over to the school… The suspect also allegedly shot his grandmother before entering the school and again opening fire, Abbott said. He did not say anything further about her condition. Decades ago, this sort of incident would have been talked about for years. But most Americans will forget all about this shooting a few days from now, and that is because school shootings have become incredibly common in our day and time. In fact, this was the 27th school shooting in the United States so far this year. How many of them can you name? Our schools are not safe anymore, and this is one of the big reasons why so many parents are turning to homeschooling. Of course it isn’t just our schools that have become danger zones. At this point, major urban areas all over the country are rapidly being transformed into war zones. Accordingto the CDC, the number of firearm homicides jumped almost 35 percent just from 2019 to 2020… The United States suffered 19,350 firearm homicides in 2020, up nearly 35 percent compared to 2019, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in its latestdata. Sadly, getting shot and killed is not the only thing our kids have to be concerned about these days. There is also the possibility that they could be abducted and forced into sex slavery. This actually happened to one extremely unfortunate 15-year-old girl that attended aDallas Mavericks game a few weeks ago… A 15-year-old Texas girl was rescued by police 10 days after she was kidnapped at a basketball game while using the bathroom, then trafficked by pedophiles. The unidentified teenager’s father raised the alarm shortly after she left to use the restroom and didn’t return to her seat at a Dallas Maverick game in the American AirlineCenter on April 8. She was one of the lucky ones. There are countless others that are never rescued. But at least our kids should be safe in church, right? Wrong. There are sexual predators there too, and sometimes they are even in the pulpit. On Sunday, a woman named Bobi Gephart that had her virginity taken by a pastor when she was just 16 years old confronted him in front of the entire congregation… Turning to Lowe, she continued: ‘I was just 16 when you took my virginity on your office floor. Do you remember that? I know you do. ‘You did things to to my teenage body that should have never been done. If you can’t admit the truth, you have to answer to God. You are not the victim here.’ I can’t even begin to describe how evil this is. And her husband stated that this abuse lasted for a total of nine years… Bobi’s husband Nate then added: ‘This is a lie. This is not just adultery. ‘It’s another level. It happened for nine years. When she was 15, 16, the grooming started.’ I wish that this was an isolated incident, but it isn’t. In fact, a new report has revealed widespread sexual misconduct in one of the largest Christian denominations in the entire nation… Leaders in the Southern Baptist Convention publicly apologized to victims of sexual abuse within the denomination and vowed to make public a private database of offendersin response to an explosive report detailing allegations of sexual misconduct and cover-up. On Tuesday, SBC leaders gathered to discuss a historic investigation report from Guidepost Solutions that found that the denomination’s leadership mishandled widespread sexualabuse allegations, ignored and silenced victims and engaged in an abusive pattern of intimidation largely to avoid liability. This shouldn’t be happening. People go to church to find God, but in way too many instances they are encountering predators instead. We have become a deeply, deeply wicked country, and it is getting worse with each passing year. It is in this sort of environment that exceedingly wicked leaders can emerge. In fact, the guy currently in the White House has been telling mammoth lie after mammoth liefor decades… If we lived in a just society filled with decent people, such a man could never have a career in politics. Of course the entire world is headed in the same direction, and that has enabled someone like Klaus Schwab to become one of the most important leaders on the entire planet… This week, Schwab boldly told the elite gathered at Davos that “the future is being built by us”… Sadly, to a very large degree he is correct. They are trying to construct their version of “utopia”, but their plans are starting to crumble as a “perfect storm” of war, economic troubles, food shortages, energy problemsand major pestilences hammers their efforts from all sides. As I have tried to explain for many years, ultimately they will fail. They have destroyed everything that our forefathers worked so hard to build, and in the end their efforts will be destroyed as well. But right now just about every form of evil that you can possibly imagine is flourishing in our society, and that should deeply sicken all of us.

Blurring the Lines

 Blurring the Lines – Pete Garcia - https://www.rev310.net/post/blurring-the-lines Every single bit of chaos is being created on purpose. Every last nonsensical bit of it. The purpose is for when the time comes, you will be begging for order. Their order.- Gordon Burling Since the early 20th-century, the modern leftist movement of the godless socialists and communists has been hyper-focused on applying their totalitarian principles to fourmajor areas of the American civilization: the family unit, a Judeo-Christian based morality, the Constitution, and the capitalist economy. The reason they want so desperately to apply their corrupted philosophies to these foundational institutions is thatthey are being driven by unseen spiritual forces bent on destroying them. Who are these unseen forces? Lucifer (Satan), and his countless hordes of fallen angels. But you know that already. So let's set aside the truth about who is driving who for a moment, and pretend that the dark spiritual forces at work, are not a factor in thisscenario. From a purely materialistic and humanist perspective, why do socialists and communists want to destroy the United States (as it was founded)? Why is this hatred for a constitutional republic whose liberties are tied to God and not government, andwho is bound to the rule of law, such an affront to them? Again, if one is truly an atheist, then God and religion are all make-believe anyway and it shouldn't matter so long as they aren't personally impacted by it. So why the angst? I mean, do atheists,human secularists, and the rest of the godless ilk get mad at Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, and the Easter Bunny? No. What could they be mad at? Well, largely because men are fallen and corrupted beings. In our pride, we always believe that the next time, we will get it right. When you remove God from the equation,man is then only left with following after his own reasoning, which is almost always based on his own self-interests. And when everyone follows their own best interests, you get lawlessness. Out of this lawlessness comes the strong, who then take over andgain their strength by dominating everyone else. That has been the normal state of affairs now for the past 4,500 years. As frequent readers of my articles already know, the reason so many want to destroy those four things, is because these are the institutions given by the Creator for man'sself-governance. Since we cannot divorce the spiritual from the natural, Satan is always driving fallen men to embrace these destructive philosophies (doctrines of devils) with the promise that "next time it will work." Satan does this in the same manner ashe does in driving a junkie to overdose on heroin. He hates humans, and he loves nothing more than to spread misery and destruction to all the things God cares about. IOW, Satan is committed to destroying everything good about this reality. Human liberty, as we know it, has never been the norm on planet earth; it has always been the exception. This is what is meant by the phrase American Exceptionalism, whichis not speaking about Americans themselves, but rather, our form of government. Our government, which finds its authority in the Declaration of Independence, unapologetically affirms that the rights of its citizens as being both self-evident, and unalienable,are not guaranteed by the government, but by God our Creator. This idea echoes the ancient Greek proverb that a nation without laws cannot be free. Our system of government is designed to be based on the rule of law, since, without laws,there can be no freedom. In fact, there has never been a government like ours throughout mankind's short history on planet earth. We are an anomaly to the normal order of affairs on earth. By all measures, our government shouldn't exist as it does. We shouldexist like other nations around the world in our day and age...either in democracy, an oligarchy, a monarchy, or anarchy. WATCHVIDEO HERE Leftism (Communism and Socialism) always sounds good in theory, but we have enough history behind us now to show that every time leftism has been tried, it has failed...spectacularly.It fails because it neglects to factor in mankind's sinful nature of always serving its own self-interests. So why is everyone setting aside their God-given commonsense, historical truth, and reality to embrace a failed ideology that has never worked anywhereit has been tried? Because Satan needs the whole world back to the point where it will embrace the coming oligarchy/monarchy. He does this through crisis, subterfuge, and violence. Rinse-wash-repeat. The Past Commonly referred to as the original leftism, Marxism traces its roots back to two German philosophers and social/economic theorists named Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels inthe mid-19th-century. Although they primarily dealt with politics and economics largely from a materialistic standpoint, their philosophical work has been incorporated into every societal facet ever since. Marx was raised in Christendom, which he abandonedin his youth and pursued the empty, hateful, philosophies of Satan. Read here what he writes in his unfinished poem … I shall howl gigantic curses on mankind: Ha! Eternity! She is an eternal grief … Ourselves being clockwork, blindly mechanical, Made to be the foul-calendars of Time and Space, Having no purpose save to happen, to be ruined, So that there shall be something to ruin … If there is a something which devours, I'll leap within it, though I bring the world to ruins- The world which bulks between me and the Abyss I will smash to pieces with my enduring curses. I'll throw my arms around its harsh reality: Embracing me, the world will dumbly pass away, And then sink down to utter nothingness, Perished, with no existence — that would be really living! And … the leaden world holds us fast, And we are chained, shattered, empty, frightened, Eternally chained to this marble block of Being … and we — We are the apes of a cold God. Inspiring huh? Marxism has brought nearly a third of the world to ruin through its godless, hate-filled philosophy that manifests itself through the varying shades of communismand socialism. While Europe and Russia would take the lead in succumbing to the atrophying effects of leftism, the US would not be far behind. From the 1920s thru the 1950s, the left’s attempts at subverting the United States politically largely failed due to communist and socialist defeats in WWI, WWII, and thevisible rise of the Iron Curtain. With a Cold War of geopolitical containment ensuing for much of the rest of the 20th-century, leftists inside the US were largely constrained to non-sanctioned, secret social/political activist movements. However, they foundsanctuary under the cover of a growing US bureaucracy that was quickly expanding with the state and federal governments' ever-increasing appetite. However, their efforts to introduce leftist ideology and influence society should be viewed as a smashing success, seeing just how far they have managed to infiltrate theUS education system, the media, pop culture, and the Democratic Party. Here is how it worked. From the smoke-filled backrooms of pubs and diners in Austria and Switzerland at the turn of the 20th-century, leftists of varying stripes and flavors used to gather therein small secret groups to discuss their ideas for radical social revolution. Marxism at its root is based upon class struggle and the idea that wealth should be distributive and not hoarded and controlled by the bourgeoisie. This was in direct contradictionto the Biblical worldview that you shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s. Exodus 20:17 While modernization transformed the second industrial revolution era with the likes of the assembly line, automobiles, factories, and harnessed electrical power, the creationof the camera allowed for the creation of a whole new industry. Motion pictures quickly became known as the film industry which took up permanent residence in the temperate climate of Los Angeles, California (aka Hollywood). Between the 1920s-40s, the filmindustry was becoming flush with money, influence, and popularity. Not content with just entertaining, filmmakers now had a national platform to set themselves out as the moral compass of a nation. The earliest examples of these are films like DW Griffiths’ Birth of a Nation (1915) and Intolerance (1916). Across the pond, the Third Reich used similar propaganda tacticswith their Triumph of the Will (1935). As a counter to the rising threat of Adolph Hitler came Charlie Chaplin’s popular The Great Dictator (1940). These movies were meant to either bring attention to or engender an emotional response from their audiencestowards the social-political issues of the day. However, it was not just the political ends they aimed their cameras toward, but societal change as well. The corruption of Hollywood began in its infancy with its loose morals.While the rest of the civilized west still largely operated under Judeo-Christian principles, Hollywood (as well as the rest of the international film communities) promoted a Laissez-faire attitude toward immorality and socialism, especially after WWII. Thisconcerned certain political officials and triggered the McCarthy Trials for the Un-American Activities Committees in the 1950s. While largely ridiculed and demonized in the decades since it appears that Sen. Joseph McCarthy was actually right after all. Using new information obtained from studies of old Soviet files in Moscow and now the famous Vanona Intercepts -- FBI recordings of Soviet embassy communications between 1944-48-- the record is showing that McCarthy was essentially right. He had many weaknesses, but almost every case he charged has now been proven correct. Whether it was stealing atomic secrets or influencing U.S. foreign policy both here and abroad, communist victoriesin the 1940s were fed by an incredibly vast spy and influence network. (Link) Let us bring this realization of leftist infiltration to our current times. When we look at the presidential election of a political outsider like Donald J. Trump to the officeof president, we must view his popular message of drain the swamp through a different lens. Many tend to think that “the swamp” is a recent phenomenon beginning with the Clinton Administration. However, the "swamp" is much older and far more crafty than mostcould ever realize. Asked whether McCarthy had understood all the forces arrayed against him, Professor Arthur Herman said no, that McCarthy hadn't realized he'd be fighting against much of theWashington establishment. President Truman was fearful that exposures would reflect on key Democrat officials, he said, and big media and the academic world were very leftist, a heritage of the Depression and World War II. High government officials also fearedinvestigations of their past appointments and associations with people who turned out to be communists or sympathizers. (Link) The Present As you can see, the swamp has been around a long time and they will not go quietly into the night. But even the idea of what a swamp is has largely been conflated. To thepolitical left, the swamp is/are the capitalist cronies on the right (the bourgeoisie) lining their pockets to keep the proletariat down. To the political right, the swamp is brimming over with career politicians and bureaucrats. However, what the swamp reallyis, are the bureaucratic ideologues (left and right) who only care about staying in power. They would sell their own mother down the river to keep their fiefdoms in place. The swamp is no more concerned about the Constitution (at least here in the US) thanthey are about Little House on the Prairie. Leftist infiltration in American culture has been like cancer growing silently in the American body for the last 100+ years. Not just in the American body, but in the bodyof Western Civilization. It silently emplaces its people into prominent positions of power and then uses that power to remove threats to their globalist agendas. So what is the left’s ultimate agenda? Global domination in a singular, socialist, atheistic,world-system. To achieve that end, they have moved forward with three overarching strategies: 1.Dumb down the masses (courtesy of public education, mainstream media, and pop culture) 2.Redefine language and history (courtesy of leftist education systems, seminaries, and media) largely through the lens of political correctness (See Frankfurt School and CulturalMarxism) 3.Divide and conquer. Pit classes against each other so they are too busy fighting each other to see the big picture. 4.Apply the Dialectical Method to implement rapid, draconian laws. IOW, legislation through crisis. [Hegelian] (Thesis-antithesis-synthesis) The first step (thesis) is to create a problem. The second step (antithesis) is to generate opposition to the problem (fear, panic, and hysteria). The third step (synthesis)is to offer the solution to the problem created by step one: A change that would have been impossible to impose upon the people without the proper psychological conditioning achieved in stages one and two. (Link) From Lenin to Hitler, from Mao to Biden, the political left uses the same old tactics time and again in implementing their overarching strategies. 1.Propaganda messaging. If you repeat a lie long enough, people will begin to believe it. 2.Divide the masses. Get one group pitted against the other, or create a scapegoat that the public can channel their anger towards. In Vladimir Lenin’s day, it was the bourgeoisie,in Hitler’s day, the Jews. These days, the left has increasingly channeled its angst towards Christians and conservatives. Use culture wars to distract from the growing chasm in economic classes. 3.A natural precursor or even an outcropping of dividing the masses is creating identity politics. What this does is create victimhood classes who demand retribution for realor imaginary slights, crimes, and abuses committed against them. 4.Harass, sabotage, protest and use violent tactics to intimidate and silence your opponents. The leftists are in this for the long game and any election, judicial ruling, media loss, or anything that does not advance their cause is automatically deemed illegitimate.If a judicial ruling is emplaced that advances their cause, it has been written in stone (ex. Roe v. Wade). If it does not advance or help their cause (Defense of Marriage Act), they will work relentlessly until it is changed. Either way, those in charge willuse whatever hot button culture issue to keep us fighting and dividing in order to continue to distract us from what they are really doing. Why is the left so fixated on teaching kindergarten through twelfth grade about gender identity, transgenderism, and homosexuality? Two reasons: 1) because they are runningout of issues to divide the American people over, and 2) in order for them to cement these changes into the framework of our society, they have to destroy the traditional family unit. This is why they have been so adamant about incorporating Common Core, DarwinianEvolution, multiculturalism, progressive sex education, etc. into preschool and elementary level education. Children are impressionable and the younger they can reach them, the better. Even better for them, if these children come from impoverished and brokenhomes. Moreover, if children are not the primary target, then why is this movement working so hard to introduce gender confusion at such a young age by making gender identity anoption, rather than what it is, a birthright? Although the normalization of transgenderism and the grooming of children are national tragedies, these are merely the symptoms and not the causes of what ails this nation.The cause is that our nation is in a moral free-fall because leaders have rejected God. The root of that rejection is that the more men and women reject Jesus Christ, the Bible, and Biblical truth, the more impossible it becomes for them to come to a savingknowledge of the truth (see Romans 1). They are in the process of being given over, and we are watching them slowly lose their sanity. It is precisely why Paul stated that in the last days, perilous times would come (2 Tim 3). I expect, as the great VictorDavis Hanson concludes, that we are not just living on a knife's edge in 2022, but on borrowed time as a nation The common denominator in all of this is ideology overruling empiricism, common sense, and pragmatism. Ruling elites would rather be politically correct failures and unpopularthan politically incorrect, successful, and popular. Is not that the tired story of left-wing revolutionaries from 18th-century France to early 20th-century Russia to the contemporary disasters in Cuba and Venezuela? The American people reject the calamitous policies of 2021-2022. Yet the radical cadres surrounding a cognitively inert Joe Biden still push them through by executive orders,bureaucratic directives, and deliberate cabinet nonperformance. Why? The Left has no confidence either in constitutional government or common sense. So as the public pushes back, expect at the ground level more doxxing, cancel culture, deplatforming, ministries of disinformation, swarming the private homes of officialsthey target for bullying, and likely violent demonstrations in our streets this summer. Meanwhile, left-wing elites will do their best to ignore Supreme Court decisions, illegally cancel student debts, and likely by the fall issue more COVID lockdowns. They willstill dream of packing the Court, ending the filibuster, scrapping the Electoral College, adding more states, and flooding the November balloting with hundreds of millions more dollars of dark money from Silicon Valley. When revolutionaries undermine the system, earn the antipathy of the people, and face looming disaster at the polls, it is then they prove most dangerous—as we shall see overthe next few months. Victor Davis Hanson, Imagine the Unimaginable (my emphasis) Unfortunately, the only natural recourse I see the democrat party and the deep state steering our nation toward is not national reconciliation, or not even some kind of totalitarianoligarchy, but rather, some kind of civil war and then collapse. Remember the main tenet of Marxism? Divide and conquer. Regardless of who wins this coming civil war (i.e., the left vs. the right), ultimately, the globalist wins because a weaker and fractured United States was their desiredend state all along. We will no longer be the United States, but just a bunch of regionally/ideologically aligned territories located in North America. Once they break the stronghold of the Constitution, the gig is up and the dream that was America is dead. What is a believer to do? From a political or pragmatic standpoint, there isn't a lot we can do while the lunatics are in charge. We are, however, to keep our own houses in order and pray for our leaders(even democrats). We are to remain wise as serpents and gentle as doves in our communities, being busy about the Lord's work until He returns. I would venture to say, each of us has enough people in our own social circles who need to know Jesus Christ, thatwe don't have time to get caught up in all the geopolitical machinations that distract us from that. That is not to say we don't get involved in politics, because we should continue to be salt and light in our communities, but getting involved in our local and state politicsshouldn't supplant sharing the gospel with a lost and dying world. Just make sure that you/we don't lose sight of what God's desired end state is for our presence here; that the lost are brought to the only One who can save them and fix this fallen world.You've heard the scripture that says "what does it profit a man that he gain the whole but loses his soul?" Mark 8:36. Well, let's bring that closer to home, because what does it matter if someone gets their politics right, but loses their soul in the process? Lastly, we are to be cognizant of the Holy Spirit's calling to "come out of her" before judgment falls. I can't tell you what, where, or when that is, but you be sensitiveto that heeding and pleading by the Holy Spirit. Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.No one comes to the Father except through Me. John 14:6

Discerning the Midnight Hour

 Discerning the Midnight Hour – Terry James - https://terryjamesprophecyline.com/2022/05/23/discerning-the-midnight-hour/ Authors note: The commentary today is taken in part from my conclusionto DISCERNERS: Analyzing Converging Prophetic Signs for the End of Days. Our weekly column on the raptureready.com website is called “Nearing Midnight” because we discern that planet earth has almost reached the midnight hour of the Church Age,or Age of Grace. Whereas the geopolitical humanist powers that be frame their view of human history’s closing minutes within their ”Doomsday Clock,” we observe these fleeting times beforeChrist’s call to the Church by placing the template of Bible prophecy over the converging of prophetic stage-setting. The political scientists and other scientists can only guess at what will happen to the human race. Most all believe that humankind will meet its end from nuclear holocaustor by climate-change disasters. We who give total credence to what God’s Word has to say about the consummation of the age can know for certain, through a detailed preview by God, Himself, how the end ofall things will unfold. We don’t know precisely when the end will come. We can know, however, the general time when it will begin to manifest. We can know for certain when the “midnight hour” of God’s prophetic timeline is approaching. The Lord Jesus gave His family (born-again believers) explicit instruction about how and when to discern the nearing midnight hour. And when you see all these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your head, for your redemption draws near. (Luke 21: 28) Note that Jesus didn’t say to watch for when these things “come to pass.” He said “when these things begin to come to pass,” we are to “look up and lift up our heads, forour redemption is drawing near.” At that time, He will be on His way to rescue His Bride –the Church—from the carnage that is about to take place on earth. The blackness of the midnight hour will descend following that rescue of the Church. At seven years into the Tribulation, complete evil will have engulfed the planet withsatanic darkness. The first bright gleaming that pierces that most horrendous time of all of human history will then burst through the billowing storm clouds of Armageddon. Brilliant light will part the heavens, and Christ and His army will appear. So, discerning the times in which we find ourselves is all-important to the believer. If it was not possible to discern the times, Jesus wouldn’t have told us: “What I sayunto one, I say unto all. Watch” (Mark 13:37). He promises in Revelation 3:10 that we are not appointed to God’s wrath, and will be kept out of the very hour of that wrath. So, what are the things the Lord forewarned would be taking place–the things beginning to come to pass—that we see happening at this very moment? Exactly what are the thingsfor which we are to look? Remember, the whole Bible is the Word of God. And, Jesus is that Word (John 1: 1). Every prophecy, whether it’s already accomplished or yet to come, is attributable to Him. God, the Holy Spirit, inspired the Old and New Testament prophets to give the prophecies.So, we don’t have to consider just what the Lord Jesus, Himself, said by way of prophecy to discern the times in which we live. We can and must consider every prophecy yet to be fulfilled, presented in the Bible by all Bible prophets, as part of our discernmentprocess. I am of the camp that believes we are seeing the stage being set for fulfillment of prophecy yet future rather than fulfillment itself. The one caveat concerns the nationIsrael. My view is that Israel again being a nation after millennia of dispersion into all the world is fulfilled prophecy. That said, however, everything we see happening around us at this very hour has prophetic significance. Some things are profoundly significant—for example, the coalition ofnations forming to Israel’s north. Russia (land of Magog), Iran (much of ancient Persia), and Turkey (the land of Togarmah) coming together in a coalescing alliance is a spectacular example of God’s foreknowledgeof things to come. These, of course, are exactly the central actors prophetically scheduled to come against God’s chosen nation, Israel, according to Ezekiel 38 and 39. It must be agreed that much of the stage-setting itself is likened to fulfilled prophecy in some ways. For example, the apostle Paul’s “perilous times” words, presented in2 Timothy 3, offer a vivid snapshot of these spiritually darkening days. While prophecy yet future, for the most part, seems reserved for the Tribulation (Daniel’s seventieth week), developments in our nation and world today are becoming ever more like thosegiven in God’s Word for that last seven years immediately preceding Christ’s Second Advent. Luciferic darkening has so infected this generation in America and throughout the world that we who “watch” in order to discern the times are brought face to face with end-timesinsanity born of greatly increased rebellion against God. Other than the fact that Israel itself is what most discerners view as the most dramatic sign of where this generation stands on God’s prophetic timeline, there runs a deadly septicemia throughout humankindthat marks this as a generation at the very end of its prophetic rope. The infection proves we are in the terminal stage of rebellion. Paul explains very clearly that infection, satanically injected into humanity’s collective bloodstream. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known ofGod is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Becausethat, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible Godinto an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into alie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also themen, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in theirknowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters,haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things areworthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. (Romans 1:18-32) God condemns those who are caught in this evil, destructive quagmire of depravity. But Jesus gives us the way out of that soul-destroying quicksand: Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed fromdeath unto life. (John 5:24)

Making the Narrow Door Wider?

 Making the Narrow Door Wider? - Progressive Christianity Surrenders to The Moral Revolution – By Decision Magazine - https://harbingersdaily.com/making-the-narrow-door-wider-progressive-christianity-surrenders-to-the-moral-revolution/ The disciples asked Jesus a question that many of us have wondered about: “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” (Luke 13:23). We’ve all wondered how many people will besaved and how many lost. We know that in the end there will be a multitude of the redeemed from every tribe and nation that no one can number (Revelation 7:9). But we also know that this multitude represents only a fraction of the human race. We would liketo know more specific numbers and perhaps percentages. Jesus did not answer this question directly, rather He chose to give a warning: “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, andyou begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you have come from’” (Luke 13:24-25). In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught that more people will be on the broad road that leadsto destruction, rather than the narrow road which leads to life. Clearly, there will be more people lost than saved. Yet today there are many “progressive” Christians who want to make the narrow door wider; they advance their cause under the banner of love and justice and equality. ProgressiveChristianity has the same basic worldview as the theological liberalism that shifted authority away from the Scripture to human opinions. Progressive Christians do not reject Biblical authority outright; rather they purport to walk a middle path with the Biblein one hand and cultural sensitivity in the other. To put it clearly: Progressive Christianity interprets the Biblethrough the lens of culture; it does not critique the culture through the lens of the Bible. So, in the name of love and inclusivity, progressive Christians apply their teaching to matters of sexuality, the doctrine of salvation and the eternal destiny oflost sinners. They wish to make Christianity blend in with the culture rather than stand against it. They believe that in this way, the church will become more relevant and loving. “Can’t we just abandon some of the hard edges of Christianity and move towarda more inclusive understanding of the Christian faith?” This, they say, will remove barriers for those who see the church as unloving and hopelessly exclusive. Yes, I agree we should be loving, but we must also have a deep commitment to truth. The Bible makes it clear that loving God and loving our neighbor summarizes the law. Butwhen we replace God’s view of love with our own view of what we think love requires, it can lead us to justify sinful behavior. Jesus clarified the meaning of love: “If you love me, you willkeep my commandments” (John 14:15). To love God is to obey His Word. In contrast, progressive Christianity surrenders to the moral revolution, the essential goodness of human nature, and an inclusiveness regarding essential doctrines. In other words, theyhave developed a worldview based on human desires, not the clear revelation of God. This is exactly what Paul warned against: “The time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachersto suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth” (2 Timothy 4:3-4, italics added). Second, with a verbal sleight of hand, progressive Christianssell their point of view using words such as equality and justice. The Bible is very clear that every Christian should be involved in pursuing justice. So the phrase social justice sounds Biblical, but when you peel back the label, too often you find thatit has a wide range of leftist agendas. There is “marriage justice” (same-sex marriage). There is economic justice (socialism). There is racial justice (critical race theory, which divides the races rather than unifying them as the Gospel demands). So behindthe phrase social justice is often an entire worldview that is contrary to Biblical teaching. So, what are we to do? First, we must pray for discernment. We must look beyond the labels and say, “This might look good, but is it hiding an unbiblical view of love?” Ask yourself, “Do I believethis because it sounds compassionate, or is it actually Biblical?” The most compassionate thing we can do is to tell people the truth. Second, ask if the world’s definitions of justiceand equality are based on divine law, or my own preference. In the Book of Judges, “Everyone did what was right in his owneyes” (Judges 21:25). They did not do what was wrong in their own eyes; they did what was right and just in their own eyes. But this ended in idolatry. In Proverbs we read, “Buy truth, and do not sell it; buy wisdom, instruction, and understanding” (Proverbs 23:23). And in our era, refusing to sell the truth is more importantthan ever. “Enter through the narrow door,” Jesus warned. We have no right to make it wider.

The EU Takes Charge

 The EU Takes Charge - By Hal Lindsey - https://www.hallindsey.com/ww-5-22-2022/ The European Union is in the final stages of enacting a law called “the Digital Services Act.” They say it establishes accountability measures for online platforms operatingin the EU. But in reality, it gives the EU censorship power over most of the earth’s primary communication platforms. According to the Search Engine Journal, “The DSA [Digital Services Act] aims to protect internet users by establishing an ‘unprecedented new standard’ for online platformsthat will see companies such as Google, Meta (Facebook), and Twitter held accountable for illegal and harmful content.” That raises two massive questions. First, accountable to whom? With just a little reading, the answer becomes clear. They will be accountable to European bureaucrats. Thesecond question is, who decides what content is harmful and what is not? The answer to the second question is the same as the answer to the first—EU bureaucrats. Under this law, the online platforms are supposed to police their own users. But when they are compelled to do so by a government, it is still government censorship. Ultimately,it’s all about the global elites, and silencing those who oppose their political agendas. At first, it may seem like this law only affects people in the EU, but in fact it affects every person using an internet service that does business in the EU. That means Alphabet(including Google and YouTube), Meta (including Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp), Twitter, Microsoft, and even Amazon. What might Amazon sell that would offend the elites? How about books and videos by conservatives in general and Christians in particular? The European Commission is considered the executive branch of the EU government. The Commission put out a press release saying, “The DSA sets out an unprecedented new standardfor the accountability of online platforms regarding illegal and harmful content.” Note again that they are not just suppressing “illegal content,” but also “harmful content.” And the EU decides what is and what is not “harmful.” The European Commission’s press release quoted one of their own, Margrethe Vestager. She said the DSA will “prevent dangerous disinformation from going viral.” Think aboutthe breadth of that promise. It means intense and comprehensive policing of the “world wide web.” In case it wasn’t clear who will be in charge, the Commission’s press release quoted another of their own, Thierry Breton. He said the DSA “entrusts the Commission with supervisingvery large platforms.” The European Commission will be in charge. They will supervise the results of your Google search and which items show up on your Facebook page. The Bible is clear that the Antichrist will arise from a revived Roman Empire. In other words, he will be a European. From there, he will eventually rule the world. And thegroundwork for his power is already being laid from Europe to the whole earth.