Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Thanksgiving....What are you thankful for?

Hello everyone...tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day and I trust that you are thankful for the many blessings that God has bestowed upon you...I am reminded at this time of year just what God has done for me...He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die in my place that I might be reconciled back to God...because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, because of His shed blood, my sin can be paid for when I repent of my sin and ask Jesus Christ to forgive me of my sin, come into my heart and give me eternal life! Have you done this? If I can help you with this, then just send me a comment to this posting....

As we contemplate where we are in this walk of faith in the United States, the following article by Dr. Al Mohler certainly says it all:

Echoes of Old Heresies Still Among Us -- A Visit to Divinity Hall

By Dr. Al Mohler, President of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Lusiville,Kentucky

Posted: Friday, November 21, 2008 at 6:12 am ET



Just a few hours ago I stood at the very spot where one of the most significant addresses in American history was delivered -- and where the settled understandings of the Christian ministry and the church's theology were thrown into revolution.

The date was July 15, 1838, the place was the chapel of Divinity Hall at Harvard, and the speaker was Ralph Waldo Emerson. Emerson had been asked to deliver an address to the Senior Class of the Divinity College, and he accepted the challenge. Emerson was then a part-time Unitarian preacher, but his intellectual stature in the movement known as Transcendentalism attracted the attention of the students training for ministry.

More to the point, Emerson had ignited an intellectual explosion the year before, when he was asked to deliver the annual lecture to the Phi Beta Kappa Society at Harvard. That address, "The American Scholar," was widely understood to represent a declaration of independence for American intellectuals. No longer should American thinkers be slavishly dependent upon European patterns, Emerson declared. This was the time for the emergence of the American Scholar, a new and advanced form of the human thinker; a scholar who would "plant himself indomitably on his instincts" and refuse to be "timid, imitative, tame."

A year later, Emerson rose to deliver his address to the Divinity School. Speaking to young men studying for the ministry, Emerson repudiated Christianity and called the young ministers to trust their own spiritual instincts and to free themselves from the Bible, from belief in a divine Christ, and from any remnant of orthodox Christianity.

"Historical Christianity has fallen into the error that corrupts all attempts to communicate religion," he declared. "As it appears to us, and as it has appeared for ages, it is not the doctrine of the soul, but an exaggeration of the personal, the positive, the ritual. It has dwelt, it dwells, with noxious exaggeration about the person of Jesus." This singular focus on Christ has turned Christianity into an uninspiring religion, he argued. All the "official titles" ascribed to Jesus just serve to make him into a "demigod," Emerson insisted.

Preaching that centers on Jesus Christ as the divine Savior is "vulgar," Emerson asserted. Miracles were eliminated as a possibility. Men and women do not come to be "converted," he insisted, by a "profanation of the soul" that centers on necessary beliefs. Instead, they should be converted "by the reception of beautiful sentiments."

Emerson also attacked the ministers of his day by accusing them of preaching the Bible. So far as Emerson was concerned, the Bible was a dead and lifeless book in itself. Preaching from the Bible will not produce greatness, Emerson explained. To limit the voice of God to the Bible is to shut the voice of God up into a dead book.

"Men have come to speak of the revelation as somewhat long ago given and done, as if God were dead. The injury to faith throttles the preacher; and the goodliest of institutions becomes an uncertain and inarticulate voice," he argued.

In other words, the young ministers were challenged to give up preaching the Bible and instead to preach their own religious sentiments:

"To this holy office you propose to devote yourselves. I wish you may feel your call in throbs of desire and hope. The office is the first in the world. It is of that reality that it cannot suffer the deduction of any falsehood. And it is my duty to say to you that the need was never greater of new revelation than now."

Emerson's bold and confrontational call for "new" revelation was translated into his most memorable lines from this historic address -- "Yourself a newborn bard of the Holy Ghost, cast behind you all conformity, and acquaint men at first hand with Deity."

In other words, he commanded the young ministers to abandon the Scriptures and to trust their own instincts, religious sentiments, and intuitions as all the divine revelation they will need. "Preaching," he explained, is nothing more than "the expression of the moral sentiment in application to the duties of life."

With his address, Emerson ignited a firestorm. He had boldly and thoroughly repudiated biblical Christianity. His proposal was to replace the Christian faith with a religion of individualistic sentimentality, iced with a coating of moralism.

Nevertheless, even as Emerson ignited a firestorm, the Harvard faculty were themselves mostly Unitarian in outlook. Theological liberalism had already become a fixture by the 1830s. The professors scandalized by Emerson's address might protest his candor, but they had little theological ammunition with which to refute him.

Ralph Waldo Emerson's 1838 "Divinity School Address" was a call to radical theological revisionism, and thousands of ministers have answered his call. It is no accident that evangelical Christianity was so soon set on its heels in Emerson's New England.

Standing in the chapel in Divinity Hall last evening, I was struck by how contemporary Emerson's argument sounds. The call he issued 170 years ago is the very message we now hear from others -- Christianity must change or die. We cannot simply preach a book that is two thousand years old. God still speaks, and a slavish dependence on the Bible is both offensive and ineffectual. Doctrines must go -- intuition and sentiment will be enough.

The issues and arguments are the same. Nevertheless, we have all the evidence we need to show us where Emerson's argument leads. It leads to the death of churches, denominations, institutions, and ministries. It leaves sinners dead in their sins and robs them of hearing the Gospel.

The church has never needed "newborn bards of the Holy Ghost." Instead, the need of the church is for preachers who are skilled in the art of preaching the Word of God -- rightly dividing the Word of Truth, while holding without apology to the faith once for all delivered to the saints.

I am glad I visited that historic room in Divinity Hall last night. It served to remind me of what is at stake in our generation -- and for eternity. There are no new heresies, only echoes of the old ones. And yet, the old ones come back again and again.



_________________________

Photo taken at Harvard University, November 20, 2008- by R. Albert Mohler, Jr.

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Just how Does The End look?

Good evening...another Saturday night before worship services tomorrow...I trust that you will be in your house of worship on Sunday...well, how does the end look? The following article by Michael G. Mickey is very intertesting:


How The End Looks
by Michael G. Mickey
(11-21-08)

I continue to catch a lot of heat from those skeptical of the position of this small ministry for Christ, which is that Jesus Christ is coming soon, but, whenever I'm feeling beaten down or wearied, all I have to do is look at the news of our world today and compare it with Bible prophecy. That does the trick for me each and every time.

Rarely does a 24-hour period go by that I can't find something in the news that I can point to and say to anyone, "THIS is how the end looks, according to Bible prophecy!"

Let's review a few examples of recent findings I've come across that point to this being the case.

The United States on its way out as a superpower

Anyone who has examined Bible prophecy extensively or tried to answer the question of where the USA is located in prophecy has ultimately come to a very limited number of conclusions. Me? I've come to the conclusion that the USA isn't going to remain the all-powerful nation it is today OR the USA, whether willfully or by necessity, is going to become part of the revived Roman empire of Bible prophecy we today refer to as the European Union, the embryo of the new world order to come. Looking at the news of late, I can see potential for either to occur.

Fox News is reporting the following, in part:


The next two decades will see a world living with the daily threat of nuclear war, environmental catastrophe and the decline of America as the dominant global power, according to a frighteningly bleak assessment by the U.S. intelligence community.

"The world of the near future will be subject to an increased likelihood of conflict over resources, including food and water, and will be haunted by the persistence of rogue states and terrorist groups with greater access to nuclear weapons," said the report by the National Intelligence Council.

The analysts said that the report had been prepared in time for Barack Obama's entry into the Oval office on January 20, where he will be faced with some of the greatest challenges of any newly-elected president.

"The likelihood that nuclear weapons will be used will increase with expanded access to technology and a widening range of options for limited strikes," the 121-page assessment said.
Living under a daily threat of nuclear war? Environmental catastrophes occurring regularly? A world in persistent threat of armed conflict because of supply being unable to match demand for the earth's ever-dwindling resources? All of this is inevitable. Because of an ever-growing human populace, the spread of weapons of mass destruction and evil world leaders coming to power periodically as they have throughout human history, these things are bound to happen! Not only that, it's how the end looks according to God's prophetic Word, isn't it?

Not only can students of Bible prophecy see we're reaching a critical point in human history, voices from the secular world are expressing concerns, predicting calamities galore even!

Christians, we have a lot of work to do - and not a lot of time left to do it, in all likelihood, this side of the Rapture of the Church, but let's continue on the topic at hand for now.

I remember that it wasn't too long ago that I was receiving quite a bit of criticism for suggesting that the United States might be overcome by the rising new world order being born in Europe. I'm not being laughed at so much anymore, particularly with NewsMax.com, for example, chillingly reporting the following, in part (emphasis added mine):


The results of the G-20 economic summit amount to nothing less than the seamless integration of the United States into the European economy.

In one month of legislation and one diplomatic meeting, the United States has unilaterally abdicated all the gains for the concept of free markets won by the Reagan administration and surrendered, in total, to the Western European model of socialism, stagnation, and excessive government regulation.

Sovereignty is out the window. Without a vote, we are suddenly members of the European Union.
My theories? They're not quite so outlandish anymore. They never were to me because I've read my Bible and folks? This is how the end looks!

NewsMax.com isn't the only news source telling us that the new world order the Antichrist is someday going to lead is rising before our very eyes. Consider the headline of a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article I was made aware of. It reads: 'New global order' begins

A look inside the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette piece finds that the recent G-20 meeting, about which the article was written, ended with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown stating that the "birth pains" of a "new global order" have commenced - a most interesting choice of words in light of 1st Thessalonians 5:3 which gives us a hint into what the world will be saying when the advent of the prophesied Antichrist occurs and, ironically, a description likening the Tribulation Period to birth pains: "For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape."

Birth pains, Christians! A new global order is experiencing birth pains! This is how the end looks!

Atheist Warriors

I'm not alone in seeing how the pieces of the end times puzzle are being arranged. Just today I saw that Gordon James Klingenschmitt, a former naval chaplain who only a short time ago went on a hunger strike outside the White House because he wasn't allowed to share Jesus Christ with others as he felt led to while acting in that role, is concerned that our military is becoming atheistic, which he believes is a necessary element of the Antichrist rising to become a global dictator with power "over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations" in the prophetic future. Revelation 13:7

In a OneNewsNow.com article, Klingenschmitt is quoted as saying, "There is a day coming in the end times when the military will be forced to be atheistic because, in order for the eventual man who is the man of sin -- the Anti-Christ -- as it is describe in the Bible, for him to come to power and to stamp out Christianity around the globe, he's going to need a good strong atheist military. That is the first step toward Armageddon, and I'm concerned about that. And I pray that President (elect) Obama is not foolish enough to lead us down that road."

Quite frankly, I would be surprised if the Left-leaning Obama administration did anything other than weaken the role faith plays in our armed forces. Obama didn't beat out Ted Kennedy and John Kerry to earn the title of most liberal Senator in the United States Congress to suddenly have a change of heart and become a moderate in the White House, in my humble opinion.

As Klingenschmitt fears may occur, our armed forces, as well as the forces of the entire rising new world order, are likely going to become more secularized and atheistic in preparation of the advent of the Antichrist to occur. In the OneNewsNow.com article, Klingenschmitt vows he's going to "blow the trumpet and sound the alarm" if he sees that happening.

From where I'm sitting? If Klingenschmitt blows the trumpet so loud and long people's ears begin to ring, few in our world today, even in the Christian community, are going to get up in arms about it, no pun intended. Why? Because a Church that is willing to elect a man like Barack Obama isn't likely to put a great deal of effort into demanding that our military chaplains be allowed to share the gospel according to their faith.

A Church Asleep Behind The Wheel

I've ranted and raved on the issue of the Church of these last days sitting on its hands where condemning rampant sinfulness is concerned and, in many instances, flat out supporting evil that I've practically turned blue in the face, Christians voting for Barack Hussein Obama topping the list of my most recent frustrations.

Does anyone remember September 11th? I know I do. It was a day that will haunt me as long as I live and yet, based on the election of Barack Obama, it seems that many Christians would've voted in favor of that kind of loss of life happening each and every day! Shocking, isn't it?

Consider the following excerpt from a commentary written by Thomas A. Glessner for WorldNetDaily.com:


As evangelical leaders "tone down" their voices of opposition to abortion, unborn children continue to die at a rate of 3,300 per day. In other words, America experiences every day a silent 9/11 attack within abortion clinics across the country while voices in opposition to such an onslaught become weaker and more muted.

In regards to abortion and the cultural battle over the sanctity of life ethic, we need to seriously ask: Whatever happened to the community of faith?
A thought-provoking question, isn't it?

If you're anything like me, you probably think of September 11th occasionally. Whenever you see the twin towers fall in your mind, see people jumping to their deaths to escape the heat and smoke of that horrific day and all the other painful memories we associate with it, we should consider all the children that are going to continue to die every single day - each of them part of a daily 'September 11th' occurring in abortion clinics all over America. That's what a vote for Obama brought with it, not to mention emboldening the homosexual community to pursue it agenda more militantly than ever before which we're already seeing become more problematic because Christians failed to stand united on biblical principles at the polls.

Some will undoubtedly write to me and say, "Mike, the GOP isn't much better." I wouldn't raise a great deal of objection to that, but at this point? Even somewhat better is better than the absolute worst of liberalism that is going to become prevalent in our society beginning on January 20th, 2009!

I read the other day that unhappy people watch more television. If that's true, I guess I'll be watching more beginning next year. We won't be able to afford to do much else anyhow once Obama begins raising all our taxes, but I digress.

Thomas A. Glessner asked, "Whatever happened to the community of faith?" I don't know, exactly, but this is how the end looks, isn't it?

A dramatic "falling away" from the faith has taken place since I was a child which doesn't seem that long ago, although my graying hair reminds me that it may have been a bit longer than I remember.

Almost Out of Time


In closing, probably because I'm planning on being away from my computer for a bit due to family obligations I have that will carry me into remote areas of Appalachia where frustrated small town America clings to guns and religion and has little to no internet connectivity, I'm rambling a bit I fear. Please forgive me if so as there's a lot I want to get out to my readers before taking this brief rest to recharge my brain and see some of my family I don't get to very often.

Barring the Rapture of the Church or circumstances beyond my control, I'll be back at work shortly. I'll have to be, quite frankly, or the big show may well be over and me with a very full inbox of information at that! Unacceptable short of the Rapture!

An article by Russia Today opens as follows, reinforcing my point made in all of the above:

You may not need to write your last will and testament after all. Now a group of pessimistic scientists from the U.S., the UK and France say humanity has reached the point of no return and has little hope of continuing life on Earth.

A new study published by The Open Atmospheric Science Journal says the concentration of CO2 in the planet’s atmosphere has reached the point at which irreversible changes to climate start. Even if the concentration of carbon dioxide is lowered from its current level in record time, the catastrophic effects will still occur. The scientists give us about 30 years till the end of the planet to which humans are adapted.
Yes, this is how the end looks according to Bible prophecy and secular mankind as well! And in spite of it? Those of us working hardest to alert a lost and dying world that time is swiftly running out for them to come to faith in the only One who can save them from certain and eternal destruction? We're the punchline of many a joke it seems, but even that, as ironic as it is? Just how the end looks. Exactly how it looks.

2nd Peter 3:3-4: Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

It's time to get serious while you still have time!

If you're reading this and you've never accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, what are you waiting for? Are you waiting for the actual end to come? If so, that will be too late.

You need Jesus Christ in your life and you need Him right now. Tomorrow may be one day too late as the Lord's plan? It's proceeding precisely as we were told to expect it to - and more dramatically by the minute it seems.

Suddenly, we're told, Christ will come for His Church, after which the world is going to descend into utter madness on the road to Armageddon.

Please don't be left behind. Cry out to Jesus! He's listening for you!

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Glad to be home!

Good morning! I am glad to be back home...the mission trip to Guatemala was a great time to be in a place to serve God...our team saw 14 people come to faith in Jesus Christ along with bible study groups developed...the days were very warm, the nights cool and the fellowship sweet...Our missionary contacts were gracious hosts, the translators were great and even our driver for the week was enthusiastic! All in all, we had a wonderful time and God blessed our efforts with the salvations...

Well, thgings have been happening since the elections and I will be sharing with you more information regarding that as the next few days go by....but again, IT IS GREAT TO BE HOME!

Friday, November 7, 2008

More Election Thoughts

Good Morning...I will be headed to Guatemala on Saturday, Nov. 8 and returning on Nov. 15, so this may be my last post before returning...the election of Barack Obama to the Presidency of the United States of America makes for some interesting fodder on the prophecy news front...the following article is from rapturealert.com:

Barack Obama, The EU and Bible Prophecy

by Michael G. Mickey
(11-7-08)

Since the election of Barack Obama to the office of president of the United States and somewhat even before, there have been a whirlwind of developments taking place of interest to those of us following current events in the world pointing to the soon-coming return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In this commentary, I would like to share with you a few of these events, along with links to various articles you can read that will make it clear to you that, although many of us are upset that a man we feel is going to lead our nation further down a path that takes it out of God's will, there is a reason for all things and God is still in control.

A Beast Looking For Teeth

In Bible prophecy, the rising of a revived Roman empire is foretold that will ultimately become what most of us today refer to as a new world order.

In Daniel 7:23, we get a glimpse of this Beast empire the Antichrist to come will wield power over and see it will be an aggressive alliance of global powers:


Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.
Quietly, this Beast empire has been rising for decades in the form of the European Union which presently consists of 27 member nations.

Recently, with the newly-formed 16-member Mediterranean Union being brought into the fold, the European Union, for all practical purposes, is now 43 member nations strong. (To view three maps of the old Roman empire, the European Union and, lastly, the European Union combined with the Mediterranean Union, click HERE and see how dramatically the Roman empire of the days of Christ has been reborn, for all practical purposes, in our world today.)

On a number of occasions, each time noting that the European Union is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium where the most powerful military force in the world (NATO) also calls home (no coincidence in my opinion), I've brought to my readers' attention that the revived Roman empire is considering the benefit of having its own military, something for us to bear in mind in light of Daniel 7:23's prophecy, in spite of the fact I question its necessity to exist on any grand scale for Bible prophecy to move forward now due to NATO's existence and availability to the EU.

Along these lines, however, on October 27, 2008, the EU Observer reported that the United Kingdom's Defense Minister favors the creation of a European Union military along with French president Nicolas Sarkozy who "had hoped to place EU defense architecture at the heart of his country's EU chairmanship until his best-laid plans were overtaken by the global financial crisis."
The potential of a European Union army rising capable of operating outside of NATO remains an issue of prophetic interest at the very least so bear in mind I'll be keeping an eye on that topic and reporting on it periodically if the Lord wills it.

A Greater Role for the EU?

On the very day of the U.S. elections, something I've told my readers to watch for to occur for years was physically requested by the European Union, namely the EU being given a more influential role in the world to include "more engagement with a resurgent Russia and more emphasis on peacemaking in Afghanistan and the Middle East."

How many times, those of you who have followed along with me through the years, have I told you we should watch for a turn of events to occur that would place the revived Roman empire of Bible prophecy in a posture to potentially resolve the troublesome issue of Middle East peace? I have to tell you, brothers and sisters in Christ, that I got chills and am right now as I type these words to you. Why? Because the EU Observer report that details this request on the part of the EU states the following, in part (emphasis added mine to stress the relation to Bible prophecy):

The letter urges the new US administration to put the Middle East peace process at the top of its agenda and foresees a "useful role" for the EU as co-guarantors of a future Israeli-Palestinian accord.
The European Union as co-guarantors of a future Israeli-Palestinian accord? This language reads as though it was ripped from the pages of Bible prophecy! Let me explain.

In Daniel 9:26-27, we're told that a prince (or leader) of Roman descent is going to confirm (or make strong) a covenant of peace in the Middle East that will be seven years in duration. This leader, the prophesied Antichrist, will go on to head the new world order and will immediately, by confirming this covenant, begin the seven-year Tribulation Period, the culmination of which will be the battle of Armageddon, a sequence of events highlighted by the visible, physical, bodily return of Jesus Christ and the armies of heaven to the earth after which Christ will set up His kingdom on the earth!

Praise God, there is HOPE for us too, Church! CHANGE is coming and not just because Barack Obama has been elected president of the United States of America, contrary to what many believe!

Barack Obama elected president of the United States

As everyone who has read my website at all knows, I have been less than enthused by the prospect of a Left-leaning Democratic party-led president and Congress having control of our nation at a dangerous time in our nation's history like this, but could it put Bible prophecy on the fast track to fulfillment? Absolutely. And why? Because, quite frankly, I believe that Barack Obama, true to his word, is going to be very interested in repairing what the Left believes to be a George W. Bush-shattered image of the U.S. around the globe. The European Union has made a request of president-elect Obama and he will, in my opinion, if for no other reason than to stick one more fork in President Bush's foreign policy, grant it .

Demonstrative of how receptive our world is becoming to practically worshipping a man as though he were god, even a man who has done absolutely nothing like Barack Obama to merit such worship, people around the globe are giving us a glimpse into how nuts mankind is going to go over the prophesied Antichrist when his advent occurs. Below are a few excerpts from an Associated Press article for your consideration that illustrate this (emphasis added mine):

This is the fall of the Berlin Wall times ten," Rama Yade, France's black junior minister for human rights, told French radio. "America is rebecoming a New World. "On this morning, we all want to be American so we can take a bite of this dream unfolding before our eyes," she said.
"What an inspiration. He is the first truly global U.S. president the world has ever had," said Pracha Kanjananont, a 29-year-old Thai sitting at a Starbuck's in Bangkok. "He had an Asian childhood, African parentage and has a Middle Eastern name. He is a truly global president."
As EUBusiness.com is reporting, the European Union is openly rejoicing that Obama has won the presidency. In my opinion this is because the EU's leadership sees Obama as someone they'll be able to get to roll their way on most everything which I concur with. The following is an excerpt from that article:

"This is a time for a renewed commitment between Europe and the United States of America," Barroso said in a statement. "We need to change the current crisis into a new opportunity. We need a new deal for a new world."

"I sincerely hope that with the leadership of President Obama, the United States of America will join forces with Europe to drive this new deal. For the benefit of our societies, for the benefit of the world," he said.
Make no mistake about it, the pathway to a new world order coming into existence just became a lot less rocky to obtain, as if I even need to state that to the majority of my readership.

If a new deal is needed for a new world (order), Barack Obama will be the first to sign off on it as would any president chosen from among the cast members of the loony Left, all of whom I pray will have mercy on me and not send me to a re-education camp now that their evil empire is almost in place. (A little humor interjected there, folks. Sorry, but I couldn't resist. But seriously, Obama Truth Squad dudes, you don't have to fear me. Most people think I'm a nut just like you do so I'm not a threat to you or your plans. I'm just hanging out, watching the fireworks with the religious right - my Bible in one hand and a cup of hot coffee in the other.)

In related news, concerning the new deal the EU is looking for, EUBusiness.com is reporting that "Obama's US election victory has revived European hopes for deep reform of the global financial system."

Recently, I documented that the EU is presently pushing for a new world order and that vice president-elect Joe Biden indicated he and Obama have accepted the realities of a new world order so I expect the EU has little, if anything, to hope for. My guess is the EU can fully expect the Obama administration to go along with most anything the Europeans want on that front which, once again, will only serve to advance the fulfillment of Bible prophecy. Perhaps, the EU's leaders already realize this based on some of the language found in an EU Observer article.

A "former trade official in the Clinton administration and a consultant on foreign affairs and emerging markets", David J. Rothkopf stated recently, "President Obama will play a bigger role in re-inventing the international system than any other president before in past decades." No surprise here where that is concerned. I wholly agree.

Conclusions

The last few days have been for many in the evangelical community, myself included, pretty anxious in relation to what an Obama presidency may mean for our nation, our constitutional rights, and our standing in the world.

Not surprisingly, I have been overwhelmed with e-mail asking me everything from whether I think Barack Obama is the prophesied Antichrist to whether we've entered the Tribulation Period, neither of which I believe to be true for any number of reasons.

Suffice to say I am where a lot of my brothers and sisters in Christ are right now - a bit concerned, dismayed, frustrated and, admittedly, a little angry with those of us who overlooked the Word of God's teachings and voted for the candidate most likely to lead this nation down the path to destruction and the Body of Christ into persecution. But, even in the midst of all this confusion and hurt, I can see, more and more clearly by the hour it seems, that all of this is part of God's plan, not that I ever really doubted it per se, but I'm seeing it!

While I wholly believe that John McCain wouldn't have been a perfect president by any means, I think he would've held back the darkness that I sense is coming upon our nation and the world to some extent. The old maverick would've put his foot on the brakes now and then, in my opinion, but it looks like God has a different plan - a better one as hard as that is for us to see right now.

I once heard Dr. Charles Stanley preach a sermon wherein he explained that God always hears our prayers and answers them in one of three ways.

God answers our prayers with a "yes" and gives us what we want.
God answers our prayers with a "yes, but later" response because what we want is something He is willing to give us but there's something else He has in mind for us right now He knows is more important for us to learn or experience.
God answers our prayers with a "no, I have something better in mind" response. This is the one we struggle with most as we only hear the "no." From our perspective we can't see past God failing to give us what we want. We often can't envision any scenario wherein He has something better in mind for us than what we wanted but we can be sure He always does. Is it not written that "all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose?" (Romans 8:28)
This is a time for us to do our very best to look beyond our circumstances and perceptions and simply trust the Lord that everything is going to be okay.

Proverbs 3:5-6: Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Even though president-elect Obama isn't, in all likelihood, going to be a president who will value our contributions to this nation or love us enough to stand with us in protecting the unborn, fighting off the homosexual agenda and pledging our unyielding dedication to the nation of Israel regardless of what any power on earth thinks of it, three things he could do to bring remarkable blessings to our land that would benefit him as well as us, we need to pray for him, his family, and his administration.

We should pray for the salvation of president-elect Obama and his administration above all, but also for them to be wise in deciding the course our nation will take in the next four years. Additionally, just in case their hearts are too cold or stubborn to do what is right for our common good, we should pray that God Himself will honor our wishes that His will be done and, if necessary, supernaturally set up roadblocks that only He can that will prevent Him from having to judge our nation harshly that the vital work of those of us who still believe in His Word and are trying to honor it can continue in His service here without fear until He comes for us, if that is His will.

Hang in there, brothers and sisters! A happy ending is coming as well as tremendous reward if we faint not in these troublesome times that vex our souls! Everything is proceeding according to God's plan and THAT is something no power on earth, whether by means of an election or by the edge of a sword, can change!

Our redemption draweth nigh!

Until next time, God bless you all!

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

The Second Coming!

Good afternoon! Pastor Mark Blitz, a Jewish Rabi who has come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, pastors a church in the state of Washington...he sends out a newsletter and after reading it, I believe that I need to share it with you post haste!




Shalom, one and all!
We have entered the month of Cheshvan

It’s hard to believe how time has passed so quickly since the last newsletter. Sorry for the delay, but it has been crazy!! After the Fair and Feasts I got sick for a week and I think it was from just being exhausted. This week I finally have had time to go through the multitude of phone calls and emails. So if I didn’t respond yet, I now will be able to. It so happens Cheshvan is the second month on the civil calendar following the month of Tishri. We know Nisan is the first month on the religious calendar, but I want to focus on the civil calendar right now. Noah’s flood took place 1,000 yrs before Moses and the times given are based on the civil calendar used at that time. In Genesis it says:
Gen 7:11 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
Well, the anniversary of that very day is the coming Sabbath of Nov 15th 2008! I think it interesting that not only is it the very day the floods came but the Torah reading for that day is the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. That Sabbath is also the same day the nations are gathering together to discuss the global financial problems in Washington DC! It is truly judgment day! I am so glad you are subscribing to this newsletter and you will want to forward this one to as many people as you can, as what I am about to share with you will come as a shock to most of you.

Sharia Compliant Financing Forum
US Treasury to Host

Concerning the global financial problem the “West” is looking for answers. Our very own U.S. Treasury Dept is holding a forum this week regarding the introduction of Sharia or Islamic banking to the United States prior to the meeting on Nov 15th! You need to verse yourself on Sharia banking now. I am not trying to scare anyone or bring fear. As watchmen and watchwomen we need to see what is coming to warn others and to get them to repent and come to God. Our trust is in God alone and not in our finances. Be strong and of a good courage knowing the time is short. This is a time to pray and fast as never before. Please read the profiles of the speakers (page 4-7 of linked resource) at this event. Notice how it is directed toward the policy makers as if we have no choice? Encourage people to sign up for the newsletter and I will try to be more diligent in getting them out. Many have requested a look at the picture I took when I was in Israel of the marble image that is part of the Dome of the rock on the temple mount. You won’t believe it! I will give you two pictures one is from a distance and one from close up. First the one from a distance so you can see where on the Dome it is:
On a lighter note...
Let's look at the Hebrew word "Bless" and "Blessing"

What an awesome opportunity to see what God Himself considers to be a blessing, how He defines it, and discover what it entails!
1Ch 29:20 And David said to all the congregation, Now bless the LORD your God. And all the congregation blessed the LORD God of their fathers, and bowed down their heads,
The Hebrew word for bless is: #1288 barak ; to kneel; by implication to bless God (as an act of adoration). The very same word “barak” which is translated as “bless” in 1Chron 29 is also translated as kneel in Psalms 95:
Ps 95:6 O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel "barak" before the LORD our maker.
The Hebrew word for Blessing is: Strong's #1293 Berakah from #1288; by implication prosperity: a present. Implies bringing a gift to another on bended knee. Think of the magi coming on bended knee and bringing their gifts as a blessing. So God considers it a blessing to bring a present to another on bended knee. So that is what we do when we want to be a blessing to God is to come to Him on bended knee and bring Him our lives. But look at this! The greatest blessing of all is what God told Moses when He explained how He wanted Moses to bless His people!
Numbers 6:22,27 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to Aaron and to his sons saying, In this way you shall bless the sons of Israel, And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel; and I will bless them.
Say unto them: The LORD bless you and keep you.

The tables have turned! Here, God wants to come to you on bended knee to bring a gift to you! The gift of eternal life! What an outpouring of grace!
Phil 2:7,8 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Be Blessed, Pastor Mark To view past newsletters, go to: http://community.icontact.com/p/wwwelshaddaiministriesus

The Election

Well, the election has come and a socialist baby-killer has been elected as the 44th President of the United States of America. I am saddened that this day has come to this representative republic that was handed down to us with great care from the founding fathers who gave their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor, willing to die for the cause of freedom...and we have squandered what they paid so high a price to attain...may God have mercy on us...though we are really just getting what we deserve...for over 30+ years we have slaughtered the most innocent among us, the unborn child and now we are reaping what we have sown...the following article from Jan Markel tells the story:


America Cries, "Give us a King!"

By Jan Markell

There is a story in II Samuel 8 where we see Israel demanding a king. God was not sufficient for them, so they asked for a "real king." They got an evil one -- Saul. America has been in a similar mood. We want a "king" to solve our many problems starting with the economy. So Israel said to Samuel, "Now appoint a king to lead us such as all the other nations have" (II Samuel 8:5). But all the other nations had pagan kings.

God lamented to Samuel and said, "Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will do."

Two years ago came a charismatic man named Barack Obama who was engulfed in a cult-like atmosphere. Some actually called him "the messiah." Shrines were built to him. A Web site said, "Obama is god." There has been a messianic fervor, adoration and a worship-like atmosphere surrounding him. At some rallies people fainted at the sight of him. Young children recorded on YouTube sang songs to him stating he would change the world.

The intrigue with this man is global. Newsweek magazine had a headline recently titled, "The World Hopes for its First President." Imagine, a world president! Newsweek states, "In country after country, polls show a record-high fascination with the outcome of the U.S. elections." Newsweek basically said "The international audience really cared less about John McCain, Sarah Palin, or Joe Biden. Somewhere along the road to the White House, Obama became the world's candidate."

Even for those with proper eschatology this sounds alarming. But on the positive side, a barometer as to how late the hour is has been revealed. Newsweek continues, "Obama is a 21st century man with whom the whole world can identify." In Obama's speech in Berlin, Obama said that we are all citizens of the world! Talk about a message on globalism. Will he establish the one-world system?

America longs for a king to take care of us. We demanded change and change we will get! There are YouTube clips of people jumping for joy that Obama will take care of them. As one says, "Obama will pay my mortgage and buy my gas." The entitlement mentality reigns and it is cross-cultural.

As Jack Kinsella says in his recent Omega Intelligence Digest, "In October capitalism passed away after a long illness." He is right. Socialism now is very appealing and being implemented in America. The government is buying up many industries and turning them over to a new Socialist president!

None of the candidates who ran in "Campaign 2008" can save us! Only the Lord God of Israel can do that! But as in Samuel's day, God is not good enough for America. Thus, I believe He has allowed "strong delusion" to filter across the nation and around the world. It says in Isaiah 66:4, "I will choose their delusions." Thus, all has happened for a reason. God removes kings and establishes kings for His own purposes. (Daniel 2:21)

Here's what we do know for sure. In spite of troubling and even perilous times, the Bible still has all the answers, the Holy Spirit is still active, God will still inhabit the praises of His people, there will still be room at the cross, Jesus will still save the lost, and Jesus will still return to the holy city of Jerusalem to establish perfect government: A Theocracy for 1000 years. "For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end...."(Isaiah 9:6-7).

Monday, November 3, 2008

How Would Jesus Vote?

Good morning...well, we are less than 24 hours away from the official time for the voting to begin...I wonder how the Christian community will cast their ballots? Yesterday in the church services at Fairview Baptist Church, I made an appeal to vote for life! For me, this is the foundational issue in this race and every other election...I have always and will always vote for those who uphold the value of life and will settle for nothing less...I pray that what happens tomorrow will not be because Christians failed in this test...the following article is from Jack Kelly of the Omega Newsletter:


How Would Jesus Vote?
By Jack Kelly
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"But as for you who forsake the LORD and forget my holy mountain, who spread a table for Fortune
and fill bowls of mixed wine for Destiny, I will destine you for the sword, and you will all bend down for the slaughter; for I called but you did not answer, I spoke but you did not listen. You did evil in my sight and chose what displeases me." (Isaiah 65:11-12)

For most of America's history there's been a direct connection between patriotism and faith, probably because the US was founded as a Christian nation. We've always believed that God has watched over us, made us prosperous, and been on our side in the wars we've fought.

That connection began to unravel in the 1960's, but it's surprising the number of people who still believe that if seems to be good for the country, it must be right. This is true even among believers. According to recent Barna polls, 48% of those likely to vote in the coming election are born again Christians. That means they claim to have made a personal commitment to Jesus and believe they will go to heaven because they have confessed their sins and accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior. These same polls show that nearly half of them will vote for the candidate they think has the best plan for restoring America's reputation in the world and managing the economic battles that lie ahead, rather than the one who they think will best uphold the Biblical principles they believe. So if only half the voters are believers, and half of them plan to use worldly standards in making their choice rather than Biblical ones, it follows that only 1 in every 4 voters will be exercising any spiritual discernment at all in casting their vote.

The other 3 are using standards like peace, financial security, tolerance, choice, and so on as their guidelines. They don't realize that only God can restore peace and security to their lives, and tolerance and choice are just nice sounding words that really stand for rebellion against Him. By not considering His standards in casting their vote, they're guaranteeing that He won't be helping them get what they want.

What's At Stake Here?
In the opinion of expert observers, this election could bring about fundamental change in America. Depending on the victor, we could see the last traces of the Judeo-Christian principles that have guided us in the past disappear. Restraints on behavior that God is clearly against could be removed, and prohibitions against behavior that God desires could be imposed . Parents may no longer have the ultimate say in raising or educating their children. The relationship between effort and reward could become unrecognizable. Those with the greatest ability could wind up supporting those with the greatest need. In the name of peace we could make self defense impossible. The list goes on.

If all this comes to pass, believers will be forgiven for their lack of discernment and whisked away in the rapture before things get too bad. After all, obedience to God's word isn't the basis for our inclusion in the Church, it's our belief that the Lord died to save us from our sins. But the unbelieving majority will come to understand the meaning of the Isaiah passage above more clearly than they ever dreamed possible. Everyone in the Great Tribulation will have it rough, but I think that those who rebel as blatantly as people are being called to do in this election will have it especially bad. After all, look at the blessings they've enjoyed by being part of a Christian nation, and the light they've been shown because of our religious heritage. The Lord called but they didn't answer. He spoke but they didn't listen. They will have done evil in his sight by choosing what displeases them, and He will destine them for the sword.

We know that all these things will eventually come to pass, that it's only a matter of time. There's no Scripture anywhere to persuade us otherwise. But it's quite possible that in this election America will choose a course of action that will accelerate our downfall. We will have forsaken the Lord and His Holy Mountain.

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:18)

Over the past few weeks, I've been encouraging us all to accept a giant paradigm shift, to realize that this is not our home. I've been saying that we need to start thinking more about our real home and getting ready to go there. We need to distinguish between our love for our county and our love for God. As good as this country has been, it's no where near as good as where we're going. Like Abraham we're looking forward to the city with foundations whose architect and builder is God. (Hebrews 11:10) And the bottom line is that regardless of who wins this election, America will soon be a far different country than it has been.

So this could very well be the last presidential election we'll ever vote in. It's time to realize that we really don't belong in any political party. No matter how we've thought of ourselves in the past, the reality is that as Christians we're monarchists and we await our coming King. Since our fondest desire is to please Him, we should vote the way we think He would want us to. And remember, we're not voting for someone, and we're not voting against something, we're voting in a way that pleases our Lord.

So, how would Jesus vote? He would vote for life, He would vote to uphold His Father's Word, and He would make His vote count. Can we do anything less? Selah 11-01-08