Keeping Your Ethical Edge Sharp........Larry Spargimino......May 15, 2021 Our world has a way of dulling what needs to be razor sharp—our ethical edge. God has called His people to holiness and sanctification. Writing to Christians scattered in Asia Minor, Peter says, “As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation” (1 Pet. 1:14–15).
Yet, the church, as a whole, seems to be falling far short of God’s call to holiness. Protestia.com examines a new Barna poll and concludes, “The Christian church is seriously messed up. A new poll … released by George Barna’s Cultural Research Center shows that professing Christians are developing more and more decidedly unchristian beliefs, demonstrating that many of these professing Christians are, in fact, un-professing pagans.”
Are we surprised? I doubt it. Like the man or woman who has been living a life of dissipation waiting for test results is not surprised when they come back positive. Christians have developed an anything–goes mindset when it comes to matters of faith, doctrine, morals, values and lifestyles. In other words, we’ve lost our ethical edge.
Does It Matter If a Christian Sins? We must never diminish, neutralize, or downplay the grace of God. G-R-A-C-E is God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. It is “unmerited favor,” a super-kind treatment that sinful humans don’t deserve and, even after they are saved, still don’t deserve. Justice is getting what we deserve. Mercy is not getting what we deserve. Grace is getting what we don’t deserve—eternal life. However, hyper-grace teachers leave out the truth that it does matter if a Christian sins, especially for Christians who are leaders. Their sin demoralizes the Christian community and weakens our testimony. Not only that, but their sin causes the enemies of God to take courage and to be emboldened.
In 2 Samuel 12 Nathan told David a parable. David took it to heart and condemned the man in Nathan’s parable, but in doing that David condemned his own adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband, Uriah. Nathan said, “Thou art the man!” (vs. 7). The truth was crushing. “And David said to Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord.” To his credit, David did not order the execution of Nathan for disrespect but admitted his sin. “And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto David, The Lord also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die. Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die” (vss. 13–14).
David was the sweet psalmist of Israel, a “man after God’s own heart” (Acts 13:22), who had a serious lapse into carnality. Even for those who are not kings, a Christian’s behavior affects what people think of God and His teachings—“Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed” (1 Tim. 6:1). I am not trying to slip in some legalism here, or set myself up as a paragon of virtue (I’m not and need God’s grace every day—ask my wife!), but may we all realize the serious consequences to our sins, especially public ones.
Bad Days Have you ever had a bad day? People define a bad day in different ways. “My car won’t start.” “I didn’t get that job promotion I thought I deserve.” “My girlfriend gave me back my engagement ring.” “The Internal Revenue Service wants to do an audit.” “My department head says our department is lagging in sales.” Sometimes things like that pile up. We can have a bad day, or even a bad week.
But what is a bad day for a Christian? It’s a day in which something happens—either through a wrong choice or quite unexpectedly—that weakens our commitment to walk with Jesus Christ in obedience and truth.[/size
The writer of Hebrews described the Shepherd of Psalm 23 when he wrote, “Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant” (Hebrews 13:20). The Good Shepherd of John 10 is now called the Great Shepherd. Notice also that the writer of Hebrews referenced the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is the picture of Jesus in the Twenty-third Psalm. He is the Great Shepherd, raised from the dead through the blood of the everlasting covenant, who tenderly cares for His sheep. The Crown Psalm 24 is also known as the “Psalm of the King of Glory” and it describes the coronation of the Messiah. The final verses of this psalm describe the triumphant return of Jesus Christ. In Psalm 24:9–10, we read, “Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.” The Twenty-fourth Psalm foreshadows the establishment of the Millennial Reign of Christ when Jesus will return and enter Jerusalem as the “King of Glory.” It is a prophetic psalm that will ultimately be fulfilled when Jesus Christ returns to earth in power and in great glory.
The Apostle Peter wrote to encourage faithful church leaders with these words, “And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away” (1 Peter 5:4). Here, Peter assured faithful ministers that they will be rewarded when the Lord Jesus Christ returns. The Great Shepherd of Hebrews 13 is now referred to as the “Chief Shepherd.” This is the picture of Jesus in the Twenty-fourth Psalm. He is the Chief Shepherd, who owns the sheep. When He comes, He will establish His throne. We who have served Him will rule and reign with Him for a thousand years.
Psalm 22 speaks of our past—of our sins being forgiven on the cross. Psalm 23 speaks of our present life on earth. Psalm 24 speaks of our future in the coming Millennial Kingdom of Christ.
Psalm 22 takes place on Mount Calvary in the past where they crucified the Lord. Psalm 24 takes place in the future on Mount Zion where He is coming back to rule and reign. Psalm 23 takes place in the present in this life in the valley in between the two mountains.
If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you live, right now, the Psalm 23 life. Today, your life may be filled with darkness. From one sheep to another, I want you to know that you can trust the Shepherd to get you through the valley.
The benediction which closes the New Testament letter to the Hebrews brings full circle the picture of the Shepherd.
Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen —Hebrews 13:20–21
The Shepherd is coming back soon. Are you in His flock?
The Twenty-third Psalm as a Messianic Prophecy...James Collins...August 3, 2021
The Twenty-third Psalm is one of the most familiar, famous, and loved passages in the entire Bible. There is no greater picture of the relationship that God has with His people than the picture in the Twenty-third Psalm—the picture of the shepherd and his sheep. Psalm 23 has comforted many heavy hearts, dried many tears, bandaged many wounds, given courage to the living, and comforted the dying. It is the most famous of all the psalms. Even nonbelievers are familiar with David’s masterpiece.
However, most people are unaware of the prophetic significance of the Twenty-third Psalm. Psalm 23 is set in the middle of three messianic psalms that prophesy the coming work of the Messiah. Psalm 22 presents the Messiah as the Savior. Psalm 23 presents the Messiah as the Shepherd. Psalm 24 presents the Messiah as Sovereign. The focus of Psalm 22 is the cross. The focus of Psalm 23 is the crook. The focus of Psalm 24 is the crown.
The Cross Psalm 22 has come to be known as the “Psalm of the Cross.” It is an amazing prophecy. One thousand years before Jesus went to the cross of Calvary, David described in graphic detail the crucifixion as if he, himself, hung on the cross. The Twenty-second Psalm opens with, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Do those words sound familiar? They are the same words that Jesus cried from the cross. In Matthew 27:46, we read, “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” When Jesus took the sins of the world upon Himself so that those sins could be judged and justified through His sacrifice, God in His holiness had to turn away. God gathered every sin that had ever been committed or would be committed by man and placed it upon His Son. Jesus died and He took away sin, by the sacrifice of Himself.
In Psalm 22, David described Roman crucifixion hundreds of years before the Romans even came on the scene. In the days when Jewish executions were accomplished by stoning, David described the sufferings of the cross. He described the people beneath the cross gathered to laugh at Jesus: “All they that see me laugh me to scorn” (Psalm 22:7). He described the profuse perspiration caused by intense suffering: “I am poured out like water.” He described His bones as being “out of joint.” He described the action of the effects of the crucifixion on the heart: “my heart is like wax; it is melted” (Psalm 22:14). He described Christ’s exhaustion: “My strength is dried up.” He described the Lord’s extreme thirst: “my tongue cleaveth to my jaws” (Psalm 22:15). He described Jesus being nailed to the cross: “they pierced my hands and my feet” (Psalm 22:16). He described the shame as the crowd gawked at the Messiah’s unclothed body… I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me (Psalm 22:17). He described the soldiers gambling: “They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture” (Psalm 22:18). David wrote these descriptions a thousand years before the crucifixion of Jesus.
Jesus said in John 10:11, “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” When the Lord said those words, He spoke of His coming substitutionary death on the cross. This is the picture of Jesus in the Twenty-second Psalm. He is the Good Shepherd who gives His life for His sheep. The Crook Psalm 23 is the “Shepherd’s Psalm.” It is a beautiful picture of the Shepherd who cares for His flock, leads us through the meadow, feeds us in green pastures, comforts us with His staff (crook), and quenches our thirst beside still waters. Even when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we need not fear because our Shepherd is there.
4.Worship Daily. Worship is a loaded word. In the New Testament, five different words are translated from Greek as worship in various forms. But worship is not just singing songs and lifting your hands on Sunday; it’s a posture of the heart bent toward God. And that bending can sometimes take work and effort for many of us. If that is a struggle for you, leave it at the feet of the Cross. We cannot accomplish certain things in our flesh, but God faithfully answers our prayers if they are according to His will. And what more could a Father want than to soften the hearts of His children so they can grow closer to Him?
5.Serve Others. Often in our walk as Christians, we become consumers and not participants in the church- but we are called to be the hands and feet of Christ, doing unto others as we would want them
to do unto us (Matthew 7:12). By serving others, we are imitating the work of Jesus, following His commands and loving our neighbor and in our obedience we grow closer to God. There are always ways you can serve, either in your local church or in organizations all over your city, so pick one and start loving people. HOW DO I REBUILD MY RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD? Sometimes, we feel like we have gone too far off track and don’t deserve God’s help or love, which keeps us from returning to God.
But the Bible says nothing can separate us from the love of God. “Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).
Rebuild Your Relationship With God So, in your journey to rebuild your relationship with Him, start with repentance. Turn back from the things that have kept you away, and make a conscious effort to make time for God a priority.
One step at a time, one day at a time.
By putting prayer before you, reading your Bible, bending your heart toward him, and serving others, you will soon begin to hear His voice, and your hunger for Him will grow.
It’s never too late to seek a relationship with the Most High; He’s waiting for you; get started today.
5 WAYS TO STRENGTHEN YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD IN 2024 PUBLISHED ON DECEMBER 26, 2023
Have you been thinking of ways to strengthen your relationship with God as you believe in the benefits of walking with Him? Have you struggled to stay in the Word, attend church regularly, and feel your faith slipping?
We often have seasons where it seems impossible to get close to God, from getting up in the middle of the night with little ones to pressures at work and home. Your tank is on E by the time it comes to say your prayers.
You try to pray, but you either fall asleep or get distracted by everything you still need to do. The thing about busyness is that it’s the Enemy’s way to keep you off balance and away from your power source: God. The busier you are, the easier you are to lead into temptation and sin. But not 2024, Satan!
We declare this new year that we will make time for God, walk in the good works he has prepared, trample evil, and shine light into the darkness in Jesus’ Name. Let’s go!
HOW CAN I MAKE MY CONNECTION WITH GOD STRONGER? You’ve heard it said before: it’s not enough to go to church on Sunday. The reason you’ve heard it is because it’s true.
Imagine you only saw your sweetheart once a week? Only saw them for one hour and only spoke with them then.
How quickly would your relationship fizzle out, and how long before you stopped, that person took a backburner to everything else in your life? That’s what we do to God. Growing closer to Him takes intentionality and purpose. One day at a time, one week at a time, you slowly build your connection with Him, and here’s how.
1.Spend Time in Prayer. Jesus prayed constantly. In the gospels, we see Him isolate himself from his disciples to pray repeatedly. Prayer is how we talk with our Father, and in the pauses of our thoughts, we hear Him talk back.
Prayer shouldn’t be a rehearsed bedtime prayer but an honest conversation with Him who created you and knows all your ways. Whether you are angry, lost, or heartbroken, there is nothing you can say to Him that will shock him.
So talk with your Father. In the car, while you wash the dishes or feed your babies. Talk to Him often, and as you surrender to him in humility and fear, you’ll be amazed at how he moves in your life.
2.Read Your Bible. Reading your Bible is essential to being a believer, and one that must be developed. If you follow Christ, the Word “is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking,Read Your Bible correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). It’s also the way God reveals himself to us daily.
Luckily, apps for that! If you like checking off lists, the YouVersion Bible App has hundreds of devotionals, studies, and plans for you to make reading your Bible a daily habit. If you’ve been in the Word a while, try the Blue Letter Bible app, which gives you the original Aramaic and Greek text used in the Bible and commentaries to add a whole new level to the Word of God.
3.Get into Community With Other Believers. Life is not meant to be done alone. In the beginning, God was in community with the Son and the Holy Spirit (Genesis 1:26), and as his children, we were built to do the same. We are called to love one another (John 13:34) and to be kind and tenderhearted with another (Galatians 6:9-10) because life is hard! And the battle of the flesh can easily be lost when we are alone. That’s why the Bible tells us not to forsake “the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25). As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friends (Proverbs 27:17), and when it comes to strengthening your walk with Christ, the ones holding you accountable, are those in your community.
Too start the New Year 2024.............. Receiving a word Instead, several years ago I decided to adopt a new approach to the standard New Year’s resolution, one that involves walking and talking with my Savior every day. I find it an easy way to cover both the beginning and the end of the year in prayer.
Starting early in December, I ask God to press a word or phrase onto my heart that I can reflect upon and apply in my life in the coming year. I ask God to reveal His will for me. I ask where in my life He is asking me to grow, change, or step out in faith. Sometimes I hear the answer very quickly; other times, it takes the whole month of December praying and meditating on God’s Word for the answer to be clear to me. Often, a Scripture theme keeps coming up in my reading, pointing toward a possible word on which to focus.
After I’ve received this word or phrase, I spend the first two weeks of January in dedicated prayer, asking how God wants me to implement this word into my life in the months to come. Okay, God, the prayer usually starts, I have this word from You. Now what do You want me to do with it?
God desires only good, edifying, constructive things for our lives. But let’s face it, we are rarely successful in our own wisdom at identifying what is a good thing versus what will ultimately harm us or lead us to destruction. Matthew 7:7-8 tells us,
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”
I can tell you with absolute certainty that all I have to do is ask, and the Word and Holy Spirit will challenge and convict me right where I need it most.
Then comes the hardest part of any new habit or resolution: actually doing the thing consistently. A chance to let God work I’ll admit I am not a morning person, and I struggle most days to wake up and have my quiet time with God before getting ready for the day. However, I always make sure to send up a quick prayer and ask God to give me an opportunity to put my word or phrase into action and to give me the courage and bravery to do it boldly. At the end of the day, when I usually have my daily time with the Lord, I reflect on my day and identify the opportunities that God put in my path to follow the Spirit’s prompting. I’d like to say I always recognize every opportunity and take advantage of them. But that’s rarely the case.
You want to know the best part, though? I may have missed an opportunity to put my word or phrase into action, but God never makes me feel guilty about it. He might convict me, but there is no sense of shame or failure, only forgiveness and an opportunity to try again tomorrow.
These are some of the words the Lord has given me in recent years. What’s my word for 2024? This year is a bit unique. I felt so strongly a sense of the word “release” and had been meditating on that in my quiet time with God for about a week. Then, a few days ago I had a moment where God metaphorically smacked me upside the head and said, No, beloved, release is only part of what I’m asking of you. What I need you to have is joy. So, here’s to a joy-filled 2024 and a year spent growing in my understanding and exemplification of joy!
What about you? Are you willing to ask God what word or phrase He might challenge you with next year? And then are you willing to accept the challenge? This is no magic formula for growth with God, but in an increasingly scattered, frantic, digitized and isolated culture, any chance to slow down and focus on God’s voice is a good one.
And that’s one New Year’s resolution I’ve found worth keeping.
Copyright 2023 Jessika Schmit. All rights reserved.
Speak a New Beginning............................P. E. Uloh (Edo, Nigeria)
God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. - Genesis 1:3 (NRSVUE)
I felt extremely grateful at the New Year’s Eve service in 2021. It indeed felt like a new beginning, a new hope against the odds of the past year. Yet after the service, I was in tears as I thought of all the things I didn’t have. I wanted so much for the new year, but I didn’t know how or where to start. I felt hopeless.
That night, I decided to pray again. I didn’t ask for anything. Instead, inspired by 1 Thessalonians 5:18, I gave thanks for all that I had, and I felt blessed by everything on my list. After this prayer of gratitude, I had Genesis 1:3 in my heart and a new understanding of the verse. In Genesis 1:1-2 it was the beginning, and it looked hopeless. In that bleak situation, God spoke light. With that light came hope, and God kept speaking, forming sky, seas, and land. What God wanted for the future, day after day, God spoke into being. Until it was all good, God spoke.
As believers, when faced with a hopeless situation, the first thing we can do is invite the Light into that situation. We can speak: “Thank you, Jesus.” He is the light of the world (see Jn. 8:12). With Christ’s light comes hope. My resolution this year is to speak light through all my days.
TODAY'S PRAYER Dear God, help us to be grateful in all situations. Show us how to speak light and goodness into our lives and the lives of those around us. Amen.
Wouldn’t it be awesome if God gives us one final revival before the end of this age? God placed you and I here at this pivotal time in history for a purpose. National revival begins with personal revival when we look in the mirror, repent, and turn toward God. Then we need to push back against the evil that is in this country, get busy sharing the gospel, live a godly life, and look for the blessed hope and appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ (Titus 2:13).
Who knows? Maybe God will bless America again. Perhaps the United States’ last days can be our best days.
There are people who believe the future method of escape for the Jewish remnant in Israel as described in Revelation 12 is a reference to the United States. The Bible says that the Jews will fly into their wilderness hiding place on the “wings of a great eagle.” Since the symbol of the United States is the eagle, some see this verse as referring to America. However, the Bible is its own best interpreter. The phrase “wings of an eagle” describes how God brought the Israelites out of Egypt (see Exod. 19:4; Deut. 32:11). God is the eagle, not the United States.
Another passage of Scripture that is often said to be a reference to the United States is Isaiah 18. This chapter describes a powerful nation whose land is divided by a great river. Since the United States is divided from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico by the Mississippi River, some believe the nation in Isaiah 18 must be the United States. However, Isaiah 18 fits into a longer section, chapters 18 through 20, that is one connected prophecy dealing with the ancient nations of Cush and Egypt. The river referred to is undoubtedly the Nile.
So, where is the United States in Bible prophecy? The answer is the Bible contains no specific prophetic mentions of America. Still, we are covered by general prophecies that relate to all nations, but beyond that, our end-time destiny is a matter of speculation. General prophecies that apply to the United States include those that predict all nations will be blessed through Israel (Gen. 18:18; 22:18), all nations will come against Israel over control of Jerusalem (Zech. 12:3), all nations will be judged (Isa. 34:2–3), and all nations will cease to exist except for Israel (Jer. 30:11; 46:28).
I believe that the United States is not mentioned in Bible prophecy for two reasons. First, America is no longer a superpower at the end of this age because of our moral and spiritual deterioration. Second, I believe the United States will be powerless after the Rapture. If the Rapture happened today, America would be devastated because, despite all our moral failings, the United States still has more Christians than any other nation in the world. When the Lord removes all believers in the Rapture, chaos will ensue in this country. America will be left too weak to be a player in the international end-time scene.
Nevertheless, I still believe there is hope for the United States in these last days. The Bible says, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord” (Ps. 33:12). There is not a one of us who has not sung at some time or other, “God bless America, land that I love.” Yet, we have come to a place where America is at a crossroads; the choices that we make today will have so much to do with the days to come.
The decline of the United States will not be solved by some politician. The answer is not in the White House or the State House. The answer is in the church house and in your house. There must be a new heart, a new spiritual content, a new sense of purpose built into the life of our nation. We must have spiritual revival. If America is going to be great again, it will be because of a final revival before the Rapture. The only hope for a culture which finds itself in the midst of circumstances such as these is Jesus Christ.
Recently, Billy Crone spoke about revival. He said, “It starts with us. If you want the darkness to go away, shine the light. You go into a dark room, you want to get rid of it, how do you dispel the darkness? You go over to the wall and you what? Flip on the light. And it is time for the Christians to stop condoning the darkness. It’s time for us to get back to God’s truth, shine the light of His truth so that the darkness can be dispelled so revival can take place.”
Where Is the United States in Bible Prophecy?.............James Collins July 15, 2021 Where is the United States in Bible Prophecy? I am often asked this question. If you are a patriotic American like me, then it is only natural to speculate about the future of our nation. I grew up in a country where we stood up each morning in school and recited the Pledge of Allegiance to the American flag. At little league ballgames, we proudly rose with reverence during the playing of the “Star-Spangled Banner.” Before I could shave, I enlisted in the United States Army where I served for over twenty-eight years. During my time in the military, I deployed to combat on multiple occasions. I often held the hand of an American soldier as he took his last breath. As an Army chaplain, I officiated over four hundred military funerals. Over four hundred times in my life, I stood before a flag-draped coffin and offered words of comfort to a hurting, grieving family. If the Lord tarries, when I die, my casket will also be covered with an American flag. I love the United States.
However, the America that I grew up in is no more. We live in a time of decline in our culture. The problem is not simply that individual people are godless. It goes much deeper than that. Our leaders themselves are committed to godless policies and Christless activities. Murder, rape, pillage, and various other forms of utter dishonesty are practiced in the name of government today.
As the United States declines, I cannot help but remember the great nations that once were, and now amount to very little. There was the nation of Babylon, of which the prophet Daniel spoke to Nebuchadnezzar, and said, “Thou art this head of gold.” (Dan. 2:38). Where is Babylon today? Buried beneath the sands of Iraq. There was the Media-Persian empire, which conquered Babylon. Where is it now? Gone. There was the Grecian-Macedonian empire, which grew under Alexander the Great. What happened to Alexander’s empire? Very quickly, it dissipated and came apart. What about the Romans? Rome ran the world, once upon a time. Nevertheless, all historians who write about ancient Rome talk about how decadence and gross immorality entered at the highest levels. Raving homosexuals ran the country until Rome was nibbled to death and finally conquered by the barbarians who surrounded it.
The Holy Roman Empire is gone. The Turks once ran the entire Middle East. What happened to France since Napoleon? And what about Spain? Spain was once a most significant nation. Now it is nearly irrelevant. Britain, that empire which used to go around the world, is virtually gone. Even the United States of America should be looked upon with great concern by decent, culturally-oriented people. We are in a state of decline.
Many brilliant theologians believe the United States (and specifically New York City) is Babylon the Great as referred to in Revelation 17–18. Considering the wickedness described in those chapters and the current state of wickedness in our nation, I can see why scholars see a parallel between Babylon and America. However, there is much debate as to whether this Babylon is New York City, Rome, or a literal rebuilt Babylon. For what it’s worth, I think that the Babylon of Revelation 17–18 refers to the demonic religious system of the False Prophet and the economic system of the Antichrist because her octopus-like arms reach far beyond any single city. Certainly, the United States would be included as part of the Antichrist’s one-world “Babylonian” system. Nonetheless, I believe that Revelation 17–18 refer to a literal, rebuilt city of Babylon in modern-day Iraq. Six times in Revelation the Antichrist’s last-days capitol is called Babylon (Rev. 14:8; 16:19; 17:5; 18:2, 10, 21). While it is possible that Babylon is a code name for New York City, nothing in the text indicates that it is to be taken symbolically.
They have been villainized, de-platformed because “they are spreading “false” information,” and have had their character and integrity maligned. They believe in treating COVID patients early using HCQ to prevent hospitalization, mechanical ventilation, and death. Dr. Keith Rose, MD, though not an official Frontline doctor, has been on our show. He says HCQ is highly effective, and anyone who says they don’t work is either intellectually dishonest or have not used the medications correctly. Rose has treated 3,000 COVID patients—the oldest being 90 years of age—and has had 100% success. Rose claims that forcing masks on school children is “child abuse.” “There is no medical justification for it, and much science against it.”
Dr. Stella Immanuel, MD, who owns Rehoboth Medical Center in Houston, has treated 7,000 patients. Only eight died. In his book, God and Cancel Culture: Stand Strong Before It’s Too Late, Steve Strang said that Immanuel found an article from several years ago that proved that hydroxychloroquine is a potent inhibitor of SARS-COVID. She calls HCQ a “cure.” “I can’t understand why they want Americans to die when there’s a cure,” Immanuel writes. She is from Africa and notes that when visitors come to sub-Sahara Africa they are advised to take antimalarial drugs, which is what HCQ is. “If you notice, most countries that are malaria-endemic that are taking those quine drugs, their COVID deaths are not that high,” commented Dr. Immanuel.
Some of the knee-jerk reactions can be traced to what has been called “the Trump Derangement Syndrome.” On May 18, 2020, President Trump endorsed HCQ and said he was taking it. When Donald Trump, Jr. tweeted a Frontline doctors’ video, his Twitter account was restricted for sharing “content that may pose a risk to people’s health.” All videos of America’s Frontline Doctors were then stripped from Facebook and YouTube, and the organization’s website was taken down. While most doctors in America want only the best for their patients, it is time to stand up and say “Enough is enough!”
Why did this happen? The Taliban gave control of the airport to Biden, but he refused it. Airport security was put in the hands of the Islamists. At the writing of this column, there are still 24 Sacramento-area students trapped in Afghanistan after the U.S. military pulled out of the country in compliance with the demands of the Taliban. What? We caved in to the demands of the Taliban? Yep, sure did. Here’s another shocker. The suicide bomber that murdered 13 of our troops, including one heroine, Johanny Rosario Pichardo, plus almost a hundred Afghans, was actually in the sights of an American drone ready to fire a missile to take out the killer, but the order to take out the target was never given. When you have leaders with no character and are bereft of even a glimmer of morality you will have a tragedy. Expect many more.
Former president Donald Trump said Biden’s botched withdrawal from Afghanistan is the “single most embarrassing moment in the history of our country.” President Biden, on the other hand, claims it was a great success. Do you believe Donald Trump or Joe Biden? The Disgrace of Godlessness Biblical futility curses bring shame and disgrace. “And I will break the pride of your power” … (Lev. 26:19). A report in The Epoch Times, titled “Beijing Continues to Capitalize on U.S. Withdrawal from Afghanistan for Propaganda Campaign,” brings this out. The Taliban takeover provides fresh inspiration for Islamic radicals worldwide while at the same time providing a safe zone for terror cells that can launch attacks on Europe and America.
A recent sermon, titled “War on Islam,” and preached recently by Canadian imam Younus Kathrada at the Muslim Youth of Victoria Center sounds a note of victory: “Look at all the money spent by Jews and Christians to destroy Islam. Look at what the West tried to do for 20 years in Afghanistan. And now what has happened? Islam has overcome! Islam will overcome! As for the Jews and Christians, they are not our friends. We must stand with our brothers in Afghanistan and support Sharia Law! We say, Allahu Akbar!” Indeed, “Righteousness exalteth a nation: But sin is a reproach to any people” (Prov. 14:34). The Covid Crisis Suppose you have a loved one who was hospitalized two weeks ago with COVID. His condition has been getting progressively worse. Soon he will be put on a ventilator. It doesn’t look good. You know of two people who were put on a ventilator and they expired. You tell the doctor that you know there is an alternative treatment that a group of doctors claim really works. It’s called hydroxychloroquine, or HCQ. The doctor cuts you off before you can say another word. “It doesn’t work. It has bad side effects,” he snaps back at you. “But doctor,” you plead, “my loved one is getting worse and you are not helping him. Please, doctor, give HCQ a try.” The doctor shakes his head and walks out.
Question: Would you be angry at the doctor? Even if there is only a one-in-ten chance that an alternate treatment would work, shouldn’t the doctor give it a try? What’s the doctor afraid of? The person might actually recover and the medical bureaucracy might get angry?
The death rate from COVID is soaring. Hospitals can’t handle the increased number of patients. It’s a disaster. Cities and states going into lockdowns. Businesses are closing. Families are suffering. Marriages are coming apart at the seams. Does somebody somewhere want this to happen? Could that be possible?
America’s Frontline Doctors are a group of physicians who believe that the COVID crisis is being mishandled. They are a small number of courageous physicians in the U.S. and around the world who put their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor on the line.
Dozing Presidents, Woke Generals and an Out-of-Control Medical Bureaucracy
Many are wondering if God has rightly abandoned America. Are we being justly abandoned by God because of our sins? Is the fact that America has been plagued with a variety of problems which seem to have no solution the result of God’s activity? Are we under a futility curse?
God has given warnings about nations that flagrantly disregard His standards, especially a nation that has been richly favored by God, such as Israel. One of the penalties: Futility. “And I will set my face against you, and ye shall be slain before your enemies: they that hate you shall reign over you; and ye shall flee when none pursueth you. … And your strength shall be spent in vain …” (Lev. 26:17, 20).
We need to assess contemporary events in the light of Scripture. Romans 15:4 says: “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning …” God’s revelations to Israel can be instructive in helping God’s people understand our world today. This should not be surprising. Second Timothy 3:16-17 tells us that all Scripture is inspired by God, and is “profitable.” George Washington’s Prophecy and President Biden Following the inauguration of Joe Biden as president, Jonathan Cahn gave a prophetic warning for Biden and America. Cahn began is 13-minute, on-camera video released on social media with the warning George Washington gave during his very first presidential address to the nation: “The propitious smiles of heaven cannot be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right that heaven itself has ordained.” Indeed, how true. Thanks to a sleepy president and “woke” generals, the Taliban is now the fifth most technically-equipped military in the world. They are armed with U.S. equipment that should have been destroyed before we abandoned Afghanistan to unspeakable misery.
Biden’s performance has been disappointing (I am being nice). America is now facing a loss of inalienable rights, runaway inflation, a wide-open southern border, shutting down a U.S. gas pipeline, forced vaccine mandates that can’t be medically justified, a crusade for “transgender rights,” not to mention the latest disaster in Afghanistan. Will our allies ever trust us again? They shouldn’t with Biden as commander-in-chief. Little Taiwan is left shivering in the cold. The Chinese communist behemoth to the west knows that it can trample Taiwan without any resistance from America, other than a presidential frown for good show.
In his prophetic warning, Cahn mentioned the slaughter of the unborn, and then gave a warning to Biden that even made me shudder: “To you, Mr. President, and all who have joined you in this agenda … heed this warning. This day will pass. The applause of men will fade. This administration will inevitably be over. The world will pass away, but you will stand before God and give account. For it is written in His Word that we will each stand before God and give account.”
Dr. Michael Brown, messianic scholar, social commentator, and revivalist, is always soft-spoken and non-abrasive, but even he wrote: “The story of almost 20 years of American involvement in Afghanistan has ended in unmitigated disaster. In fact, it would be difficult to imagine a worst-case scenario than the present one (“Ask Dr. Brown,” 8/17/21).
How can we ever forget the images of people hoping to escape the country, swarming the runway, and some clinging to departing aircraft during takeoff—sometimes with such disastrous results that their bodies were seen falling from the sky as they evidently could no longer hang on as the plane ascended.
The Global Covid Summit reports, “Biochemist Martenson: You have nothing to lose with Ivermectin.” Martenson said, “Those who disparage Ivermectin as mere ‘horse dewormer’ probably aren’t doctors. Physicians worldwide have been using the Nobel-prize winning drug successfully in treating COVID-19.”
While more than 10,000 physicians and medical scientists have signed the “Rome Declaration” in protest, many of these individuals have experienced “career threats, character assassination, censorship of scientific papers and research, social media accounts blocked, online search results manipulated, clinical trials and patient observations banned, and their professional history and accomplishments minimized in both academic and mainstream media.” We must not ignore the fact that Dr. Robert Malone, architect of the mRNA vaccine participated in the “Rome Declaration” (globalcovidsummit.org).
This is just the beginning of the final epic struggle between good and evil. Jesus was very much to the point when he said, “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar and the father of it” (John 8:44).
In the introduction to his book, Hitler’s Cross, Erwin Lutzer says he wanted to study how Hitler had captured the Christian church:
“I knew that 95 percent of the people in Germany were either Protestant or Catholic. Now I wanted to know why the Christians in Germany did not condemn Hitler with one single unified and courageous voice. I wondered why millions willingly took Hitler’s Hakenkreuz (hooked or broken cross) and superimposed on it the cross of our crucified Redeemer. Only later would I understand the extent to which this confusion of crosses beguiledthe German church and invited the judgment of God” (p. 12).
At the end of the age it is vital that true Christ-followers stand for truth in the power of God. Yes, God inhabits the praises of His people (Ps. 22:3), and the words of the prophet Jeremiah are still true: “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end” (Jer. 29:11).
On May 18, 2020, when President Trump said, “I’m taking it, hydroxychloroquine. Right now, yeah, a couple of weeks ago I started taking it, because I think it’s good. I’ve heard a lot of good stories,” he was immediately attacked and maligned. Why? Because having a cheap, available medication that will prevent the death of millions of people is NOT what people need to be told. If people availed themselves of such medication the crisis would be over. All opportunities for the government to do what it could not normally do would suddenly evaporate.
Without a pandemic that’s killing millions of people no on will be willing to surrender their individual liberties. This is why there is the current censorship of materials that disagrees with Dr. Fauci. We can’t have people contradicting the claim that millions more will die. The testimony of credentialed medical experts who support Life-saving meds such as HCQ and Ivermectin must be censored.
Censorship of Materials That Have Anti-Vax Content On September 29, 2021 Drudge Report blazed the words, “YOUTUBE BANS ALL ‘ANTI-VAX CONTENT.’” This is censorship. The current crisis that the world is experiencing is not about the virus. It is about control. Is Dr. Fauci’s guiding principle “do no harm” or is it just the opposite? This is not ridiculous question. Why is the testimony of so many medical experts who are warning us about the vaccines, being censored, trampled and being ignored? Why are people being taken off a transplant list for not wanting to take a shot that could very well have harmful effects?
Dr. Peter McCullough, who has had many peer-reviewed publications published in top-tier medical journals, warns that the world is “in the middle of a major biological catastrophe.” At an address he gave at the annual fundraiser of the non-profit Michigan for Vaccine Choice, McCullough charged that fraudulent public health officials are pushing experimental “gene-transfer” COVID-19 vaccines that produce the “loaded weapon” of a toxic spike protein.
Emphasizing the importance of safety in medicine, McCullough said it’s “beyond astonishing” that “there has been an injection of a substance into half of Americans’ bodies and there’s yet to be a report to America on safety.” He pointed out that was not the case in 1976 when the government shut down the Swine Flu vaccination campaign after the emergence of 25 deaths and 550 cases of Guillain-Barre Syndrome. The debate over whether or not they were caused by the vaccine didn’t matter. What mattered was the unexplained deaths that occurred after vaccination. McCullough told his audience, “If you feel tension right now and you feel some emotional distress, and if you feel as if things aren’t going right…I think your perceptions are correct.”
McCullough accused Biden’s top coronavirus adviser, Dr. Anthony Fauci, of “committing fraud” by declaring there is “no evidence” to support the effectiveness of Ivermectin in treating COVID-19. “Ivermectin is supported by over 60 studies, over 30 clinical trials,” McCullough said. It may be the truth but Baylor University Medical Center fired McCullough in February. Texas A&M College of Medicine, Texas Christian University and University of North Texas Health And Science Center School of Medicine have cut ties with him, accusing him of spreading misinformation. (WND, 10/7/21).
In the continuing struggle between truth and falsehood, truth is persistent and rises from many quarters. The globalcovidsummit.org reports that “Yale epidemiologist Harvey Risch continues to express dismay over the way hyrdroxychloroquine has been maligned for political reasons by a pliant media establishment.” COVID-19 can be successfully treated.
Censorship, Intimidation and the Apollyon President Larry Spargimino.............November 17, 2021 “… but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon” (Rev.9:11)
In the past tyrannical governments have not only banned religious messages, but also novels, poems and short stories, along with paintings and other visual art forms that were deemed “anti-government.”
On May 10, 1933 university students in 34 university towns across Germany burned over 25,000 books. The works of Jewish authors like Albert Einstein and Sigmund Freud went up in flames, alongside works of black-listed American authors such as Ernest Hemingway and Helen Keller. As the ravenous flames lit up the night sky, 40,000 students and adults gave the Nazi salute. This marked the intellectual impoverishment and decline of a great nation and a great people who had contributed immensely to humanity. Is the current wave of censorship against medical and scientific experts who oppose the vaccines a harbinger of the rise of The Antichrist? Meet The Bully and His Slick Protégé The Biden vaccine mandate brought grief to freedom-loving Americans by forcing them to make a tragic choice: take a vaccine that a growing number of medical experts condemn, or face: (1) loss of employment, (2) a dishonorable discharge from the military, (3) get rejected for an organ transplant that you need to stay alive, (4) experience a thousand other things that evil minds have planned for resisters.
The Epoch Times (10/7/21) reports that a Colorado hospital has rejected a woman for a kidney transplant after she refused to get a COVID-19 vaccine. Leilani Lutali received a letter on September 28 informing her that the transplant team at the University of Colorado Hospital decided to designate her “inactive” on the waiting list for transplants.
Neither Lutali, nor her donor, Jaimee Fougner are willing to be vaccinated. Fougner said, “Here I am, willing to be a direct donor to her. It does not affect any other patient on the transplant list. How can I sit here and allow them to murder my friend when I’ve got a perfectly good kidney and can save her life?”
The current censorship in America is a startling reminder of the power of Big Tech over our lives. Censorship affects the news people hear and see, the education their kids receive, and censorship determines the outcome elections. Voters form their opinions of candidates based on what is fed them through the media. Media distortions and lies are currently destroying America far more effectively than any invasion by a hostile nation. President Biden and his heavy-handed leadership will stop at nothing until America is a wasteland of boarded-up businesses and teenagers in need of psychiatric care. The Real Dr. Fauci After delivering a lecture via livestream at McGill University, Montreal, Canada, Dr. Fauci was asked a question: “How should we approach the value of individual freedom within the context of this global pandemic?” It’s significant how Fauci responded. First, he criticized Fox News and other conservative media outlets. Then he slammed the idea of individual freedom, framing vaccination as one’s highest moral responsibility toward our neighbor. Then Fauci revealed what he really thinks: “I think each of us, particularly in the context of a pandemic that’s killing millions of people, you have got to look at it and say, ‘There comes a time when you do have to give up what you consider your individual right of making your own decision for the greater good of society’” (theblaze.com)
What’s the bottom line in Fauci’s statement? Because we have a pandemic “that is killing millions of people.” Rahm Emanuel, White House Chief of Staff under the Obama Administration, gave Fauci’s dirty little secret away when Emanuel said, “Never pass up a good crisis. It’s your opportunity to do what you could not normally do.”
Wishing all our faithful readers a very good New Year. First comes good health, if you have good health you are rich. May your love for our Lord Jesus increase and may your love for others show you care. Passing on love is contecious. May this coming year be good to you and your famelies.....Happy 2024............jenny
Matt. 24:30: “…and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds…” 1 Thess. 4:16-17: “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven…in the clouds…”
Matt. 24:31: “And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” 1 Thess. 4:16-17: “…with the voice of the archangel, and the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air.”
Matt. 24:36: “But [peri de] of that day and hour knoweth no man…” 1 Thess. 5:1-2: “But [peri de] of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you…”
Matt. 24:39: “And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” 1 Thess. 5:3: “For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them…and they shall not escape.”
There is still much unfulfilled prophecy revealed in the Bible. The Bible is indeed “profitable” in all things, including its prophetic teachings. It is God’s Divinely revealed truth about the end times. I pray that the material in this presentation may encourage the saints and be used in alarming and winning the lost, “for the time is at hand” (Rev. 1:3).
“For God so loved the world (kosmos), that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). If there is any doubt what “world” means, verse 17 is emphatic in the use of kosmos in close succession: “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” Kosmos is powerfully used in another scripture that also shows that it cannot be limited to the Roman world of the first century: “And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (kosmos) (1 John 2:2). Big Words in Bible Prophecy Matthew 24:21 speaks about the horrors of the Great Tribulation. Verse 22 says, “And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh (sarx) be saved.” Does this mean “no flesh in Jerusalem”? I doubt it. Sarx is a big word: “Therefore by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified in his sight”(Rom. 3:20). Does this mean that “no flesh in Jerusalem will be justified by keeping the law, but everyone else will”? First Corinthians 1:29 is similar: “That no flesh should glory in his presence.” Does this mean that no one living in Jerusalem in AD 70 should glory in God’s presence but everyone else should?
“This generation”—Which One? In Matthew 24:15-21, the Lord Jesus speaks about great trouble for Israel. Jesus speaks about great tribulation and suffering exceeding anything that has been or will ever be (vs. 21). The Lord is revealing how bad things will really get. But He doesn’t stop with that. “And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened” (vs. 22).
Preterists believe that in AD 70 God was acting in judgment against Israel. But there is much more taught in the Olivet Discourse of Matthew 24. Satan’s future attempt to completely destroy God’s ancient covenant people will fail. Luke 21:24 reads: “…and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, UNTIL the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.” The Lord is revealing three things of great importance: (1) Jerusalem’s fall is of a limited duration. It is not final, nor is it complete. (2) There is a period of time when Gentiles will overrun the city and rule over the city and its population. (3) There will be a later time when this situation will be reversed.
In Luke 21:25-26, Jesus talks about celestial and cosmic disruptions that are completely unsettling. Verses 27-28 states: “And THEN shall they SEE [it is visible, not invisible] the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And WHEN these things BEGIN to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your REDEMPTION draweth nigh.” Notice it’s “redemption” not destruction and doom.
Verses 27 and 28 remind us of the rapidity with which all of these signs occur. This explains Matthew 24:34: “This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.” The generation that sees the signs signaling the return of the Lord will endure through it all to see the Lord. When the signs appear, prophetic events will proceed very quickly. There is a stated nearness of the signs to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
1 Thessalonians 4–5 and the Olivet Discourse In 1 Thessalonians 4:15 the Apostle states: “For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord.” “Lord” is a reference to the Lord Jesus Christ. There are several Scriptures in which Paul uses the phrase found above to indicate words and thoughts spoken by Jesus (1 Cor. 7:10-11, 25; 9:14; 11:23-25). We have good reason to believe this is what happened in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11. In other words, the words and thoughts of Jesus in Matthew 24 and other parallel passages appear in 1 Thessalonians 4 and 5.
Preterism On Trial.............................Larry Spargimin....April 25, 2022 In Part I of this series I shared some of the basic ideas about preterism, and why the view that prophecy has already been fulfilled doesn’t stand up under close scrutiny. In Part II, I want to look closely at some of the scriptures to which preterists appeal. Do they support preterism? I don’t believe so. Let the reader be the judge.
Revelation 1:7—God’s Judgment on Israel in AD 70? “Behold, he cometh with clouds,” Revelation 1:7 says, “and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him.” “Every eye” and “all kindreds” sound like a big group of people worldwide. The word “kindreds” is a translation of phule, meaning “tribes.” Preterists would say it is a reference to the twelve tribes, but in this text there is no reference to the “twelve tribes.” Rather it is “all tribes.” The same term is used in Rev. 5:9; 7:9; 11:9 and 13:7. It’s a very broad word that defies limitation to Israel, and even the ancient Roman Empire.
Preterists see the reference to “clouds” as a clincher for their case. They say it is a reference to the Divine “Cloud Rider,” a designation for God who has come in judgment upon nations in the historical past. Isaiah 19:1 reads, “Behold, the Lord rideth upon a swift cloud, and shall come into Egypt: and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it.” Preterists argue that this happened when the Assyrian king Esarhaddon conquered Egypt in 671 BC and was God’s instrument of judgment upon Egyptian idolatry, as Rome was God’s instrument of judgment on Israel in AD 70.
Preterists have a certain creative flair for novel ideas that are not immediately apparent, but I think they have missed some essentials from the text of the Bible. In Isaiah 19, the Lord is pictured as riding ON the clouds, whereas in Revelation 1:7, the Lord comes WITH clouds. In this Scripture we see a textual parallel with Daniel 7:13: “… and, behold, one like the Son of man came WITH the clouds of heaven.” Verse 14 bristles with kingdom glory and says “his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.” Dare we even limit God’s dominion to the Roman world?
Matthew 24:14: Witness to Everyone in Jerusalem, and Then the End? “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world (oikumene) for a witness unto all nations (ethnos); and then shall the end come” (Matt. 24:14). Supposedly, “the end” in this verse is the end of the Jewish sacrificial system that occurred with the destruction of the Jerusalem temple in AD 70. The Gospel witness “in all the world” means “all the Roman world.”
Oikumene does have a range of meanings. Luke 2:1 tells us that “there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world (oikumene) should be taxed.” Obviously, this decree did not affect all the people on planet Earth. But oikumene is used in Acts 17:31 in the phrase God “will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained.” This does not mean God will only judge the Roman world of antiquity. The same words can have different meanings, as in the phrase “let the dead bury their dead” (Luke 9:60). Context and meaning helps the reader decide.
Peterists, however, like to give a word the meaning that best suits their system rather than considering context and meaning. This is a real problem with preterism. It’s a case of the tail wagging the dog. For example, Romans 1:8 states: “I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world” (kosmos). “World,” of course, means the Roman world. However, in a different context the same word “kosmos” cannot be limited to the Roman world. “
The famine of “hearing” God’s Word is getting worse daily, and this famine is partially caused by believers who won’t speak up. It appears Christians are simply saying, “There’s always someone out there witnessing, why should I bother.” But this attitude is completely against God’s Word.
The mainstream media is a huge platform which the enemy uses to further his agenda of lies. If Christians were more vocal, we could also use this platform to spread the truth of God’s message of salvation. But that isn’t the case, is it? Christians have become so passive that the world has it easy when it comes to walking all over us—especially those in the mainstream media.
In Revelation 3, the Lord addresses the Laodicean church—the church at the end of the age. Jesus stands on the outside and knocks; whoever will open the door will receive unto them our Lord Jesus. The problem with the Laodicean church is they believe they already have everything they need. Guess what? They don’t have the most important part—Jesus Christ. Remember Jesus was standing on the outside knocking; He was not in the church.
The famine of God’s Word is a choice people have made to reject it, to completely turn from the truth and embrace the lie of secularism. Even many Christians have embraced this lie. According to research done by the Barna Group, only seven percent of born-again believers have a biblical worldview. The rest have turned from the truth of the Bible. That means 93 percent of professing Christians have no desire to hear the truth.
What Amos is speaking of in referring to a famine of God’s Word is that people will no longer “hear” the Word of God. Whether consciously or unconsciously they will seek after it in the end times, but they won’t find it. They didn’t want to “hear” it for so long that it will no longer be available to them. A “God famine,” so to speak, brought about by a lack of pursuit of His Word.
Many pastors are either going through this famine or are steeped in it. Because so many have turned away from God’s Word, they are no longer able to preach the truth. People not wanting to hear the truth have convinced their pastors of what they want to hear. Pastors wanting to please their congregations preach what their congregations want to hear. Both are turning away from what God wants them to be teaching and to be taught so that sooner or later God just takes the Word away from them all together. We know for a fact this end-time scenario is happening before our very eyes.
If we seek God, God tells us that we will find Him. On the other hand, if we despise God and remain in this attitude for very long, it will be increasingly more difficult to “hear” His word, let alone receive it unto ourselves. This is an attitude in which many are in today; they are completely unaware of where they are headed. Of course, we know they are headed for Hell.
If we as born-again believers will confront these people with the truth of God’s Word, the Holy Spirit has a better than even chance to convict them of their foolishness and turn them toward God and the Holy Bible before it’s too late. We must plant the seeds of His Word to stave off this famine coming in our land. God will do the rest.
You can learn more about the prophet Amos and his message of famine in James Collins’ new book The 12 available now from Beacon Street Press.
A Famine Is Coming....................James Collins.....January 5, 2022
Last week, I went to the grocery store with my wife. While I was there, I noticed that many products were missing from the store shelves. In fact, many of the shelves were just empty.
Why are the store shelves in America empty? Well, there are several reasons. First, consumers in this COVID crazy world are buying and hoarding products. People purchase extra items just in case there is another quarantine. Second, stores are dealing with a shortage of employees. We live in a country where people do not want to work. So, there is nobody to stock the shelves. Third, U.S. ports are backed up with ships wanting to unload their cargo. A shortage of truckers to move the goods has caused delays in unloading cargo ships. And there seems to be no end in sight.
Could empty grocery store shelves eventually lead to a famine in the United States? I don’t know. I do know that today we are seeing a famine growing all around this planet. We are told by the United Nations daily that a food famine is here, and it is growing. We are told that in just a short time we will need to be producing 50 percent more food than the world is currently producing.
Throughout history, famines have come and gone. Sometimes they are quite severe and encompass large areas of the globe. Other times they are not so far reaching, affecting only a small segment of our population. For the most part, the United States has been able to escape famines. We are a land of plenty. So much so that our country has always been very involved in sending supplies to areas where there is human suffering due to a famine or some other catastrophe.
Sure, today we are seeing a decline of availability of some food products and rising prices are beginning to put a strain on our pocketbooks. Gasoline prices more than doubled last year. The cost of living is high and going up. Still, most Americans will go to bed with full bellies tonight. We are not suffering from a famine in this country.
However, I believe there is a famine coming. Empty store shelves and high prices pale in comparison to the famine coming upon this land which was spoken of by Amos.
In Amos 8:11–12, we read, “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.”
The people of Amos’ time knew about famines. They had been through a few. They knew what it was like to live through a drought and watch one crop after another fail and die. They understood the suffering that famine brings when people starve to death. But the prophet Amos declared that there was a worse famine than a famine of food.
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). For you to grow spiritually, you must feast on the words of the Bible. Every kind of life requires nutrients—including your spirit. God gave you a Bible. God gave you men who have the gift of preaching and teaching. But are you listening?
A famine for the Word of God is coming upon our land and in fact is in partly already here. People as a whole—that is worldwide—are no longer interested in hearing the Word of God. We live in a world where people run to and fro seeking what they are not able to find. Because they have rejected God’s Word for so long, people are not able to recognize the truth any longer even if that is what they desire. We are reaping what we have sown.
Thank you Ken I found your explanations most interesting. You are obvious well versed in the Old Testament. Also in the NT? like how the book of Daniel, written a long time before Revelations fit the prophecies together, Please tell us more Ken...........................jenny
Lukeon?Port Elizabeth 6000, Eastern Cape South Africa Dec 29?476 Blogs?6,956 Comments #2015 May God grant you a peaceful happy healthy and prosperous 2024. Keep well dear lady. Thank you Lukeon for your New Years wishes. I also like to start wishing you good health as that is the most important when you have that you are rich. All what is best are my wishes for you my friend...................
That sounds noble, but those who know the dangers of globalism know that world unity is a harbinger of a world government, a world economy, and a world church. Bad news, but it is coming! In Riga, Latvia, on the road in front of the Russian Embassy, there is a sign: “Putin: The Hague is waiting for you.” The wanton destruction of Ukrainian lives and property by Russian troops is indeed morally wrong and must be condemned. However, Putin’s fears that Russia will be grievously harmed by the destruction of moral and religious values that are the bedrock of civilization are certainly justified. America has a serious problem that Russia doesn’t want. The Blaze News for March 8, 2022, announced: “Biden requests $2.6 billion from Congress to fund global gender equity programs.” Do we have $2.6 billion to spend for a fabricated cause when the threat of World War III is hanging over our head like Damocles’ sword? And the madness continues. U.S. troops are being brought back from their posts to be schooled in sensitivity training and the proper use of pronouns for those who have transitioned. Putin looks at stuff like this and he is horrified. So are many Americans! We should all be horrified. This is madness. Vladimir Putin wants to leave a noble legacy. This desire may have been strengthened by the fact that he may be suffering from cancer. Putin has been seen with Dr. Yevgeny Selivanov, who specializes in thyroid cancer. If he is leaving this world, Putin first wants to do something noble to earn God’s love so his sins will be forgiven; second, he identifies faithfulness to God with faithfulness to Russia. He sees patriotism and godly behavior as a faithful “Russian Orthodox Christian” as part of the same package. This is a warning to conservative Christians in America. We love America and know that it is more than a place; it is also an idea. But we must never equate love for God, with love for our America. We should never feel that God has let us down if, in the next presidential election, a God-hating, America-hating candidate wins! It could happen. Despite the low scores Joe Biden is getting in the polls, America may have come so far in the wrong direction that a large number of Americans may still vote for a Joe Biden kind of a leader. I see Donald Trump as having accomplished much good despite the continual media thrashing he received, but let’s not make him a patron saint. I believe that there will be worldwide revival, but I do not believe that it will be centered in America. Now is the time to heed Romans 12:1–2. It is the will of God to have the Spirit of God use the Word of God to make the children of God more like the Son of God.
Putin said, “December 11 marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Alexander Solzhenitsyn—a day of remembrance and respect and a day to revisit his literary legacy, his social and philosophical heritage (Michael J. Matt, Remnant tv). Do you ever think President Joe Biden—or Carter, Clinton, or Obama—would dedicate a statue to a Christian hero, say Billy Graham, and praise Graham with such glowing words? Pride, Patriotism and Putin A PBS News Hour Special Report, aired on 7/10/17, quoted a Russian Orthodox priest who said, “The state and my faith are united. They can’t be separated. The values of the church and the state coincide.”
What does this all mean for understanding the Russian invasion of Ukraine? PBS reporter Nick Schifrin explained and said, “In Russia faith is patriotic. The Orthodox Church criticizes liberal Western values as heresies, while Orthodox priests bless Russian weapons and endorse Putin politically and personally. The president’s faith increases his popularity.”
This seems to be a common view. Marcel H. Vanherpen writes, “Traditional values have become the rallying cry of extreme Right populist parties, which are sponsored by Moscow in its effort to undermine Western Liberal Democracy and universal human rights.” Indeed, the Kremlin has delighted in the ideological relationship between the Russian Orthodox Church and Russian Nationalism. Though the ROC is much like Roman Catholicism in many ways, it is very different in that Roman Catholicism has no specific connection with any nation or political system, whereas the ROC is Russian in every way. The Moscow Patriarchate considers Moscow as the “Third Rome,” the spiritual center for all ROC believers. To be Russian is to be a member of the Russian Orthodox Church. Anything less borders on hostility against “Mother Russia.” “Bad Boy Zelensky” Russia sees Ukrainian president Zelensky as a danger to traditional values. Good looking and a Ukrainian TV star, Zelensky has already had to deal with hecklers who think he is taking the country in the wrong direction and somehow receiving a payoff from George Soros.
Pinknews.co.uk printed Zelensky’s response to an angry heckler who threw a number of charges at Zelensky. His response:
“I don’t know Mr. Soros. I’m not his toadie so I can’t continue with his tasks because I have nothing to do with them, I’m not engaged in the legislation of prostitution which doesn’t exist in the country. Legislation of anything in the country can only be implemented through Ukrainian law if changes to the legislation are approved. This means by the hands of the Ukrainian parliament and by approval of laws.”
When Zelensky saw an attack on Ukraine’s gay people coming he became visibly agitated. “Regarding LGBT—I don’t want to say anything negative because we all live in an open society where each one can choose the language they speak, their ethnicity and s*xual orientation. … Leave those finally at peace, for God’s sake!”
Points For Prayer, Thoughtful Reflection and Serious Self-examination Pray for Christian ministries in Ukraine and in European countries that are taking refugees, such as Poland. While Poland is a Catholic country, there are several evangelical churches providing food and shelter for refugees, and also sharing the Gospel. Not everyone who quotes Jesus is doing Jesus’ work. President Putin quoted Jesus, but I do not believe Jesus is happy with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The war in the Ukraine has persuaded many people that we need a “New World Order.” Nations with weapons—especially nuclear weapons and chemical and biological weapons—pose definite risks to the human race. No matter how the war in Ukraine turns out, Putin’s attack on a small nation gave the world a time and motive to put aside differences and stand united against the Russian bully.
Saint Vladimir and the Brutal Cleansing of an Empire Larry Spargimino................................May 24, 2022
Since February of 2022 the world has been shocked by the devastation the Russian military has brought upon Ukraine. While state media in Russia, and some groups in America, have claimed that the death toll has been “doctored” to deliberately arouse outrage at Russian nationalism, the abundant testimony of observers and Christian aid workers on the ground plus numerous satellite photos, leads me to believe that the wanton destruction of property and the targeting of civilians is real.
The attack on a maternity hospital, the use of cluster munitions and thermobaric bombs that suck oxygen out of lungs, and the testimony of refugees who have escaped to Poland and elsewhere testify, to the “scorched-earth” policy of the Russian military. What is Russia trying to accomplish? Are they afraid that Ukraine would join NATO? Are the Russians trying to stop the alleged “Nazification” of Ukraine? Or is there something else driving the madness? The Real Vladimir Putin On May 7, 2018, 65-year-old Vladimir Putin was sworn in as president of Russia for another six-year term, having been elected with 77% of the nation’s vote. The ceremony was low-key. No one realized it at the time, but Russian Orthodox head Patriarch Krill gave Putin a treasured 18th-century icon. After the ceremony, Mr. Putin attended a prayer service at the Cathedral of the Annunciation.
This would seem to be strange behavior for a communist. Aren’t they generally atheists? Is Vladimir Putin a follower of Jesus?
In a pro-war rally in March of 2022 justifying the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Mr. Putin said: “Words from the Holy Bible come to my head: ‘There is no greater love than if someone gives his soul for his friends,’” a paraphrase of John 15:13.
In a WorldNetDaily piece titled, “Is Putin chiefly motivated by spiritual beliefs” (3/14/22), Dr. Michael Brown argues that Vladimir Putin is really not threatened by the expansion of NATO, but by the moral degeneracy of the West. In a speech given on September 19, 2013, Putin said:
“Another serious challenge to Russia’s identity is linked to events taking place in the world. Here there are both foreign policy and moral aspects. We can see how many of the Euro-Atlantic countries are actually redirecting their roots, including the Christian values that constitute the basis of Western civilization. They are denying moral principles and all traditional identities: national, cultural, religious and even s*xual. … The excesses of political correctness have reached the point where people are seriously talking about registering political parties whose aim is to promote pedophilia. People in many European countries are embarrassed or afraid to talk about their religious affiliations.”
President Putin’s return to what he views as Russia’s Orthodox Christian faith has become increasingly more public and open in recent years. While zealots in America’s cancel culture are pulling down statues that enshrine past heroes, Russia is doing just the opposite.
On July 17, 2021, Vladimir Putin took part in the unveiling of a second equestrian monument honoring Czar Nicholas II, who is seen riding a horse and holding a Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) cross. He is called the “Last Christian Czar in Russia.” Putin is also seen dedicating a statue to Russian Christian dissident Alexander Solzhenitsyn, the man who spent a decade in the Russian gulag and who gave the reason for Russia’s decline as—“We have forgotten God. That’s why this has happened to us.” Surprisingly, Putin voiced displeasure with the Stalinist regime and called Solzhenitsyn “a true Russian patriot” who suffered “horrible abuse with millions of Russians under the gulag system.”
We may wonder if this “great spoil” might not be Israeli oil. Some prophetic observers believe the invasion of God with his allies will take place just before the Tribulation; others believe this will be immediately after the Rapture of the church; and some believe it will be at the midpoint of the Tribulation. Regardless, what we see occurring in the Middle East today is further evidence that Jesus Christ could come at any time.
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: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words. —1 Thessalonians 4:16—18
Everyone acknowledges that the world is not a safe place to live anymore. These are the perilous times of the last days. The only comfort we have in the world today is the salvation that we have in Jesus Christ. If Jesus Christ were to come today, would you be ready? Any unsaved person can be saved today: “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” (John 3:16).
He made him ride on the high places of the earth, that he might eat the increase of the fields; and he made him to suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock” (Deuteronomy 32:9, 12–13).
There is no great mystery about sucking honey out of the rock because, in the Middle East where large hollow trees are scarce, bees often make their hives in rock cliffs. However, sucking oil out of flinty rock is another matter. If olive oil is meant here, then it could come only by a miracle of God. That God could perform such a miracle is beyond question. However, since honey is literally found in the rocks, then within the same context we must look for oil in flinty rocks. As geologists will confirm, crude oil from which petroleum and other fossil fuels are made is found in flinty rocks or shale..
The Oil of Sodom Before the destruction of Sodom, Gomorrah, and the nearby towns, the Dead Sea area was a small portion of the earth left over from the pre-flood age: “And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar” (Genesis 13:10). The below-sea-level condition with abundant fresh water created a protected hothouse environment. This must have indeed been a beautiful place, but there was one problem—slime pits, bitumen surface pools, or seeping oil (Genesis 14:10). These oil bogs evidently figured into the route of the kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, and Edom by the kings of the north led by Amraphel, also known as Hammurabi of Babylon. A few years later, and after Abraham had defeated the kings of the north and saved Lot, God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah with fire and brimstone in a catastrophic explosion which created the Dead Sea. It has been claimed by many that the mineral and chemical wealth of the Dead Sea is more than the rest of all the world. I have personally always accepted this claim as exaggeration, although the net worth of the Dead Sea chemicals indeed must be great, but the wealth of the Dead Sea is not due to sedimentary evaporation. Water that comes into the Dead Sea from the Jordan River is good for drinking and irrigation, accounting for 90 percent of Israel’s fresh water supply. Under the Dead Sea are salt and chemical deposits hundreds and possibly thousands of feet deep.
That there was a Sodom and Gomorrah that was destroyed in a terrible conflagration is beyond question. Josephus wrote in The Wars of the Jews that in his time (A.D. 70) the charred remains of the fruit from the trees was still in evidence on the cliffs of the Asphaltic Sea. The Dead Sea was in Josephus’ time called the Asphaltic Sea because it was covered with thick oil which was used to pitch ships. What happened to stop the oil from seeping into the Dead Sea is not known. There was a giant earthquake in the eighth century along the African-Syrian rift that leveled Philadelphia (Amman), Beth Shan, Jerash, and other cities. It is possible that the shifting of the fault line sealed off the oil flow. In any event, as the Bible indicates, the oil is still there.
The Spoil of Oil We read the Word of prophecy in Ezekiel 38–39, that a huge national power to the north of Israel, Gog, will come down against Israel to take a “great spoil.” Most prophetic scholars believe Gog to be modern Russia. Aligned with Gog will be armies from Turkey (Togarmah), Iran (Persia), and Libya. We read in Ezekiel that Gog will come down for cattle and goods. I have been to Russia on missions, and the economic situation there continues to worsen. Russia today is starving, and Israel is overflowing with cattle and foods of all kinds. Ezekiel said also that God and his allies would come to take a “great spoil.”
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What Makes Jesus Unique? No one else made the claims that He did, He is alive...............
Keeping Your Ethical Edge Sharp........Larry Spargimino......May 15, 2021Our world has a way of dulling what needs to be razor sharp—our ethical edge. God has called His people to holiness and sanctification. Writing to Christians scattered in Asia Minor, Peter says, “As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation” (1 Pet. 1:14–15).
Yet, the church, as a whole, seems to be falling far short of God’s call to holiness. Protestia.com examines a new Barna poll and concludes, “The Christian church is seriously messed up. A new poll … released by George Barna’s Cultural Research Center shows that professing Christians are developing more and more decidedly unchristian beliefs, demonstrating that many of these professing Christians are, in fact, un-professing pagans.”
Are we surprised? I doubt it. Like the man or woman who has been living a life of dissipation waiting for test results is not surprised when they come back positive. Christians have developed an anything–goes mindset when it comes to matters of faith, doctrine, morals, values and lifestyles. In other words, we’ve lost our ethical edge.
Does It Matter If a Christian Sins?
We must never diminish, neutralize, or downplay the grace of God. G-R-A-C-E is God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. It is “unmerited favor,” a super-kind treatment that sinful humans don’t deserve and, even after they are saved, still don’t deserve. Justice is getting what we deserve. Mercy is not getting what we deserve. Grace is getting what we don’t deserve—eternal life. However, hyper-grace teachers leave out the truth that it does matter if a Christian sins, especially for Christians who are leaders. Their sin demoralizes the Christian community and weakens our testimony. Not only that, but their sin causes the enemies of God to take courage and to be emboldened.
In 2 Samuel 12 Nathan told David a parable. David took it to heart and condemned the man in Nathan’s parable, but in doing that David condemned his own adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband, Uriah. Nathan said, “Thou art the man!” (vs. 7). The truth was crushing. “And David said to Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord.” To his credit, David did not order the execution of Nathan for disrespect but admitted his sin. “And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto David, The Lord also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die. Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die” (vss. 13–14).
David was the sweet psalmist of Israel, a “man after God’s own heart” (Acts 13:22), who had a serious lapse into carnality. Even for those who are not kings, a Christian’s behavior affects what people think of God and His teachings—“Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed” (1 Tim. 6:1). I am not trying to slip in some legalism here, or set myself up as a paragon of virtue (I’m not and need God’s grace every day—ask my wife!), but may we all realize the serious consequences to our sins, especially public ones.
Bad Days
Have you ever had a bad day? People define a bad day in different ways. “My car won’t start.” “I didn’t get that job promotion I thought I deserve.” “My girlfriend gave me back my engagement ring.” “The Internal Revenue Service wants to do an audit.” “My department head says our department is lagging in sales.” Sometimes things like that pile up. We can have a bad day, or even a bad week.
But what is a bad day for a Christian? It’s a day in which something happens—either through a wrong choice or quite unexpectedly—that weakens our commitment to walk with Jesus Christ in obedience and truth.[/size