Nations In Commotion
Ezekiel 38 & 39 are chapters of interest as they describe movements of various nations. God and Magog, Gomer and Togarmah, include Russia and regional nations. Persia is Iran, Libya, and Ethiopia, nations of Africa.
As we observe the power struggles described by Jesus in Matthew 24, of nation rising up against nation and kingdom against kingdom, these do not add up to be greater allies and friends for Israel, but rather more hostility towards them. This lends itself to the future when all nations will be gathered against Jerusalem to battle (Zechariah 14:2) under the direction of the anti christ (Revelation 19:19-21).
Revelation 3:17 “And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” Have you noticed that nations respond to issues and crises, not so much on the rights of sovereign nations or sympathies for those being wronged, but on economics? Nations have structured their dependence upon each other in trade and commerce to the extent that this dependency dictates who they resist and to whom they yield.
There were needful reasons why God divided the world at the tower of Babel (Genesis 11). Man’s way of reuniting that which God divided is bringing the world together in an economic bondage that will be used by the anti christ to control nations: either yield to his policies, or face economic disaster.
What is down the road for the U.S. economically? Our government has to borrow over 40 cents of every dollar that it spends. How long can this go on? The U.S. dollar is steadily losing its strength to remain the accepted world currency. What happens when the dollar collapses? The 9/11 attacks and the economic recession that followed, revealed how fragile our economic state is. We are not alone; other nations are likewise going down the path to economic collapse, which results in dependency.
Who will the nations turn to? The new world order, with its one world economic system, premiered by the anti christ. “…and all the world wondered after the beast” Revelation 13:3. “…and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him?” Revelation 13:4.
The Bible makes it possible for man to see and understand what is going on and what is coming. STICK CLOSE TO THE BIBLE!
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The Challenge To Master
“But speaking the truth in love…” Ephesians 4:15
“…reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering…” 2 Timothy 4:2
No one would let a dentist fill their cavities, if they knew he was going to cause them as much pain as possible in the process. Doctors and dentists gain a reputation for their kindness and consideration, or, on the other hand, for their roughness and insensitivity.
We are not going to let others doctor us spiritually, if they sting us every time they get the opportunity. It is all important that we establish trust in our fellowship by establishing the right feelings in our hearts toward our brothers and sisters in Christ.
We all, as fellow members of the body of Christ, need the ministry that each can afford one another by God’s grace: “That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.” 1 Corinthians 12:25 It is spite that withdraws and refuses to care for others. We owe it to the body of Christ, and we fulfill this sacred obligation, by establishing confidence in one another, as being kindly affectioned one to another in brotherly love, and in honor preferring one another: “Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.” Philippians 2:2-3
Christ taught His disciples that the blessedness and happy returns of Christian fellowship come back to us as we strive to wash one another’s feet, rather than become critical of one another for having dirt on our feet. (John 13:14-17)
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23 This is the level that God makes possible: “Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.” Galatians 5:16.
“Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” Ephesians 4:31-32
SHARINGHow Credible Is The Idea Of Global Warming?
“While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” Genesis 8:22
One should note the origin of those sounding the doomsday alarm concerning global warming, as well as consider that there is a political agenda that is at work here. The political tactic, called “fear-mongering”, is to keep the populace alarmed about so-called situations, that require the people to look to and follow the dictates of political leaders in order to be led to safety. This allows for greater taxation and more government regulations, giving more power to politics.
In light of Bible teaching and prophecy, the global warming that the “experts” are crying about is one thing man will not face. Nowhere does God’s Word teach that global warming is an imminent threat to mankind, nor does it teach that man has the ability to control global climate, either to keep it as it is, or to change it for better or for worse.
A study of the prophecies of the book of Revelation reveal there are coming catastrophic events to occur in nature. But these events will all originate by Divine decrees that supersede the range of natural occurrences. They will supersede anything known by man, or that is possible through natural degeneration. Consider the plagues upon the land of Egypt in the book of Exodus as a foretaste, but even these are no comparison to the events to occur during the Great Tribulation.
Besides this, there are many climatologists who to not share the view that we are headed down the path of catastrophic global warming. Dr. Tim Ball, chairman of the Natural Resources Stewardship Project, and former climatology professor at The University of Winnipeg, Manitoba, wrote: “Global warming, as we think we know it, doesn’t exist.” The proposed conclusions: (1) Climate changes are well within the bounds of natural variability, in which the earth’s climate has warmed and cooled cyclically throughout its history; (2) These changes are largely natural in origin; (3) These changes are unlikely to be catastrophic to humanity or the biosphere; (4) These changes are not susceptible to significant reduction by any actions we take; (5) These changes are far from the most serious threat to humanity and the rest of our environment.
SHARINGThe Biblical Baptist Identity
“There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. …he that sent me to baptize with water.” John 1:6,33
Baptist in the New Testament is the identity God gave to the agent by which He sent the New Testament (covenant) seal = baptism. “In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea” Matthew 3:1. John was identified as a Baptist when he came preaching, not after he had baptized for a while.
John came as Christ’s forerunner, “…to make ready a people prepared for the Lord” Luke 1:17. From this prepared people, Jesus called and ordained His apostles, and set them first in the church that He built during His earthly ministry. Peter and the apostles, and the 120 first church members, had only the baptism of John, and they only administered the same baptism they had received. Jesus Christ, who went to John to be baptized of this heaven sent, New Testament Baptist baptism, declared it necessary to do so in order to fulfill all righteousness, Matthew 3:15. Before His ascension, Christ made the New Testament Church He had built the agent of this Baptist baptism, Matthew 28:19-20. All who rejected the baptism of John were declared to have rejected the counsel of God against themselves, Luke 7:30. Thus, there is but one Lord, one faith, one baptism – Ephesians 4:5.
There is no saving grace in the Baptist identity. But it is embraced due to following the operation of God in identifying the baptism of the New Testament, sent from heaven, which Christ set in His church. To accept the one baptism which God sent from heaven, gives us every reason to accept the God given identity of the agent of that baptism, which is no longer John, but now the New Testament Baptist Church.
The rejection of Baptist as being the identity of God’s agent of New Testament baptism, is first due to the rejection of the baptism itself. Those who reject the Baptist identity for the agent of New Testament baptism, first reject the truth that the baptism God sent from heaven by John, is really New Testament baptism. They throw things out like, “Well, John’s baptism belonged to the Old Testament, etc.” NOT SO, because all that belonged to the Old Testament was given to Moses on the mount! “For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.” Matthew 11:13
SHARINGWhy A Christian Should Be Encouraged In Days Of Difficulty
BECAUSE he has a Father in Heaven who loves him, cares for him, and has blessed him with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ (John 16:27; Luke 12:22-28; Ephesians 1:3)
BECAUSE he has a Great High Priest in Heaven to sympathize with him, succor and support him, and to conduct him into the enjoyment of heavenly things (Hebrews 2:17-18; 4:14-16; 8:1-6)
BECAUSE he has a Great and Good Shepherd to lead him, care for him, protect him, and sustain him until the time when the Lord takes him Home to Glory (Psalm 23; Hebrews 13:20-21)
BECAUSE He has an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous, who pleads his cause and always prevails (1 John 1:8-10; 2:1)
BECAUSE he has a Divine Counsellor to go to for counsel or advice at all times who will give him understanding and lead him in the right path (Isaiah 9:6; Proverbs 3:5-6)
BECAUSE he has an Abiding Comforter (the Holy Spirit) to guide him in his understanding of the Word, to teach him spiritual truth and to take of the things of Christ and show them unto him (John 14:16-17; 16:13-14)
BECAUSE he has a Throne of Grace to go to at all times, for grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:14-16; 1 John 5:14-15; Philippians 4:6-7)
BECAUSE he has the Holy Scriptures to search and study which testify of the sufferings of Christ and the glory to follow; they also empower and transform him into Christ’s likeness (1 Peter 1:6-11; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Peter 1:4-8)
BECAUSE angels minister unto him in response to his Heavenly Father’s command, being an heir of salvation (Hebrews 1:14; Psalm 103:17-21)
BECAUSE he is an heir to an incorruptible inheritance, undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven, and is kept by the power of God until he comes into possession (1 Peter 1:3-5)
BECAUSE he has before him the Blessed Hope of the Lord’s imminent return to catch away His saints to comfort him in times of difficulty (Titus 2:13; 1 John 3:2; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 5:9-11)
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