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Prophe-Zine Issue 072
PropheZine #72
Feb. 1, 1999
Bob Lally Publisher
Mimi Nila Senior Editor
Rick Woodcock Asst. Editor
Abraham George Asst. Editor
Lori Eldridge Asst. Editor
Bob Ippolito Asst. Editor
Faye Carrier Asst. Editor
ARTICLES
Chuck Missler..........................Our Desperate Warfare
David Wilkerson........................Freedom from Fear
Gregory Koukl............................Christianity Worth Thinking About
Ron Graff..............................1998 In Review The Year In Prophecy
Norbert Lieth..........................How to Prepare for the Rapture
PROPHEZINE COMMENTARIES
Bryan Hupperts...........................An Open Letter to Monica Lewinski
glendaday@smithville.net.................World Headquarters for the Bahai Faith
Rick Woodcock..............The President Who Could Break America
Lee Underwood ...................F.Y.I. - Israel in the News
Ron Wallace................................Faith Rest
Submitted by Lori Eldridge.................Two Boxes
From a brother in the Phillipines........."Finishing"
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A Note From Bob Lally
Briefly, PropheZine will soon begin publishing in Spanish! We have 9 translators but need more to reduce the number of pages per translator. If you have not contacted me about this and would like to help, even if only on a trial basis, please contact me, bob@prophezine.com. Also, I need ideas and help in contacting Spanish speaking people to let them know about this.
Thank you and may the Lord richly bless you with His word.
Bob
=====================
Hello Everyone,
This newsletter is focused on our faith in Him, Jesus. Although the world seems out of control, God is still on the Throne in Heaven. Our Assistant Editor Lori Eldridge suggested we put together a newsletter to encourage everyone in their faith. I am trusting in Him that He will comfort you as you read His word in the articles, by these gifted teachers. Jesus cares for you and loves you. Our hope lies in Him. This world holds nothing for us. May God give you His richest blessings in these last days.
In His Service,
Mimi Nila
Matthew 24:38-46
38For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage,until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
40Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
41Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
42Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
43But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
44Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
45Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
46Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
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|
| A Personal Challenge:
| Our Desperate Warfare
| By Chuck Missler
|
We are presently engaged in warfare. Did you realize that? Are you equipped and prepared? Or are you a sitting duck?
Our Present Predicament
Our problems in America are not financial. Any businessman knows that cash flow is a symptom, not a cause in itself. It is an indicator of other more fundamental problems.
Our most telling deficiencies are not military - despite the media's attempts to mask their deterioration in pursuit of "political correctness."
America is in a moral free fall. We are victims of spiritual warfare. We have a media masking truth. We have courts without justice. We have anger replacing patriotism. We have schools deliberately "dumbing down" our youth. We have replaced our traditional heritage with "multiculturalism,"
revisionism, and values relativism.
Our government is now the purveyor of immorality. Why are we surprised?
Governments have always loved crises: they provide the rationale for increasing budgets and bureaucracies and subjugating the population. Most new dictators create external crises to consolidate their internal powers.
In our country, they long ago learned that social crises serve as well as military ones. There is one insight that supplies a key missing link: immorality results in social crises.
Is it any surprise to learn that governments have an enormous incentive to promote immorality?!
The Age of Deceit
Our schools inculcate our children with the myth of evolution-that their existence is the result of a cosmic accident and thus deny any teleological purpose to their lives. (Then we wonder why they have no sense of destiny or self-esteem.)
Our scientific establishments continue to promote this falsehood, despite the abundant evidence that these anachronistic theories no longer fit the known facts. (1) Our government continues to disseminate disinformation to promote the pursuit of its socialist agenda. Our investigative institutions seem to devote their resources to cover-ups rather than the pursuit of truth and justice. Even the average citizen is evidencing more anger than patriotism. Yet, who is the god of this world? Satan. (2) What is his primary weapon? Deceit. (3) Why are we surprised?
We are, indeed, involved in a desperate warfare. A spiritual warfare. How do we deal with it?
Our Major Combat
Our warfare is not with spooks behind trees or "things that go bump in the night." Some of our adversaries wear three-piece suits, carry briefcases with cellular phones, speak excellent English and network effectively. But we are indeed in spiritual warfare. And we are in enemy territory. We are on his turf.
So what are our resources? The Bible commands us "to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might" (4). How do we do this? In our own strength, we are no match for the Adversary.
Further, the Bible instructs us to "put on the whole armor of God." (5) What is this? What does this really mean? Notice that we must be completely armed: one or two pieces won't do. And the time to "put it on" is before the battle begins, not during. And we are already on enemy turf!
Strategic Intelligence Report
This is not only a matter of contending against godless philosophers, crafty gurus, Christ-denying cultists and neo-pagan rulers, but a highly organized army of demonic forces and battalions of fallen angels:
"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." Ephesians 6:12
The Real Reality
Our physical world is the result of spiritual battles. One of the glimpses we have o this occurs with Elisha's servant in 2 Kings 6:8-17.
The king of Syria is frustrated as he discovers that his enemy, the king of Israel, anticipates his every move. He suspects a traitor in his midst, but discovers that it is Elisha that whispers his moves to the king. (6) (This is the first recorded use of a phone-tap!) So the king sends his troops to surround Elisha's village.
Elisha's servant gets up one morning and discovers that they are surrounded by the armed forces of the enemy! He is terrified. When, in panic, he informs Elisha he is simply told: "Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them." I visualize the servant saying, "Yes, Boss, but I hear them. They are real. And they are out there, revving their engines!"
I can just see Elisha, perhaps with a condescending impatience, "Lord, I
pray thee, open his eyes that he may see." The Scripture records that "the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha." (7)
A "Reveal Codes" Key
If you are one who uses a word processing program on your computer, you know that there are many hidden codes buried within your text as you write:
codes that establish the margins, the type fonts, and over a hundred subtleties that are needed to properly form the text when it is printed.
These would be an encumbrance and a distraction if they were visible as we write so they are hidden from view in normal usage.
However, there are times when we want to examine and perhaps modify these hidden codes, so there is, typically, a "reveal codes" command or key that will display-often in a different color-the codes which lie behind the text.
That's what we sometimes wish we had in life: a "reveal codes" key that would make visible the incredible forces on our side. That is, in effect, what Elisha's prayer provided his servant: a glimpse of the spiritual resources protecting them from their enemy.
Another example occurs in Daniel Chapter 10. A messenger is dispatched to bring a message to Daniel in response to his prayer and fasting and enters spiritual combat for 21 days to get through.
We discover that there are, apparently, major principal demonic powers behind the major movements of history_the "prince of Persia" and the "prince of Greece" in this case. Strange. Spooky. (Study this chapter carefully.)
Paul's Armament List
In Ephesians 6, Paul provides us with a detailed description of the Armor of God. The detailed description of the armor may stem from Paul's being chained to a Roman soldier while in prison awaiting trial. (8)
Most assume that the chains were to keep Paul from escaping. From Paul's point of view, it was so that the soldier could not get away! Can you imagine being chained to Paul for an entire shift? Paul won most of them to Christ! (9))
Actually, the Holy Spirit is consistent in His use of idioms: these same elements are alluded to in the Old Testament. (10)
Our Imperative
The Bible commands us, with all urgency, to "put on the whole armor of God." The form of the Greek imperative "put on" indicates that believers are responsible for putting on God's (not their own) full armor. (11). Can we stand without His armor? What does this really mean? What is involved?
How do we do it?
Coming Soon
This article will initiate a series of discussions on the Armor of God from Ephesians 6:10-20. Our forthcoming articles will examine each piece of armor and attempt to apply it practically to our personal predicament. The next article in this series: What is Truth?
For a detailed study of spiritual warfare and the Armor of God, see the following Briefing Package, http://thesource.khouse.org/cgi-bin/SoftCart.exe/aad.html?E+thesource Armor for the Age of Deceit.
Sources:
Chuck Missler,
Armor for the Age of Deceit, The Vortex Strategy series, Vols 1-3;
The New World Order, 2-tape Briefing Packages.
Notes:
1. Numerous competent publications are highlighting how new discoveries are casting substantial scientific doubt on evolutionary hypotheses. One of the best is by Michael Denton, Evolution: A Theory in Crisis, Adler & Adler, Bethesda MD, 1985. Also review our recent book "The Creator Beyond Time and Space" or the Briefing Packages derived from it.
2. 3. 2 Corinthians 4:4; 1 John 4:4.
4. 5. Revelation 12:9; et al.
6. 7. Ephesians 6:10.
8. 9. Ephesians 6:11,13.
10. 11. 2 Kings 6:12.
12. 13. 2 Kings 6:17.
14. 15. Acts 28:16, 20.
16. 17. Philippians 4:21-22.
18. 19. Isaiah 59:16,17.
20. 21. Panoplian, also in verse 13. All the armor and weapons together were called the hapla. Cf. 2 Corinthians 6:7.22.
This article was first published in the August 1996 edition of <update.html>Personal Update.
Copyright (c) 1996-1998 by K-House Interactive Inc.
P.O. Box D Coeur d'Alene, ID 83816 http://www.khouse.org/
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|
| Freedom from Fear
| By David Wilkerson
|
The economies of the nations are shaking and crumbling, and fear is mounting worldwide. And now, as this shaking continues, we're witnessing Jesus' words come to pass:
"...upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity...men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken" (Luke 21:25-26). Christ is warning us, "Without hope in me, multitudes of people are literally going to die of fright!"
For Jesus' followers, however those who trust in God's promises to preserve his children there is glorious freedom from all fear. In fact, all who come under the lordship of Christ never need fear again, if they'll just lay hold of the following secret: True freedom from fear consists of totally resigning one's life into the hands of the Lord.
Resigning ourselves into God's care is an act of faith. It means putting ourselves completely under his power, wisdom and mercy, to be led and preserved according to his will alone. And, if we do so, the God of the universe promises to be totally responsible for us to feed, clothe and shelter us, and to guard our hearts from all evil.
Jesus provided the ultimate example of this kind of holy resignation, when he went to the cross. Just before he gave up his spirit, he cried aloud, "...Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit..." (Luke 23:46).
Christ literally placed the keeping of both his life and his eternal future in the custody of the father. And, in doing so, he placed the souls of every one of his sheep into the father's hands.
You may wonder, "But didn't Jesus say he had the power both to lay down his life and to take it up again? (see John 10:18). Since he had the power to 'take up his life again,' why did he resign it into God's hands to be preserved?" The answer is obvious: Jesus did it to set an example for all of his sheep to follow!
God Has the Power, Wisdom,
Willingness and Love to
Preserve His Beloved People.
If we're being asked to trust our lives to someone, then we have to know that this someone has the power to keep us from all danger, threats and violence. Otherwise, our trust is in vain. Simply put, our God has to have the wisdom and power to guide us as well as to guide countless multitudes of others through various crises and difficulties. And he must accomplish this guidance of his people in love.
Now, if you know the Lord at all, then you know this is his character. He is almighty, infinitely wise, and a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Indeed, he is the very essence of love. The apostle Paul writes, "...I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day" (2 Timothy 1:12).
Paul is saying, "I've put my life in the Lord's hands. And I'm persuaded he won't embezzle my trust. On the contrary, he's going to faithfully keep his word to preserve me because he's both able and willing to do so. That has been my experience with the Lord!"
Today, as the storm clouds gather over our nation, our choice is clear: We can either resign our lives into the Lord's hands, or we can be responsible for keeping and preserving ourselves, a task that's impossible when God is shaking everything!
The fact is, our peace and contentment always depend on our resignation into God's hands, no matter what our circumstance. The psalmist writes, "Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart" (Psalm 37:4).
If You've Fully Resigned Yourself
Into God's Hands, Then You're Able
To Endure Any and All Hardships.
No matter what calamity befalls you, you know it can't be soul-damning, because you are clay in your father's hands. He desires for you to be able to go about your daily business without fear or anxiety, totally trusting in his care. And your resignation to him has a very practical effect in your life. The more resigned you are to God's care and keeping, the more indifferent you'll be to the conditions around you.
If you are resigned to him, you won't constantly try to figure out the next step. You won't even be scared by the frightful news swirling around you. You won't be overwhelmed as you think about the days ahead because you've entrusted your life, family and future into your Lord's safe and loving hands.
I ask you how worried or concerned do you think literal sheep are, as they follow their shepherd into open pastures? They're not worried at all, because they're totally resigned to his leading of them.
Likewise, we are the sheep of Christ, who is our great shepherd. So, why should we ever be concerned, disquieted or worried about our lives and futures? He knows perfectly how to protect and preserve his flock because he leads us in love!
How Is Our Resignation Into God's Hands Accomplished?
We see in the Bible that whenever someone approached this walk of self-resignation, he did so only with great seriousness of thought. It's easy for Christians today to say, "The Lord's will be done," in a general way. But it's another matter entirely for us to resign ourselves into the Lord's hands about a particular circumstance.
In my own life, I've had to learn to trust God one problem at a time. Think about it: How can I say I trust God with everything, if I haven't proven I can trust him with just one thing? Merely saying the words "I
trust the Lord completely" isn't sufficient. I have to prove this over and over again in my life, in many areas and in everyday things.
Also, our resignation into the Lord's hands can't be forced. It must be a free and willing surrender. There are several biblical examples of people who failed at this. Consider Egypt's Pharaoh: Only when he couldn't hold out against God's plagues any longer did he resign to let Israel take their wilderness journey.
Likewise, many people living today have said, "I resign, I commit, I trust," only after they saw there was no other way out of their situation. But true resignation the kind that pleases God is done freely and willingly, prior to our coming to wit's end. We are to act in covenant with the Lord, as Abraham did giving God his life as a blank check, and letting the Lord fill it all in.
God will accept no less than our all in this matter. If we resign our lives to him only half-heartedly, with any kind of reservation, we're as guilty as Ananias and Sapphira were. They pretended to give their all to the Lord, but in reality they held back a part and they paid with their lives. In short, our resignation to God must be without conditions. There can be no deals or restrictions placed on our Lord; we have to give up all control into his hands.
Now, by resigning ourselves wholly into God's hands, we surrender all of our own thoughts, ways and desires and we subscribe totally to his wisdom and truth. Such a resignation is by nature a daily, ongoing work. It can't be done just once. God sees through all of our temporary submissions in times of distress, and through all of our feigned obedience.
Although the psalmist says we're to trust in God at all times, our proud flesh always desires to keep control over our lives. It constantly tries to convince us we can preserve ourselves by our own wits. And so, at the very moment we resign ourselves wholly to the Lord, our flesh rears its stubborn will and we quickly discover how determined our heart is to make its own way.
Casting Ourselves Upon The
Lord in Full Dependency is
One of The Hardest Things We
Christians Have to Do in Life.
Total resignation to God is an impossible task one that can be done only by faith. However, once we make this holy resignation to the Lord, no difficulty can prevail against us. Our faith in our shepherd will carry us, soul and body, through all hardships, discouragement's and natural impossibilities.
We have to be aware, though, that once we make this commitment, we trip a loud alarm in hell. Once a resigned Christian yields all control to the Lord, placing every matter of his life into God's hands, Satan will rise up to oppose him with ferocity.
Consider what happened with Paul: As long as he went on his pharisaical way, apart from the Lord's will, he felt no opposition from the enemy. Yet, when he placed his life wholly in God's custody, he was buffeted and attacked relentlessly.
Likewise, beloved, if you yield all to God, you'll be fiercely opposed by every power of darkness. Satan will erect mountains of frightful conditions before you, to try to drive you to unbelief. He'll flood your mind and heart with doubts and fears that had never even crossed your mind before. His strategy is simply to turn your gaze onto "how bad things are going to get," rather than onto God's promises to keep you through any crisis.
I've felt this struggle many times throughout my years in ministry. When hard times have come, doubts have risen up in my heart and whispered accusingly, "Well, David, what are you going to do now? How will you be preserved through this crisis? What's your plan for survival?"
Satan will do anything to keep our focus away from Jesus! Yet we know from the scriptures that this kind of temptation is the experience of all who commit to follow Christ.
Fear Will Inevitably Come Upon
You When The Storm Hits.
The biblical prophets warn us that when we see God shaking the nations, and perilous times befall us, our natural man will fear greatly. Ezekiel asked, "Can thine heart endure, or can thine hands be strong, in the days that I shall deal with thee?" (Ezekiel 22:14).
When God warned Noah of his coming judgments and told him to build an ark, Noah was "moved with fear" (Hebrews 11:7). Even bold, courageous David said, "My flesh trembleth for fear of thee; and I am afraid of thy judgments" (Psalm 119:120). And when the prophet Habakkuk saw disastrous days ahead, he cried out, "When I heard, my belly trembled; my lips quivered at the voice: rottenness entered into my bones, and I trembled in myself, that I might rest in the day of trouble..." (Habakkuk 3:16).
Please note as you read these passages: The fear that came upon these godly men wasn't a fleshly fear, but a reverential awe of the Lord. These saints weren't afraid of the enemy of their souls but they did fear God's righteous judgments. And that's because they understood the awesome power behind the approaching calamities. They didn't fear the outcome of the storm, but rather God's holiness!
Likewise, each of us will experience overwhelming fear in the coming times of destruction and disaster.
But our fear must come from a holy reverence for the Lord, and never from a fleshly anxiety about our fate. God despises all sinful fear in us, the fear of losing material things, wealth, our standard of living.
All over the world today, people are filled with this kind of fear, as they see their nations' economies deteriorating. They're afraid an economic flood will sweep away everything they've labored for throughout their lifetime. And they're saying, "All my sweat, all my efforts to build an estate and prepare for the future, are about to come to ruin. I'm going to live in poverty!"
Such is the cry of unbelievers who have no hope. It ought not to be the cry of the godly. Indeed, if you're a child of God, your heavenly father will not endure such unbelief in you. Isaiah warned:
"...who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass; and forgettest the Lord thy maker...and hast feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor..." (Isaiah 51:12-13). "Sanctify the Lord of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread [awe]" (8:13).
Let God be your fear and awe. That kind of fear leads not to death, but to life!
Right Now, America is Filled With
People Who Think No Distressing
Calamity Will Ever Befall Them.
Throughout history, people have believed they could handle any calamity well enough without faith in God. The prophet Isaiah writes that such scoffers boast, "...when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us..." (Isaiah 28:15).
Isaiah says these people are spiritually blind: "Lord, when thy hand is lifted up, they will not see..."
(26:11). In other words, they won't attribute any calamity to God's work. Instead, they'll act as if there were no God in heaven at all to bring them to account for their unbelief.
Many scoffers in America today think their wealth will save them from any disaster. But God's word says in no uncertain terms that when his divine shaking begins, the ungodly rich will suddenly see their possessions as worthless:
"In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats; to go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth" (2:20-21).
Other scoffers may say, "Why all the worry and concern? Things continue as they have since the very beginning of humanity. Calamities have come and gone, but we've always survived. Economies may collapse, empires may fall, but human life goes on.
"We can't listen to these prophets of doom they've been saying the same things for centuries. The world hasn't ended, as they've said it would many times. The bad times have always given way to the good.
We just need to enjoy life while we can."
It's true that God's prophets have sounded warnings in every generation. But history proves that God has always sent his judgments in due time. John Owen, the great Puritan preacher, spoke the following message to his congregation on April 9, 1680:
"You know that for many years, without failing, I have been warning you continually of an approaching calamitous time, and considering the sins that have been the causes of it...I have told you that judgment will begin in the house of God; that God seems to have hardened our hearts from his fear...and that none knows what the power of his wrath will be. In all these things I have foretold you of perilous, distressing, calamitous times...these all now lie at the door, and are entering in upon us."
Scoffers today may read Owen's words and say, "This proves my point! Here's a doomsday preacher from three hundred years ago who tried to put a scare in his society. But the world has continued, in spite of everything he said. Things have gone on as usual!"
What such scoffers don't acknowledge is that God did send his awful judgments on that society. John Owen lived to weep over a flaming holocaust that engulfed London and destroyed that great city. In fact, he saw the fulfillment of every one of his powerful prophecies wars, destruction, shattered economies, nationwide depression, diseases that wiped out multitudes of careless, unconcerned people.
Yet before he ever saw a single one of these calamities take place, Owen faithfully cried out from his pulpit: "I am going to show you how we ought to deport ourselves in and under the distressing calamities that are coming upon us, and may reach, it may be, up to the very neck."
Beloved, we're living in just such a time as Owen's. And in times like these, there is only one response to the coming financial holocaust: "The just shall live by faith!" Owen admonished his people with tears:
"Get you an ark, prepare an ark for the safety of you and your families." Then he added:
"That ark is Jesus Christ. There is no other way, no other ark for Isaiah, the prophet, said of our Lord, 'And a man [Christ] shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest, as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadows of a great rock in a weary land.'
"That is our ark blessed are they that trust only in him...I know of no safety, no deliverance, in the trials and afflictions coming upon the earth, but in believing Christ as our only refuge."
Lord, Give Us Spiritual Eyes to
See Your Protective Wall of Fire
Round About Spiritual Zion, Keeping
and Preserving All Who Resign
Themselves Into Your Hands!
We may see dangers on all sides, including a devil and his principalities who want to drown our faith in doubts. But we have a fiery guard of angels surrounding us and a God who is under oath to carry us through any disaster we may face.
So, let me ask you do you want to face the coming storm with quiet confidence and peace of mind? Then die today to all your own ways and means of saving yourself and commit the keeping of your life wholly to God's care. He's your good, loving shepherd and he is faithful to see you through all!
COPYRIGHT/REPRODUCTION LIMITATIONS:
Dearly Beloved:
God be praised!
Jesus said perilous times would come - frightening times of chaos and calamity. These events would be so grievous, men's hearts would fail them as they see them unfold. I believe these very times are upon us.
I don't care if the stock market recovers and explodes over 10,000 points! I'm convinced this nation is headed straight into a depression. God's mercy-call to America will very soon turn into a call for judgment.
But there is good news for God's holy people - hopeful, exciting news! And I believe once we lay hold of this news, we won't have to worry about understanding the coming events or knowing the details of what is ahead. Instead, we'll be able to rest in peace as we see prophetic events unfolding.
My book God's Plan To Protect His People in the Coming Depression is now published and available. The following quote from this book explains in part my heart's burden on this matter: I sought God earnestly to know how he planned to protect us when the depression strikes America.
"...I have sought the Lord diligently about my responsibility to my congregation at Times Square Church concerning the coming crash. I prayed for weeks about what I should do to prepare them for the difficult days ahead. One day I took a walk along a quiet country road, so I could be alone with the Lord to discern his voice. I started my walk at about dusk, and there was a bright moon overhead. As I walked along, I began to think about what I believe is coming...
"A few years before the Gulf War, I warned there would be five hundred fires burning in the Middle East. Most people winked at my words. But as a result of the war, there were precisely five hundred and three fires consuming Kuwaiti oil wells, all set aflame by Saddam Hussein. That and many other warnings I've received have come to pass. So these days I listen intently when the Lord is speaking to me about coming events.
"On the country road that night, I was seeing in my mind's eye New York City burning in flames. I saw more than a thousand fires burning at one time - an image I had seen before. There were riots, bloodshed, tanks rolling into the streets, troops wielding rifles in an attempt to restore order. People were mobbing grocery stores for provisions, looting merchants, raging out of control. I realized that when riots come, there will be no food left in grocery stores. Computer disasters will affect their jobs and paychecks. Violence on the streets could keep them shut up in their homes, perhaps for weeks.
"I became so overwhelmed at these thoughts that I had to grab onto a rail fence to support myself. I started weeping, crying out to the Lord, 'Oh, God, how can I prepare these devoted people for such devastation? They all can't just pick up everything and flee the city.
Most have no car, no transportation and little income. They struggle just to pay rent and buy subway tokens, much less to buy hideaways in Vermont or Montana. They have no family outside the city, no hiding place, very little space to lay up supplies for emergencies. Most live in cramped apartments that are already overcrowded with the bare essentials. Please, Father - give us a word, a plan of survival. What can I do as a pastor? You've told me to warn them about what's coming. Why can't you give me your plan for preserving us? What do you want me to tell your people?'
"The Lord heard my cry, and he gave me a comforting word. He whispered to my heart, 'David, you're seeing this whole matter from your point of view. Let me show you mine.'"
(From Chapter Three - "Preparing for Hard Times")
God's Plan To Protect His People in the Coming Depression is not a book of financial advice. You will be disappointed if that is what you hope for. But if you love God's word and you believe God still speaks to his people today, you will certainly find here God's plan of protection in the coming depression.
The opening chapter includes a look back at the Great Depression of the 1930s and how America is making the same mistakes that precipitated that ten-year-long economic disaster. Also, other chapters include "The Preservation of Zion," "Protection in the Coming Storm," "The Antichrist, Armageddon, and the Mark of the Beast," and "Will God Revive His Church in the Coming Crisis?"
You may order your copy - or copies - by filling out the enclosed order form. Or you may order by phone on your credit card (MasterCard or Visa only).
To order by phone call 903-963-8626 between the office hours of 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Central time. Please allow two to three weeks for delivery. The cost is $8 per copy plus postage and handling. (Ask about a discount for orders of 10 copies or more.)
God bless you!
His bondservant, David Wilkerson
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| Christianity Worth Thinking About
| Faith and Facts
| By Gregory Koukl
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I don't like the word "faith." Not because faith isn't valuable, but because it's often deeply misunderstood. "Faith" in this twisted sense is what you use when all reason is against you. It's religious wishful thinking, in which one squeezes out spiritual hope by intense acts of sheer will. People of "faith" believe the impossible. People of "faith" believe that which is contrary to fact. People of "faith" believe that which is contrary to evidence. People of "faith" ignore reality.
Some suggest we cannot find facts to support our faith, nor is it preferable to try. This is silly. We're enjoined to have faith in part because we have evidence that Jesus rose from the dead.
I think part of the confusion is because Christians are often told to ignore circumstances, meaning that we're not to get overwhelmed or discouraged by them because God is bigger than our troubles. "Have faith in God," we're told. I think that's good counsel as far as it goes, but sometimes it breeds misunderstanding, implying that faith is a blind leap that has no relationship to fact.
Some suggest we cannot find facts to support our faith, nor is it preferable to try. Faith is not the kind of thing that has anything to do with facts, they say. If we have evidence to prove what we believe, then that takes away from real faith.
Somehow these people think that genuine faith is eviscerated by knowledge and evidence. We've made a virtue out of believing against the evidence, as if that's what God has in mind for us. This is all wrong.
Think about it for a moment. J.P. Moreland has suggested that if this is really the Christian view of faith, the best thing that could happen to Christianity is for the bones of Jesus to be discovered. Finding His bones would prove He didn't rise from the dead. When Christians continue to believe that He did, then, they would be demonstrating the most laudable faith, believing something that all the evidence proved was false.
This is silly. We're enjoined to have faith in part because we have evidence that Jesus rose from the dead. If we're encouraged to believe because of the resurrection, then that proves this other view of faith is false. It may be the view Christians hold in many cases, but it is not the view of the Bible. It is not the view of Christianity.
Frankly, if religion is merely an exercise in wishful thinking for me, I wouldn't wish up Christianity. It's far too inconvenient.
Indeed, it seems that's part of the reason people hold many of the ludicrous religious views they do. They're appealing. They wish God was impersonal, because an impersonal God can't make the kind of demands on them that a holy God can. An impersonal divine force doesn't cramp their style on Saturday night.
Eastern religions are high on individual liberty and low on individual responsibility. That's appealing.
Biblical faith isn't believing against the evidence.
Instead, faith is a kind of knowing that results in action.
No, biblical faith isn't believing against the evidence. Instead, faith is a kind of knowing that results in action. Let me explain what I mean.
If we want to exercise biblical faith--Christian faith--then we ought first to find out how the Bible defines faith. The clearest definition comes from Hebrews 11:1.
This verse says, "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." Now, there's something very important in these words. We see the word "hope," we see the word "assurance," and we see the word "conviction"--that is, confidence. Now, what gives us confidence?
If you buy a lottery ticket, do you hope you'll win the lottery? Yes, of course you do. Do you have any assurance you'll win the lottery? Absolutely not. You have no way of knowing that your ticket is any better than the millions of other lottery tickets out there competing for the same pot.
But what if you had x-ray vision, and you could see through the gray scratch-off coating on the lottery tickets you buy at the supermarket? You'd know if you had a $100, $200 or a $1,000 winner, wouldn't you? In that case, would you merely hope you'd win? No, you'd have assurance, wouldn't you? You'd have assurance of those things you previously only hoped for. It would be hope with conviction, not a mere hoped, but a hope buttressed by facts and evidence.
That's why the Christian faith cares about the evidence, friends. For the biblical Christian, the facts matter. You can't have assurance for something you don't know you're going to get. You can only hope for it.
This is why the resurrection of Jesus is so important. It gives assurance to the hope. Because of a Christian view of faith, Paul is able to say in 1 Corinthians 15 that when it comes to the resurrection, if we have only hope, but no assurance--if Jesus didn't indeed rise from the dead in time/space history--then we are of most men to be pitied. That's what he says: We are of most men to be pitied.
This confidence Paul is talking about is not a confidence in a mere "faith"
resurrection, a mythical resurrection, a story-telling resurrection. Instead, it's a belief in a real resurrection. If the real resurrection didn't happen, then we're in trouble.
The Bible knows nothing of a bold leap-in-the-dark faith, a hope-against-hope faith, a faith with no evidence. Rather, if the evidence doesn't correspond to the hope, then the faith is in vain, as even Paul has said.
So, faith is knowing, and that knowledge is based on evidence leading to confidence or conviction. But biblical faith is more than that. There's another element. Faith is not just knowing. Faith is also acting. Biblical faith is a confidence so strong that it results in action. You're willing to act based on that belief, that faith.
Many of you know that my engineer, Bobby the Bouncer, got married today. Bobby has believed in marriage for a long time, but Bobby never exercised faith in marriage until he walked down the aisle and said "I do" to Jennifer. That's when he put his life on the line for what he believed to be true. He exercised faith.
Friends, Christianity is not denying reality Biblical Christians don't deny reality, they discover reality. And once they've discovered it, they act on what they've learned.
It's the same way with biblical faith. It's not just intellectual assent. It's not just acknowledging that certain facts about Jesus, the Bible, the resurrection, or whatever, happen to be true. It's taking your life and putting it on the line based on your confidence in those facts.
Consider a guy who pushes a wheelbarrow across Niagara Falls on a tightrope every day. You've seen him do it so many times it doesn't even occur to you he won't make it. You believe with all your heart he can do it.
One day he comes up to you and asks, "Do you believe I can push this wheelbarrow across the tightrope without falling?" And you say, "Of course I do. I've seen you do it hundreds of times." "All right," he says, "get in the wheelbarrow."
Well, now we're talking about a whole different kind of thing, aren't we? The first is an intellectual belief, an acknowledgment of certain facts. The second is active faith, converting your knowledge to action. When you climb into the wheelbarrow, your belief in facts is converted into active trust.
Faith is knowledge in action. It is active trust in the truth. You go to the airport. You say, "This plane goes to New York. I believe it. I'll get on the plane. I'll invest myself in the things I believe to be true." That is biblical faith.
So, when someone asks me the question, Are faith and science compatible?, I'm going to immediately ask for a clarification. What do you mean by faith? If you think faith is mere fantasy and science is complete fact, well then, fantasy conflicts with fact, doesn't it? If faith is a blind leap in the dark, if faith has no concern for the facts, you're in trouble.
If, however, your faith is an intelligent trust in what can't be seen that's inferred from evidence that can be seen--if your faith is a commitment to reality, to acting on what you have good reason to believe is true--well then, there doesn't need to be any conflict at all.
Friends, Christianity is not denying reality. Some people think it is. I'm sympathetic to them because some Christians act as if faith is a kind of sanctified denial. But that isn't what biblical Christianity is about. Biblical Christians don't deny reality, they discover reality. And once they've discovered it, they act on what they've learned.
Indeed, if Christianity is true, in the deepest sense of the word, then it must fit the facts of the real world. So, when we discover the facts of the real world, they can only support Christianity-- if Christianity is true--given that you've interpreted the facts of the world correctly and you've interpreted the scriptural teaching correctly.
Christianity does comport with the facts. If science and religion both have truth as their ultimate goal, then there's no inherent conflict between the two.
This is a transcript of a commentary from the radio show "Stand to Reason," with Gregory Koukl. It is made available to you at no charge through the faithful giving of those who support Stand to Reason.
Home Page " Faith and Facts "
http://www.str.org/.htm c1996 Gregory Koukl Reproduction permitted for non-commercial use only Stand To Reason, 1-800-2-REASON
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| 1998 In Review
| The Year In Prophecy
| By Ron Graff
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Introduction
1998 was a red-letter year for prophecy students. As the church has always done, we are living in expectation of the Second Coming of Christ. We cannot help wondering if these are the "Last Days" which were foretold by the Bible. Jesus told us we should be able to discern the signs of the times.
When evening comes, you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,' and in the morning, 'Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.' You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. - Matthew 16:2-3 (NIV)
He also gave us some of these signs in His Olivet Discourse (Matthew chapters 24 and 25; and Luke 21). They included False Christs, Wars and rumors of wars, Earthquakes, Famines, Plagues, Signs in the Heavens, and Persecution.
He then gave us this parable:
"Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." - Matthew 24:32-36 (NIV)
The evident meaning of this parable is that the generation which sees these things beginning to happen will not pass away until all have been fulfilled. We have more reason than any other generation which has ever existed to believe that we are living in that generation. To better understand this, consider this brief outline of the things which must still happen on earth before Christ returns as King of Kings. Scholars who take the Bible literally generally agree on these major aspects, though some differ about the timing of the events and of the Rapture (catching away of the Church).
Jesus Christ will call His true believers up to be with Him (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). Soon after that, a powerful leader (Antichrist) will appear - one who will have solutions to the political and economic woes of the earth (Revelation 6:1-2).
When Israel is finally at peace, presumably because of a good agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, there will be a great war (Revelation 6:3-4). This will probably the same as the war of Ezekiel 38 and 39 in which Russia and its allies, including many nations of the Islamic world, will attack Israel, and, in the process, be defeated by God. The world will suffer many global calamities, including famine and plagues. During this time the brilliant leader will consolidate his power until, at the middle of a seven-year period of time (Daniel 9:27), he will require people to worship him and to accept the "Mark of the Beast" on either their forehead or right hand (Revelation 13). Without the mark, no one will be allowed to buy or sell. At this point in the future there will be a virtual one-world government, a religious system which encompasses all the earth, a method of controlling all commerce, and a rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem. For the remainder of this time (the "Great Tribulation"), the earth will be punished by supernatural judgments (Revelation chapters 16-18), and Antichrist, in desperation will call Jesus Christ down to battle. At this war, The Battle of Armageddon, Jesus will return as King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Revelation 19), and will set up a righteous kingdom on Earth for 1000 years (Revelation 20:1-6). After that, there will be a new Heaven and a New Earth.(Revelation chapters 21-22).
Here now are some of the things that have transpired during this past year which make us feel that we are surely closer to Christ's coming than ever before! Documentation for all of these events may be found in the pages of the PROPHECY CENTRAL website (http://www.Bible-prophecy.com).
THE SIGNS
False Christs
Though there are many differences between the major religions of the Earth, there is also a movement, known as the New Age Religion, which seeks to reconcile all beliefs and unite them. They teach that there are many "Christs" or "ascended masters," which have been responsible in the past for the formation of various religions. One group, Share International., which is sponsored by the United Nations, claims that the Messiah for our age is already alive, but in hiding. He is known as Maitreya, and, according to Benjamin Creme, he will be revealed some time soon. He had actually predicted his appearance during 1998, but when it didn't happen, said he was waiting for the world to be ready for him.
There is another movement called United Religions, with headquarters in San Francisco, which is busy gaining adherents to a world religious organization patterned after the United Nations. They have a definite timetable of events leading to the signing of a charter some time in the year 2000.
Earthquakes
There is a debate about whether or not there is greatly increased earthquake activity, but in any case, there have been many significant earthquakes all over the world this year.
Wars and Rumors of War
1998 was the year of increased nuclear proliferation. Iran and Iraq are trying to create their own atomic weapons, Pakistan finally succeeded, and tested its first nuclear bombs, then India responded by breaking the agreement not to test. North Korea is considered very dangerous because they have been reduced to starvation, but have missiles which are able to deliver warheads a great distances, possibly even to the United States. Russia and the other former members of the Soviet Union are suffering economically and politically. They are facing grave internal dangers caused by Mafia activity and a badly impoverished and disillusioned military. These pressures make them extremely unstable, and threaten to release nuclear devices and technology into the hands of terrorists.
There is also a growing danger that chemical and biological weapons of mass destruction will be used by emerging countries which do not yet have nuclear capabilities. This is the basis of the ongoing struggle with Saddam Hussein's Iraq. A spate of recent false Anthrax alarms here in Los Angeles underscores the fear that terrorists may have the ability to deliver these horrible weapons whenever and wherever they wish.
The air strike against Iraq, which happened to coincide with the impeachment hearings, had a negative result for America. Billions of dollars worth of weapons were used without apparently stopping the rise of Saddam Hussein. In fact, Arab nations are beginning to rally to his cause now, and, as some have put it, a "New Cold War" has been precipitated by the bombings. Russia and China are in agreement against United States military strategy, and even Koffi Anan, the Secretary General United Nations, is disappointed in the action.
In the Middle East, all eyes are on Israel and Jerusalem as a new attempt at peace between Israel and the Palestinians was hammered out at the Wye Plantation with President Clinton's leadership. However, since then, little progress has been made, and Benjamin Netanyahu's government coalition in Israel has collapsed, leaving the entire program running in the background. Meanwhile, Yasser Arafat makes periodic claims that the Palestinians will declare statehood next May with Jerusalem as its capital. Jerusalem is firmly in Israel's possession, but West Bank concessions reach to the Temple Mount area which is under the control of Islamic guards. Terrorism holds the whole world hostage. In addition to the ongoing investigations about sabotaged flights and building explosions, Osama Bin Laden, the multi-millionaire ex-Saudi terrorist attacked American embassies simultaneously in Kenya and Tanzania. The United States retaliated by bombing factories and training camps in the Sudan and Afghanistan. Now everyone waits for the next blow.
Famines
Famines are still severe in many parts of the world. Some of the worst affected people are south Sudanese Christians and the people of North Korea. In both cases, famine is a direct result of war. Poverty is a perennial problem in India and other emerging countries where the population is greater than the ability of the country to care for its people. The population is spiraling higher, and will reach six billion some time next year.
Plagues
Reports about the world-wide AIDS epidemic were not encouraging this year, and there is a growing fear that many of the diseases once thought under control, such as Tuberculosis, are being unleashed again with drug-resistant mutations.
Signs In The Heavens
A short-lived scare appeared this year about an asteroid which was on a near-collision course with the Earth. It was quickly discovered that the calculations were wrong, and that it would not be a threat. Still there is increased awareness of the fact that there are thousands of asteroids which cross earth's orbit. Two movies during the summer ("Deep Impact" and "Armageddon") dramatized the fear of such "falling stars."
Severe weather patterns also plagued the globe again this year. Each year seems to give way to the next as the worst in this category. The United States was especially hard hit by floods, hurricanes and tornadoes this year, leading some people to draw a connection between our weakening support of Israel and these heavenly punishments. Persecution of Christians is a growing phenomenon, especially in countries such as the Sudan which are trying to establish Islamic rule.
Atrocities were reported from many other countries, including Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, China, and even India. There is even a climate of intolerance against evangelical Christians by some groups in the United States.
DAWNING OF A NEW MILLENNIUM
Ancient Theories About The End Of The age
Joseph Farrah, Editor of the WorldNetDaily gave us a pleasant surprise on the day before Christmas when he asked in his column, "When Will Jesus Return?" In his article he noted that Orthodox Jews have taught that the world would last for 6,000 years before Messiah would come, based on the six days of creation (Genesis 1:31), and a seventh day of rest. Psalm 90:4 states "For a thousand years in Thy sight are like yesterday when it passes by." He also showed that the Early Church had the same idea, as seen in 2 Peter 3:8 where it is said, "... with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day." Biblical records indicate that it was approximately 4000 years from Adam to Christ, and, of course it has been approximately 2000 years since His birth. The article mentioned Edward Gibbon,s "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire," in which he cites early documents suggesting the Christian disciples of the first century were taught that Jesus would return after 2000 years.
We heed Christ's warning that we can not know the "day or the hour" of His return (Matthew 24:36 and 25:13). But we can see that it could be very near. Nevertheless, we do not set dates for the Rapture name the Antichrist. Only time will reveal these things. We think it is especially unwise for anyone to set the date for Christ's return at the turn of the Millennium.
World Governments At The End Of The Millennium
There is a desperate search throughout the world for a leader who can steer the nations of the world through the dangerous waters of unrest. The House of Representatives has impeached its president of the United States. Russia is in the process of doing the same with Boris Yeltsin. Benjamin Netanyahu has lost control of the government in Israel, and people everywhere seem to be dissatisfied with their leaders. There is no Winston Churchill or Mahatma Ghandi, or even JFK on the horizon.
These are just the conditions one would expect to give rise to a "benevolent dictator" who would later be recognized as Antichrist. When such a man is found, whom people believe can solve the world's political and economic troubles, he will be wildly accepted. Even if he is immoral in his personal life, that will not matter, as we see so clearly in the current high ratings by the American people of President Clinton even though they believe he cheated on his wife and lied to the American public.
The Economy At The End Of The Millennium
The recent financial melt-down in Asia has had a profound effect on the economies of the rest of the world. Japan is officially in recession, and companies here in America which depend on Asian business are struggling to survive. The stock market has bounced around very unpredictably during this year. No one knows for sure what the future will bring.
On January 1, 1999, eleven European nations are making the very bold step of operating on a single currency, the Euro. . This economic partnership becomes the second largest economy in the world, second only to the United States. The eleven nations are: Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal and Spain. The four European Union nations which decided not to join at this time are: Britain, Denmark, Greece and Sweden. Actual bills and coins will not be issued until 2002, but electronic monetary transactions among the 11 nations will be conducted using the Euro. Bank cards and travelers checks will also be based on the Euro. This is the biggest event since the founding of the European Union to demonstrate the possible fulfillment of the prophecy from Daniel 2:27-45 of the formation of one last form of human world government, (iron mixed with clay) starting in the very geographical area of the old Roman Empire (iron).
Technology At The End Of The Millennium
One of the most fascinating aspects of our age is the exponential growth of technology. New super computers, smart cards, biometric identification techniques, and communications are working together to provide a new world of electronic commerce which could hardly be imagined a generation ago, and is just what is needed by a future world dictator.
The Department of Energy's new IBM supercomputer operates at 3.9 trillion operations per second, which would be fast enough to review records of all six billion people on earth every second! Of course, it is not going to be used for that purpose, but one can see that world-wide control of buying and selling is not impossible today.
Smart Cards are not yet popular in the United States, but are in wide use in the rest of the world. They contain microscopic self-contained computers capable of running a variety of applications to keep one's personal information, health data, electronic records, multiple "purses" for storage of electronic cash, security information and more. One company just announced that they will provide a smart card in a watch, complete with radio transmission so the user can conduct all his business without touching anything. The next step would be to implant the computer device under the skin like we presently do for dogs and cats, so that the user's information could not be lost or stolen!
The Internet is growing more valuable and more powerful every day. New faster cable networks are being installed to connect all parts of the world at blinding speeds, and Bill Gates' Teledesic satellite network is being built so that Internet commerce may be conducted from any place on earth within a couple of years.
The Year 2000 Problem
A powerful debate has raged during this year about the Y2K problem which could cause massive computer failures and could affect every area of our lives in the year 2000. Most people know by now that the problem is the fact that when computer memory was very expensive, programmers saved memory space by storing years by the last two digits only. The computer program would add the first two digits, which were "19." In the year 2000, dates may be incorrectly interpreted as 1900 instead of 2000, leading to wrong calculations or even computer failures.
Opinions about the seriousness of the problem range from "The end of the world as we know it," to complete denial that anything is likely to happen. Those who take the time to read some of the articles about the issue (no one can read all of it-it's a flood of information), have to admit that there is the likelihood of problems, but no one knows for sure just how serious they may be. Our position on the subject is that the church should take the threat seriously, and urge our people to prepare for a disaster like an earthquake, which we should do anyway, but not to hoard a huge supply of food or plan to relocate or use force to protect one's supplies. Instead, we should be prepared to help ourselves and our neighbors the best we can, and to provide a calm, peaceful testimony during the year. This can result in an opportunity to win people to Christ.
From a prophetic point of view, the Y2K scare will have done more to modernize and upgrade computer and communications systems during the past few years than any other event could have done. This de-bugged, most powerful system will be in place for Antichrist's world-wide program when he needs it.
Conclusion
Now, none of this should cause fear for a Christian, because we have read the Bible and know that it all leads to a wonderful conclusion for those who trust in Christ. If you know Christ, these things should have a purifying and motivating effect in your life.
Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives. - 2 Peter 3:11 (NIV
email: RonGraff@aol.com)
Visit Ron Graff's Prophecy Central Web Site (http://www.Bible-prophecy.com)
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| How to Prepare for the Rapture
| By Norbert Lieth
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A roadmap to the events that will lead up to the Rapture of the Church.
This study and writing serves to aid us in preparation for the hope that we hold in Christ.
When we stay in a hotel, we expect to feel comfortable and to enjoy our stay there, whether it is a holiday or business trip. And yet, on the door of every hotel room there are usually instructions in case of an emergency:
"In the case of fire you will be notified immediately. Please keep calm. Leave the room and follow the signs marked 'Exit.' Do not use the elevator. Obey the instructions of the hotel staff. The fire escape is situated at the end of the hallway. We wish you a pleasant stay."
The Coming Catastrophe
How important it is, even on the most pleasant of days, to concern ourselves with the possibility of a crisis! We should be prepared so that we are not faced with a catastrophe, but can escape it.
The greatest crisis of world history will be when Jesus Christ returns, "Behold, I come as a thief" (Revelation 16:15), and "The day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night" (1st Thessalonians 5:2 and 2nd Peter 3:10).
The Bible refers to the endtimes. This is not the end of the world, but the signs of the times which precede His return. The Word of God
is given to us as a warning so that we don't find ourselves unprepared for the worst catastrophe of our lives, "And take heed to yourselves, lest anytime your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.
"For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole Earth. "Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man" (Luke 21:34-36).
Our Way Through the Catastrophe
How are we to conduct ourselves on our way through the endtimes, then? We find a very good example in Acts 16:16-27, "And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying:
"The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.
"And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.
"And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers,
"And brought them to the magistrates, saying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city,
"And teach customs, which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans.
"And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them.
"And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailer to keep them safely:
"Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.
"And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God:
and the prisoners heard them.
"And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed.
"And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled."
What Can Our World Expect?
1. The Midnight Hour
"And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God:
and the prisoners heard them" (Acts 16:25). The midnight hour is, among other things, connected with the return of Jesus, for instance in Matthew 25:6, "And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him."
The midnight hour is a picture of judgment for the unbelieving world, but conversely, it means redemption for those who adhere to Jesus Christ.
This principle was visible at the liberation of Israel from Egypt. At midnight, the Lord slew all the firstborn of the Egyptians (Exodus 11:4 and 12:29), but simultaneously delivered the Israelites from captivity. It says in Exodus 12:31, "And he (Pharaoh) called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve the Lord, as ye have said."
At the Rapture, all those who are redeemed through the blood of the Lamb of Calvary will be taken from the midst of this world to God, to worship Him in His kingdom and to serve Him. For this world, however, it will mean the time of judgment.
We also read in the Book of Ruth that Ruth was discovered by her bridegroom, Boaz, at midnight, and was received into his family (compare Ruth 3:8 onward). This is a picture of the Rapture of the church and the judgment seat of Jesus Christ.
Job 34:20 also points prophetically to the Rapture of the church, and the judgment of God upon mankind in the time of the Great Tribulation, "In a moment shall they die, and the people shall be troubled at midnight, and pass away: and the mighty shall be taken away without hand."
Through what will "the people be troubled at midnight"? Through the sudden removal of the Church of Jesus Christ from this Earth! Later, the moment will come when many will die the death of judgment and perish, and the mighty one will be taken away without hand. Who is that? The Antichrist, whom the Lord Jesus Christ will consume with the spirit or breath of His mouth (2nd Thessalonians 2:8).
It was certainly not by chance that Paul and Silas began at this midnight hour to praise God (Acts 16:25). Was this ordained of the Holy Spirit? We find a very beautiful picture in Psalm 119:62, "At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee because of thy righteous judgments."
Resurrection and Rapture. The two scenes, the Rapture of the church and rejoicing in heaven, and judgment and terror on Earth, are described again in Revelation 12:12, "Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the Earth and of the sea...!"
It is striking that the hour of praise for Paul and Silas (the believers in Christ) was simultaneously the hour of terror for the keeper of the prison, "And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself..." (Acts 16:27).
Many people will go crazy when the Rapture and resurrection of the church takes place. Suddenly, Christians will disappear everywhere. Dramatic things will happen in families, in businesses, in offices, in government buildings, in military bases, in traffic (air, sea and land). But the picture of the prison-keeper shows us that even in the darkest hour of world history and judgment (Revelation chapters 6-18), individuals will find Jesus Christ and be saved. They will not belong to His church, however. We see, then, how the term "midnight" throughout the Bible symbolizes the return of the Lord Jesus for the Rapture of His blood-bought church and for the judgment upon this Earth.
2. The Return of Jesus
"Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality" (1st Corinthians 15:51-53). We also find a wonderful picture of the resurrection and transformation of the members of the Church of Jesus Christ at the Rapture in Isaiah 61:1-3, "The spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified."
Just as the earthquake took place to open the prison doors, there was also an earthquake at the resurrection of Jesus and the saints of His time, "And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it" (Matthew 28:2).
"...And the Earth did quake, and the rocks rent; and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose" (Matthew 27:51-52).
In the events in the prison cell in Philippi, we find a wonderful picture of the first resurrection in connection with the Rapture. "Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed."
When Jesus rises to return (at the command of the Lord, the voice of the archangel and the trump of God), the prison of death will be opened, the graves will be opened, and mortality will be changed to immortality. How clearly we see here, in the prison in Philippi, the truth that Jesus lives! How clearly the power of His resurrection is demonstrated! This is what Paul was referring to when he wrote in his letter to the Philippians, "That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death" (Philippians 3:10).
Let us rejoice over the power of His resurrection in all the trials of our daily lives which depress us. Do you believe that all power in heaven and on Earth is given to Jesus, the Man of Calvary, the Risen One?
Do you believe that He can suddenly open a door which, until now, has been closed? Do you believe that He can help you in a situation in which you no longer sought Him in prayer?
Take courage anew and trust in His Word with childlike faith. He said unmistakably, "All things are possible to him that believeth" (Mark 9:23), and, "What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them" (Mark 11:24).
Remember the words of Hebrews 10:36, "Ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise."
3. Signs of the End Times
Jesus said concerning His return, "For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows" (Matthew 24:7-8).
Nations and kingdoms have reappeared since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
At the moment, around 25 million people are fleeing from civil wars.
Famines, diseases and earthquakes are breaking out all over the world.
A program on Austrian television was entitled, "Silent Killers-Plagues Are Returning."
The news media on January 1, 1998, reported earthquakes on almost all continents: "Forty-four thousand people homeless...earthquake victims in China suffering in bitter cold...Earth tremors also in Chile...The Aetna on Sicily is spewing lava and smoke...numerous quakes had shaken the region of the Aetna...In Mexico, 20,000 people were evacuated or resettled on account of danger of volcano eruption a mere 60 kms. from the capital." There is no end to such reports. Think also of the devastating tornadoes in America.
A note in the margin of the Luther Bible concerning Matthew 24:8 says, "All these are the beginning of sorrows," saying, "Literally 'the birth pains,' 'the birth pains of the Messiah,' which will initiate the rebirth of the world (chapter 19:28) are, according to Jewish expression, the time of suffering which precedes the arrival of the Messiah. That which is described in verses 6-8, therefore, is only the beginning of the sufferings of the last times" (Albrecht Bible translation).
Just as the pains or contractions in a pregnant woman are only weak and occur between long intervals in the beginning, but then become more and more severe and at shorter intervals as the birth draws near, this is how it will be with this world. I do not dare to suggest how far advanced we are today in the time before Jesus' return, but it is surely obvious in which direction we are heading!
How Are We to Conduct Ourselves?
Our world is becoming darker and darker. We are approaching midnight. The sun is setting in the Christian West. Tremendous geological, economic and political upheavals will precede the return of Jesus. The question to born-again Christians, therefore, is "How are we to conduct ourselves on our way through the endtimes?"
Just as the situation was at the beginning of the preaching of the Gospel in Europe, at the time of the Roman Empire, so it will be at the end also.
How was it at the beginning? Paul and his companions came from Troas and embarked on a ship to Greece. They came to Neapolis via Samothracia. The first city where they stayed and preached the Gospel was Philippi. There, Lydia was converted (Acts 16:14-15). Afterwards, Paul drove a spirit of divination out of a girl in the name of Jesus (verse 18). Thereupon Paul and his companions were captured, beaten and cast into prison. Why?
1. Because the Roman law was supreme.
Certain men in Philippi, who had made a good profit from the girl's powers of divination and lost this source of profit because of Paul's exorcism, referred to the Roman law and spread evil rumors about Paul and Silas, "...and teach customs, which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans" (Acts 16:21).
From the Bible, we know that the Roman Empire will be restored, and we see that this is well on its way.
Roman law and Roman conditions within the frame of the E.U. are already becoming more and more compelling.
A Swiss politician who opposes Switzerland's joining the E.U. has said that for him, Switzerland's integration in the E.U. would be a return to feudalism, or at best, to the Holy Roman Empire of the German nation. Feudalism is equivalent to an economic system based on the domination of global powers. That which applies to the agricultural policy of the E.U. is decisive in the economic sector and inevitable for the coming common currency, and all that is taking place in the cultural sphere will become compulsory in the religious sphere.
Already today, voices are becoming louder protesting against evangelical "fundamentalists." The day will come when only the Roman religion, in union with the ecumenically "politically correct" religion, will be allowed, and every other Christian fellowship will be illegal. We only have to carefully read chapters 13, 17 and 18 of the Revelation of Jesus Christ. True Christianity will be against Roman law. It will no longer be allowed ("...and teach customs, which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans"). Satan has two subtle methods to paralyze Christianity:
First, he seeks to implement false peace and security. If this does not work, he tries persecution. We see this very clearly in the case of the girl with the spirit of divination. Satan wanted to go into business with Paul and Silas and cooperate with them through this medium. It sounded very flattering; it was free advertising, so to speak. The archenemy-truthfully-called through this girl for many days, "These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation" (Acts 16:17).
But Paul saw who he was dealing with and did not enter into this false compromise. It says, "Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour" (Acts 16:18).
Because Paul did not cooperate, Satan then resorted to persecution and prison.
A great danger lurks for Christianity in the ecumenical movement which mixes truth and lies and false doctrine with true doctrine.
2. Because Money Rules the World
"And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying:
"The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation. And this did she many days.
"But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.
"And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers, And brought them to the magistrates, saying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city" (Acts 16:16-20).
Is it not true that today everything revolves around money, profit, interest, capital, the stock market, trade and property? The methods our society employs, where money is concerned, become more and more anti-Christian, even occult, devilish, in fact.
This is just what the Bible prophesied long ago concerning the endtimes. It speaks of the endtime Babylon and her riches (Revelation 18), and the people of the endtimes who love money and no longer believe in the power of God (2nd Timothy 3:2-5). Here, truth is no longer important, only mammon.
The power of money, however, exchanges truth for lies and will lead believers into Tribulation and persecution (compare Acts 16:17 and 19). But it will become a curse upon this world, for the words of Jesus will be fulfilled here also, "For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"
(Matthew 16:26).
During the time of the Great Tribulation, the financial centers of this world will collapse in one hour. The businessmen will weep and lament: "In one hour so great riches is come to nought" (Revelation 18:17. Also compare verses 18-19).
As Christians, we find ourselves in the midst of the endtimes enticement of the prince of this world, who has the kingdoms of this world to offer, which our Lord Jesus rejected in order to serve the Father (Matthew 4:8-10).
What is really important to us? Read what the Bible says in 2nd Timothy 3:2 about the people of the endtimes: "For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers...."
The NIV translation reads, "People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive...."
This is all taking place today. In unbelievers, it is usually quite open and apparent, but it is also to be found behind a religious facade in many churches. Even among those who call themselves Christians, the love of money, prestige and attention is widespread.
3. Watchfulness is necessary!
The events in the prison at Philippi at midnight are highly interesting and are in line with the prophetic Word. While Paul and Silas sang the praises of the Lord and the prisoners listened, the keeper of the prison slept. But he was afraid when, suddenly and unexpectedly, the Earth quaked. It says, "And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them...and the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open..." (Acts 16:25 and 27a).
What a shock it will be for all those who are spiritually asleep because they are children of darkness! For them, the Lord really will come as a thief in the night. Therefore, we as born-again Christians are admonished, "Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep in the night (like the keeper of the prison); and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.
"But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him" (1st Thessalonians 5:6-10).
The day is near when the Lord will descend from heaven to raise the dead in Christ and to take the children of God who are still alive together with them to be with Him forever (1st Thessalonians 4:16-17).
Judgment will come upon all those, however, who have not received Jesus and have been left behind, "Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time"
(Revelation 12:12).
Today is still the age of grace. Come, therefore, to Jesus in faith now and confess all your sins to Him and receive Him as your own personal Savior and Lord.
God's Word says, "As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of god, even to them that believe on his name" (John 1:12).
If you already belong to Jesus, then give Him yourself completely!
"The worst thing in the world is not that there are so many godless people," said a well-known French Christian, but, "The worst thing is that there are so many mediocre Christians." Be a whole Christian!
Someone else once said, "Faith in Jesus Christ demands more and more. It obliges us. Jesus captures us, He claims us, He compels us." Paul and Silas let themselves be compelled by the Lord and brought blessing and salvation everywhere they went because they were watchful Christians.
It is almost midnight and it is high time to become obedient to the words of the Lord Jesus in Luke 21:36, "Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man."
To order a printed copy of Midnight Call magazine, click here.
(c) All rights reserved 1998. Copyright Midnight Call Ministries, Inc.
Midnight Call Magazine
P.O. Box 280008, Columbia, SC 29228 Telephone: (803) 755-0733 or 1-800-845-2420 Email: info@midnightcall.com
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PROPHEZINE NEWSLETTER - Commentaries
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From: Bryan Hupperts <bryanh@igateway.net>
Subject: SheepTrax:
An Open Letter to Monica Lewinski
January 26, 1999 An Open Letter to Monica Lewinski
Dear Monica, My name is Bryan Hupperts. I am Christian minister and I'd like to apologize in advance for sending this very personal letter to the newspapers but I have no direct way of contacting you. I saw your photo again on the news and you looked soul weary.
I served as a college campus pastor for several years and saw the human parade come and go. We had several cults on campus all of whom had a charismatic person leading them. These people were beguilingly charming pied pipers and it was easy for students to finally just follow them. I saw intelligent people with their whole lives ahead of them finally crash and burn after being swept away by influential overpowering personalities. As they say, power is the ultimate aphrodisiac. I have a suspicion that your present distress isn't all that dissimilar to theirs.
Who would ever imagine one day they would wake up and be the punch line of every filthy joke making the rounds. I swear that Letterman and Leno are the kings of cruelty, not comedy. My wife and I hurt for you. How do you end up being picked for the Bimbo poster girl? It can't be much fun letting the media and the Washington political machine mercilessly grind you to a pulp. They try to steal your heart, drop it in a blender, and then gleefully hit the "Frappe" button.
I got rankled when a congressman made a remark to the media of not wanting, and I quote, "the likes of a Monica Lewinski on the Senate floor." Since when did you cease to be human? They want you to be an "it," not a human.
It must make taking cheap shots at you easier on the conscience. With all due respect to my government, there are wagging tongues on both sides of the isle in fuddled heads that should be soundly slapped for vicious slander.
Monica, the truth is, "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." You didn't surprise God. When I saw your recent photo it seemed as if the life had been drained from you like dirty water from a bath gone cold.
My guess would be that any hope you have of ever being able to walk the streets with a shred of dignity remaining drained away, too. If you feel like a discarded, torn rag doll thrown out to the Presidential guard dogs to use as a chew toy, it's OK. That's pretty much what happened.
Let me give you some fatherly advice. Don't let the slugs, be they political or media, make you into a caricature of yourself. If you cave into this, you'll lose and forfeit your soul as payment. There's no book deal, or photo spread worth losing your humanity over. If you "sell yourself" to the highest bidder, you'll be the object of yet more taunts and sordid cruelty. Don't let them cheapen you any more.
Monica, I don't know if you have any faith to cling to or not but I do know that, "a broken and contrite heart God always hears." The only One who really understands your nightmare is a faint prayer away - waiting for you to hand Him the shattered pieces of your crushed heart. He still delights in giving beauty for ashes.
Monica, if you ever want a friendly ear to listen to, my wife and I would love to meet with you at an out of the way café for a cappuccino. Your wise silence in public must keep you screaming into your pillow at night. You could share your troubles and, if you were willing, we would gladly share our Jesus with you. He did come to seek and save that which was lost, and that haunting, pained look that's burned into the glaze over your tired eyes tells me you qualify.
You have a life beyond Bill Clinton. I saw a recent photo of him looking haughty, defiant and unimpeachably happy. When I contrast that to your haggard appearance, I find myself weeping for you. If you feel used it's because you were. So was the rest of America.
Monica, you've sinned. I appreciate your honesty about it. Were I your father, I would have soundly thrashed Mr. Clinton personally and then held you close in my arms and wept over your part in it all. Fathers don't have to play fair when it comes to their daughters. God calls himself a "Father to the fatherless" and "the lover of your soul." I imagine your soul needs some loving and healing right about now. Why not have a quiet talk with Him? He's listening.
Love covers a multitude of sins and Love Himself went to a Cross to pay the high price for your forgiveness; mine, too. We're praying for you and loving you though you don't know us. If you need some friends, Cyndi and I are here.
God bless you and heal you.
Rev. Bryan Hupperts Cyndi Hupperts
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From : glendaday@smithville.net
As I was looking through Encarta for information on the Babylonian Talmud, what I found was a real eye opener! Did you know that in the 7th century the Jews adopted the Babylonian Talmud, a school was opened in WORMS, Germany by Rabbi Rashi in which it was taught. I
thought this interesting in light of what happened to Herod and what the Jews went through in Germany.
I also found that on top of Mount Carmel stands the World Headquarters for the Bahai Faith. They are the 2nd most widespread faith in the world. They have roots that go very deep in the Babylonian faith, started in Persia. They also have preached one worldism from their beginning. They hold offices in almost/or all the departments in the UNITED NATIONS!!!
Look at http;//www.bahai.org/bworld/main.cfm?token=42305&DocumentID=179 and http://www.rt66.com/~obfusa/will.htm Bahai Ministries line>>Bab-the Gate>>Baha'u'llah-God, Daystar 1863-1892>>Abdu'l-Baha-child of the covenant 1892-1921>>Shoghi Effendi-1st appointed Guardian 1921-1957>>Charles Mason Remey-2nd appointed guardian1957-1966>>Joel Bray Marangella-3rd appointed guardian 1966-present. Daniel 11:45 And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the (Mount Carmel) glorious holy mountain, yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him. Matthew 24:15 When you therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the Prophet, stand in the holy place, who so reads, let him understand. It is also interesting to note the doctrines of devils being preached in the Churches now. Babylonians believed demons posessed them and made them do bad things. I ask, where is the repentance and remission of sins that Jesus preached in this belief???Look at Bahai very close!!!
glendaday@smithville.net
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Koenig's International News
Rick Woodcock
The President Who Could Break America
NOTE: This is my personal viewpoint and does not necessarily represent the viewpoint of Koenig's International News OR PropheZine.
The Trial in the chamber of the U.S. Senate begins today. Will "our" 100 Senators have the courage and backbone to do the right thing -- to
convict and remove Bill Clinton from the Office of the Presidency?
I doubt it.
But if, by chance, they do ... here's a scenerio which really concerns me. It is a possibilty .. Bill Clinton being who and what he is!
If Bill Clinton is convicted and removed, his removal is to be immediate.
What if Bill Clinton refuses to leave? Who goes into the White House and removes him? By what means do they remove him from power?
Clinton could use the argument, which he imposes constantly, that the conviction and removal is not the will of the people. He could claim, as he
has all along, that the conviction and removal STILL DOES NOT rise to the level of reversing a prior presidental election. You've heard him, he
does not make any sense these days. He is in total denial.
The 130-page White House brief (discussed in the below AP story) has some very disturbing hints and insights into his mental state and his
up-coming defense arguments. Bill Clinton is not stable, by any means.
He could attempt to nullify the results of the Senate trial (ie., conviction and removal) by creating a constitutional crisis and invoking a number of
"Executive Orders" with which he would declare a "national emergency" and suspend all Congressional activity in the Legislative Branch. He
could declare himself a virtual dictator.
What then?
It's a very disturbing scenerio which is not beyond the pale of reality. Clinton has the spirit of lawlessness within him. "For the mystery of
lawlessness is already at work..." (2 Thessalonians 2:7a). Also read Matthew 8:23, 1 John 3:4.
Every one of us should be watching this trial very closely. We should be contacting our U.S. Senators and expressing our views on this. Clinton
divided the U.S. House during the House impeachment hearings. He will divide the U.S. Senate. He has divided America. Will he break
America?
Could this happen in America?
Yes.
Jesus told us that a house divided against itself cannot stand. "If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot Stand. And if a house
is divided against itself, that house cannot stand." Mark 3:24,25
--Rick cody96@akron.infi.net
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F.Y.I. - Israel in the News
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F.Y.I. - Israel in the News
Week Ending: 30 January 1999/13 Shevat 5759
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"I will sing a new song to Thee, O G-d; upon a harp of ten strings I will sing praises to Thee, Who dost give salvation to kings; Who dost rescue David His servant from the evil sword. Rescue me, and deliver me out of the hand of aliens, whose mouth speaks deceit, and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood." Psalm 144.9-11
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ARENS SWORN IN AS DEFENSE MINISTER: Moshe Arens was sworn is as Defense Minister on Wednesday. The Knesset voted 31 in favor of his appointment with 10 against, and 6 abstentions. Arens served previously as Defense Minister in 1983-84 and 1990-92. He was also Minister of Foreign Affairs 1988-90. Born in 1925 in Lithuania, Arens immigrated to Israel from the US, where he grew up, in 1948. He is married and the father of four.
In regards to the ongoing "peace accords", Arens has stated that he supports the implementation of already-existing agreements, including the Wye memorandum, and that he is prepared to meet with PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat. Regarding the Golan, Arens is of the opinion that as long as the Syrians insist on receiving the entire Golan, there will be no peace agreement with them. As for Lebanon, he stated he is for a withdrawal once the safety and security of Israel's citizens living in the northern part of the country can be assured.
On Friday, Arens visited OC North were he was briefed by Northern Area commander Major General Gabi Ashkenazi and senior officers on IDF operational activities in southern Lebanon. (KOL YISRAEL, ISRAEL & GLOBAL NEWS, ISRAEL FOREIGN MINISTRY, ARUTZ-7)
GOLAN [JERUSALEM] BILL PASSES: The Knesset voted Tuesday 53-
30 to approve the Golan bill. The law states that there must be an absolute majority of 61 Knesset Members and a popular referendum before the handover of any land over which Israeli law has been extended. After their recapture in the 1967 Six-Day War, Israel extended its law over the Golan and Jerusalem.
Meanwhile, a Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Thursday Moscow condemns Israel for adopting a law on the Golan Heights, which could pose more obstacles to the resumption of peace talks with Syria. Syria's official TISHRIN newspaper said Wednesday, "The Knesset decision is worthless". Syria demands the return of all of the strategic heights captured by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War and annexed in 1981. (ARUTZ-7, ICEJ, ITAR-TASS, AP)
RUSSIA HELPING SYRIA WITH CHEMICALS: The LONDON TIMES reports unofficial secret links have been uncovered between former Russian officials and Syria aimed at helping Damascus to produce advanced chemical weapons. According to intelligence sources, Syria has been developing chemical agents since the mid-1980s, but it is now feared that sophisticated Russian technology has been passed to Syria by former members of Moscow's chemical weapons project. It is believed that Syria has acquired the technology for dispersing chemical agents, including VX nerve gas, by means of bombs from aircraft and from surface-to-surface missile warheads. Until the mid-90s, Syria focused on the production of the nerve gas, Sarin. Now Damascus is developing VX independently and is believed to have test-fired missiles armed with this agent. One test was reported to have been conducted near Damascus last May.
In a related matter, Syrian Defense Minister Mustafa Tlass will head a military delegation to Moscow in the coming days to discuss weapons deals with Russia, HA'ARETZ reported. According to Russian news agency INTERFAX, the two sides will discuss $2 billion worth of military equipment, including modern fighter aircraft and S-300 air defense systems. (ISRAEL & GLOBAL NEWS, ISRAEL LINE)
US CAUGHT BY SURPRISE? The Clinton administration was "surprised" at a memorandum released by the Prime Minister's Office which claims that five "terrorists involved in the murder of Americans" have recently been released by the Palestinian Authority (PA/PLO) [see F.Y.I. 23-01-99]. In the memorandum, the government stated that Arafat "has been releasing dozens of terrorists from prison on the occasion of Id el-Fitr." Among those released, according to the government, were five "senior Hamas members" who had planned or taken part in terror attacks in which American citizens had been killed. Those named in the memorandum are Jihad Suwiti and Arafat Kawasmeh, who allegedly assisted the mastermind behind the 1996 attack on bus No. 18 in Jerusalem in which three American citizens were among the 60 killed; Hassam Alimani and Talal Baz, who allegedly assisted the masterminds behind the July 30, 1997 bombing in Jerusalem in which an American was among the 15 killed; and Bashir Daher, who allegedly assisted in both the July 30 bombing and in another Jerusalem attack on September 4, in which one of the five people killed was a 14-year-old American girl. A US official said that he was not sure "the Israelis had their facts straight," and that the charges are being looked into. PA/PLO Preventive Security chief Jibril Rajoub called the memorandum "nonsense". The government stood by its account, with one senior official arguing that the Americans "don't need us to tell them what is going on. Some of these releases happened two weeks ago, and the CIA should know about them." The official added that in Secretary of State Madeline Albright's letter to the government, "it says very specifically that the US administration will protest any release of terrorists involved in attacks against Israel ... so where is the protest?" (JERUSALEM POST)
ARAFAT TO ATTEND PRAYER BREAKFAST? As a sign of Arafat's growing stature, US Representative Steve Largent (R-Okla.), a leading conservative member of Congress and this year's prayer breakfast chairman, has invited the PLO chairman to the annual National Prayer Breakfast. Sources also point to Susan Baker - a prominent evangelical and wife of former Secretary of State James Baker - as responsible for this year's invitation to Arafat. Invitations also went out to Syrian president Hafez Assad, high-ranking officials in the Sudanese regime (widely acknowledged as responsible for the genocidal murder of Christians in Sudan) and other controversial figures. Arafat, who has rejected three previous invitations to the event, plans to attend the February 4 reception, which will bring together American leaders and international guests to, in the words of organizers, "bring about reconciliation all over the world". Many Christian leaders are opposed to Arafat's appearance -- the Christian Coalition, the Family Research Council, Focus on the Family, ICEJ and National Unity Coalition for Israel.
Arafat is a leading terrorist and is known as such through-out the world.
He is a documented murderer of Israeli schoolchildren at Ma'alot (by literally cutting their throats) and of American diplomats at Khartoum. Last week Arafat released a terrorist who stated he would not hesitate to kill US President Clinton. Arafat gave his blessings to the numerous crimes of war and crimes against humanity committed by Saddam Hussein during the Gulf War; units of Arafat's PLO even served with Saddam's forces in occupied Kuwait. He continually calls for jihad and incitement to violence; sanctions official PA/PLO discrimination against Christians; and complete lack of any expressions of remorse or regret for any PLO acts of terrorism. This is more like praying with Satan himself. (JTA, ICEJ, L.R. BERES)
THE 'SILENT HOLOCAUST': Chief Rabbi Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron stated Monday that the assimilation brought about by the Reform movement is more dangerous for Jewish survival than was the Holocaust. In an interview with ARUTZ-7 Tuesday, the Rishon L'Tzion rabbi explained that he did not mean to denigrate the holiness of the Holocaust victims in his statement. "The Jewish people lost 1/3 of its population by the end of the War. In the 50 years that have passed since then, greater damage has been caused through intermarriage and assimilation. I simply used the same phraseology used by members of the Jewish Agency and others, who have often called assimilation a 'Silent Holocaust'. If this phrase is acceptable for them to use, how much more so is it appropriate for rabbis who are so pained by this phenomenon." The Chief Rabbi cited the Reform custom of performing mixed marriages and their non-halachic conversions as key examples of how the movement is directly contributing to the disappearance of the Jewish people.
The Knesset Tuesday passed by a single vote legislation requiring elected members of councils overseeing religious life in Israeli towns to swear allegiance to Orthodox rabbis and accept their rulings on matters of Jewish law (halacha). The initiative was promoted by Orthodox political parties as a countermeasure to a recent ruling by Israel's Supreme Court ordering religious councils to accept non-Orthodox (Reform and Conservative) members. Meanwhile, American Jews were asked Wednesday not to back Israeli politicians who voted for the bill. One Israeli expert has estimated that American Jews will contribute more than $10 million to Israeli politicians in this campaign. (ARUTZ-7, ICEJ)
CLINTON SPIN DOCTORS WORKING OVERTIME: Commentary by IMRA publisher Aaron Lerner: "...Israel is passing on American military secrets to China. At least that's the story someone in the Clinton administration fed to the WASHINGTON TIMES. We have had such charges in the past so many times that I have lost track. What does it signal? That the administration wants to turn the screws a little on the current Israeli government without facing any possible political costs." ZINC Editor's note: "The US accusation that Israel is selling missile technology to China has surfaced during Israel's national political campaign where the US administration would clearly prefer the Labor challenger to the Likud incumbent. President Bush really does want Yitzchak Rabin to beat Yitzchak Shamir -- hey, wait! That was 1992! This is 1998! Is history repeating itself? (Yes.) By the way, after a thorough and lengthy investigation, the 1992 charges remained unproven." (ZINC)
BILL TO 'LEGITIMIZE' YESHA PASSES FIRST READING: The first reading of a bill presented by MK Benny Elon (Moledet) to impose Israeli law on Jewish communities in Yesha (Judea, Samaria, and Gaza) passed the first reading Tuesday. Yesha is currently under a military administration. If the proposal passes its second and third readings, communities throughout Yesha will have the same legal status as regional councils throughout Israel.
In other action, Communications Minister Limor Livnat believes a plan should be drawn up to annex certain parts of Yesha. She said it could include areas with settlements and which are not under the control of the PA/PLO. Livnat, who is to make her proposal formally to the prime minister, says Israeli law could be applied in these areas before the final status talks or if Arafat were to declare a Palestinian state unilaterally. (ARUTZ-7, KOL YISRAEL, ISRAEL & GLOBAL NEWS)
HUSSEIN'S CONDITION WORSENS: As his 37-year-old son, Prince Abdallah, was inducted as the Crown Prince, Jordan's King Hussein's condition worsened. He is currently in the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, having returned after abruptly removing his brother last week as successor to the crown. Hussein's brother, Hassan, had served as Crown Prince since 1965. Hussein had been recovering at the Mayo Clinic for six months when US President Clinton visited him on January 5. Three weeks later the king returned to Jordan and, within a week, he suddenly and unexpectedly removed his brother as Crown Prince -- a status which he held for more than 30 years.
Not wasting any time, US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright met Thursday with the new Crown Prince Abdullah. The talks dealt largely with US economic assistance to Jordan, but also touched on Iraq, Albright added. The US, which provides Jordan with $225 million a year in economic and military assistance, is examining ways "to move money in a more rapid fashion" to the kingdom, REUTERS quoted Albright as saying. (MEMRI, JERUSALEM POST)
'EXTREMISTS' ON THE RISE: Throughout the Arab world, daily papers have reported on what they call a "structural crack or fault" in Israel's political culture, a crack which is liable to strengthen the 'extremists' who oppose negotiations with the Palestinians, support the cancellation of the Oslo process and promote the expansion of Israel's borders [in other words Biblical Zionists -- those who believe the word of G-d.-ed]. Both the Egyptian weekly EL HADAD and the daily AL WAFD stated that the trouble pervading Israeli politics also increases the power of Foreign Minister Ariel Sharon "who has become the final arbiter of security and foreign issues in the country". (ARUTZ-7)
EU MAY FREEZE PA/PLO FUNDS: HA'ARETZ reports the European Union (EU) has recently warned Arafat that Europe would freeze the transfer of financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority if the PA/PLO does not explain the disappearance of funds sent over the last two years. Sources in the European Parliament in Strasbourg told HA'ARETZ that the ambiguous financial statements that the PA/PLO has presented have raised serious suspicions of embezzlement by Arafat's close associates.
(ISRAEL & GLOBAL NEWS)
STATEHOOD TO BE POSTPONED? Arafat will soon inform Clinton of his decision to postpone the declaration of Palestinian statehood, said a report from AL-QUDS. Arafat left Gaza Saturday for Switzerland and the US where he is expected to plea for more money and efforts to revive the deadlocked peace process. Palestinian sources suggested Arafat will seek certain unspecified 'assurances' from the Americans in order to 'make up' for the postponement of statehood. (ISRAEL & GLOBAL NEWS)
THIS WEEK IN HISTORY: * January 25, 1904: Theodor Herzl met Pope Pius X and tried to convince him to support the vision of Zionism without any success. The pope totally rejected the idea that Jerusalem will be in Jewish hands [The pope today still rejects the idea of a Jewish Jerusalem-ed].
* January 27,1790: In France, active citizenship was extended to the 'well born' Sephardic Jews of Bordeaux, who promptly bowed out of the fight for equal rights. They looked upon their poorer brothers in Alsace-Lorraine with contempt.
* January 28, 1668: Pope Clement IX canceled the humiliating forced races. Known as the Palio, near-naked Jews were forced to run through the streets of Rome during carnival time. In return for the revocation, the Jews of Rome had to pay a special cancellation tax of 200 ducats. This tax was paid for almost 200 years.
* January 29, 1808: In Canada, though Ezekiel Hart (1767-1843) was elected to the Canadian parliament, he was prevented from taking his seat because as a Jew he could not take the oath "on the true faith of a Christian". Though reelected in May 1808, and in April 1809, he was again prevented from being seated. Only in 1832 was legislation passed allowing Jews to hold public office and giving them full civil rights. (WZO)
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FYI - Israel In The News
"For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace,
and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest" Isaiah 62:1
'F.Y.I.' may be reproduced & distributed in any form. Please give proper credit.
Send comments to Lee Underwood at: fyi@tzemach.org
Web site: http://www.tzemach.org/fyi
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The FRAGRANCE of the KNOWLEDGE of Him
2 Corinthians 2:14
FAITH REST
By Ron Wallace
1. Definition: Faith rest is the attitude and practice of being totally relaxed and confident in the character and plan of God based on knowledge and trust in His word.
2. The premise for faith rest is the absolute character and plan of God. Because of WHO He is, we can depend on Him to meet all our needs.
A. Romans 8:32 - Since He has provided the most for us by sending Jesus to die on the cross for us, once we accept Him as our savior and enter into the family of God, He will continue to provide just what we need to be successful as a child of God here on earth.
"How will He not with Him, freely give us all things?"
B. Romans 8:28 - God works all things together for benefit. There is nothing that happens in our life that God cannot mold for our benefit AS LONG AS we are walking with Him in fellowship ie, "Those who love Him."
C. 2 Pet 1:3 - God has provided everything we need for life and worship through His word.
D. 1 Peter 5:7 - And then when all is said and done, it boils down to the simple fact that God The Almighty actually "cares for us."
3. The imperative of Faith rest.
Hebrews 11.6, "without faith it is impossible to please Him."
Indeed, the only way that God can bless us here on this earth is for us to "live by faith." When we "give up" and fret and worry about "what we shall eat or drink or what we shall put on," etc., God is UNABLE to give us the "peace of God which surpasses all human logic." That is only experienced by those who BY FAITH trust God's character and plan for every situation in there life.
4. Faith rest is an extension of salvation faith into the Christian way of life.
A. Salvation: We are saved by trusting in the character and plan of God as represented in the gospel message, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved." Acts 16:31; Ephesians 2.8-9 B. The Christian way of life: And we live as a child of God by faith.
Colossians 2.6, "As you received Christ, so walk in Him"
We "received" Christ by faith and we continue to "live" after salvation by faith.
2 Cor. 5.7, "we walk by faith not by sight."
We walk by trusting in the character and plan of God as revealed in His word. We do not live by "reacting" to the varied circumstances of life but by trusting in the "absolute" character and plan of God.
6. The peace of faith rest: Only as we trust in God for all the little details of our life will we be able to experience the PEACE that Jesus has promised to give us.
John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you;
Not as the world gives, I give to you. don't let your heart be troubled or intimidated.
Phil. 4.6-7 Be worrying about nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Is. 26.3-4 The stabilized of mind You will keep in perfect peace, BECAUSE he trusts in Thee.
Trust in Yahweh forever, For in Yah, Yahweh, is an everlasting Rock.
EPHESIANS 6:16-17 "In everything, taking up the SHIELD OF FAITH by which you will be able to extinguish all the fiery missiles of the evil one. . .And take . the SWORD OF THE SPIRIT which is THE WORD OF GOD."
R.g. Wallace
ronw@biblefragrances.com
www.biblefragrances.com
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Two Boxes
I have in my hands two boxes
Which God gave me to hold
He said,"Put all your sorrows in the black,
And all your joys in the gold."
I heeded his words, and in the two boxes
Both my joys and sorrows I store
But though the gold became heavier each day
The black was as light as before.
With curiosity, I opened the black
I wanted to find out why
And I saw, in the base of the box, a hole
Which my sorrows had fallen out by.
I showed the hole to God, and mused aloud,
"I wonder where my sorrows could be."
He smiled a gentle smile at me.
"My child, they're all here with me."
I asked,"God, why give me the boxes,
"Why the gold, and the black with the hole?"
"My child, the gold is for you to count your blessings,
the black is for you to let go."
Author unknown
>
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>From a brother in the Phillipines...a word of encouragement.
"Finishing"
At the Olympics, glory doesn't only go to those who win. Dorando Pietri was
in a state of collapse as he entered the stadium for the final yards of the
1908 marathon. The Italian fell five times before an official helped him
across the finish line. Pietri was disqualified but his indomitable spirit
made him an international celebrity.
A similar display of courage enabled Derek Redmond of Great Britain to
finish the 400 meters in '92. Hobbled by a torn hamstring near the half-way
point, Redmond hopped the rest of the way with the help of his father, Jim,
who rushed from the stands to aid his son.
And who could forget the sight of Tanzania's John Stephen Akhwari, his
right leg bloody and bandaged, staggering into the stadium more than a hour
behind the winner of the '68 marathon? "My country did not send me to
Mexico City to start the race," he said. "They sent me to finish the race."
Application:
How many of us have started something only to become distracted and quit,
or take a detour? Or, how many have we seen start the race of career
ministry and lose the way only to fall into disgrace or be put on the shelf
(1Cor.9:27)?
Rather than begin with much flare and fanfare, wouldn't we rather finish,
even if alone, at the Master's feet to hear, "Well done, thou good and
faithful servant" (Mat.25:23)? He who finished the most important race in
history (Heb.12:1-2) can empower us to finish what we desire to do in His
name (1Tim.3:1).
References used: 1Cor.9:24-27, Mat.25:23, Heb.12:1-2, &1Tim.3:1.
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