Heed the Warning

On this day of remembrance, I think it timely that I share a letter with you about coming judgments. We have turned our backs on Israel and we will pay for it. We cannot fix the country, but we can cover our own families. If you would like a copy of his 2012 video (or any of his videos) but cannot afford it, leave me a comment with your address and I will get it to you. I feel it is that important.

Next Major Shaking Is At Hand
A Prophetic Warning From Norm Franz

Received: August 7, 2010
Published: September 7, 2010

Greetings in the Name of Yeshua (Jesus) our Messiah. I hope this message finds you all well and blessed in the Lord (Yahweh).

Those of you who know me and have heard the prophetic words and teachings the Lord has given me over the past 20 years, know that I’m a straightforward end time voice, who generally interprets current events and spiritual phenomenon in the light of God’s prophetic word. This approach has kept our ministry from conjuring up soulish prophecies and high-minded declarations that sound good (tickle the ears), but have a poor track record of fulfillment.

The accuracy at which our ministry’s prophetic words and teachings have come to pass is not because I am anything special, but because of the biblical model God has shown me for prophesying truth in the last days. Many years ago, the Lord told me that I was to always bring HIS WRITTEN WORD (the Torah, the Prophets and the New Covenant) to the table, because His Word could speak for itself. All I had to do was prophetically connect the dots in a way that allowed His whole Word to flow in unity with itself, and He would do the rest.

He made it clear that I was not to embellish on His Word or make up stuff from my own guesswork like so many prophetic ministries are doing today. He told me that, if I would yield to His written Word and let it establish my doctrine rather that twisting His Word to fit my own doctrine, His Holy Spirit would show me a clear picture of the last days. As I have been faithful to follow this model to the best of my ability (not perfectly I’m sure), God has been faithful to give me what most consider a clear vision of where we have been, where we are now, and where we are going in the future.

I point this out only for the purpose of giving those who do not know me or the work of Ascension Ministries a basic understanding of our approach to end time prophetic ministry and to our highly accurate track record of prophetic words and teachings. Both, of which, I am truly grateful to God for and give Him all the glory.

My Last Major Prophecy

In April 2006, I did a prophetic teaching entitled “Mercy and Judgment: God’s Love and Discipline of America”. In that teaching, I explained the specific details of why 9/11 and hurricane Katrina were judgments on America for its transgression of God’s laws. I used Scripture verse after Scripture verse to explain the type of judgment it was and why it would continue until America repented. I also gave specific details about how the next judgment coming on America would be a financial judgment of Wall Street, and how that judgment would spread throughout our economy, as well as many other economies around the world.

Consequently, 16 months later (August 2007) the subprime mortgage crisis hit Wall Street and all but collapsed America’s financial system. Since then, this financial crisis has crushed America’s economy and dominoed throughout numerous other economies worldwide just as the Lord revealed it would.

Another Major Shaking Is At Hand

About a month ago (August 7, 2010) during Shabbat service, the Lord gave me a prophetic word that I will share in a minute. For me, this word just reiterated some prophetic teachings that I had given in the past. The reason I waited to share this with the church at large is because I wanted to make sure I was hearing a fresh word (or a real time reiteration of a previous word) from the Lord. In other words, I did not want to give a prophetic word that was simply a soulish regurgitation of past prophetic teachings with a “Thus says the Lord” in front of it. This is the path that often leads to giving prophecies from our own spirit and/or soul realm like the false prophets of ancient Israel did (Jer. 14:14; 23:26; Ez. 13:2-6, 17). The Apostle Peter pointed out that this same phenomenon would repeat itself within the New Covenant Church, and I just want to make sure that I do not go there (2 Pet. 2:1-3). In fact, I think we should let this serve as a serious warning to the many prophetic ministries that have fallen into this trap today.

With this preface, I feel compelled to share the prophetic word and subsequent understanding that I believe God implanted within me on Saturday, August 7, 2010:

“All order is about to be lost. Financial order, civil/political order, family order, and religious order. Society is about to be thrown into financial chaos and war. So Prepare! Prepare! Prepare! Prepare in spirit, prepare in soul and prepare in body. Prepare mentally, prepare emotional and prepare physically, for the next great shaking is about to come upon this world’s order of things. Repent and prepare your hearts for yet another shaking is about to remove more of what can be shaken, so that more of what can not be shaken may remain. So Return! Return! Return! Return to Me” says the Lord, “with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might, and walk in My ways and not your own. Return to me and I will return to you, and I will save you and deliver you, and you will not be shaken in the troubling days ahead.”

First I want to say that, as I received this word and have meditated on it over the past month, I sensed that it was the same type of word that God gave Israel just before Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylon rose up and took them captive. It’s important to note that Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylon was the New World Order (world government) of its day, and God used it to bring judgment upon Israel for turning away from His Commandments. In the same manner, I believe that God is allowing the end time New World Order of Globalism (Mystery Babylon) to rise up as a tool of judgment on the West (including Judeo-Christian America), because it has turned away from God’s laws just like Israel did.

Ultimately, Globalism (Mystery Babylon) will subdue the whole world, but right now it is leveling out the West and redistributing power, wealth, military strength, etc. to the East. This is the geopolitical shift from West to East that a number of geopolitical analysts have spoken of over the past couple of years. Prophetically, it is just like the time Israel’s power, wealth and military strength transferred to the East when it came under Babylon’s rule for transgressing God’s Law and refusing to repent.

It is also important to note that, like ancient Israel, nothing is going to stop this judgment from coming, because we are past the point of no return with regards to the world system. Yes, there are times when God postpones or even reverses a judgment when the people repent and pray like with Nineveh and the principles of Jeremiah 18:7-9. However, there are also times when, no matter what the people do, God still returns the consequences of their sin back upon them in the form of a judgment (Jer. 2:17; 4:18; 7:16; 11:14; 15:1).

Therefore, let me be clear about what God is saying in this regard. “Judgment is coming on the current financial, political and religious world order and everything else that has rejected God’s laws, and nothing is going to stop it. True repentance (returning to God’s ways) and prayer can postpone it, so that we can continue to sound the alarm and prepare ourselves for when it does come, but nothing is going to stop it.”

“For those who turn back to God’s ways and pray in line with His Word, He will raise them up above the nations and bless them even during His judgment of the nations (Deut. 28:1-14). For those who pray, yet fail to keep God’s laws, their prayers will produce very little, and they run the risk of being judged along with the nations (Pr. 28:9; Is. 1:15; 1 Cor. 11:32). In other words, if we pray and return to walk in loving obedience to God’s Commandments, He will protect and shield us from the full impact of this judgment and keep us until the day of Jesus Christ (Yeshua the Messiah). If not, our house will collapse under the weight of the shaking along with the nations”.

Timeline of this Judgment

It is important to note that the Lord gave me this word three days before the biblical month of Elul which began on August 10, 2010. The month of Elul is the month of teshuvah (repentance) before the biblical New Year of Rosh Hashanah starts on Tishri 1 or September 9th of this year. Tishri 1 also begins the Fall Feasts starting with the Feats of Trumpets (Yom Teruah), followed by Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) and Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles).

Just as the Spring Feasts celebrate Messiah first coming as Savior, the Fall Feasts celebrate His second coming as Judge and reigning King. Consequently, as we prepare for our annual observance of the Fall Feasts, Elul represents a special season of reflection and repentance, where we allow God to search our hearts and see if there is any wicked way within us. Traditionally, the way in which we respond during Elul determines what the year ahead will bring regarding blessings and cursings.

With regard to the global scale of this particular prophetic word, since there has been little or no repentance in the world, I believe God has impressed upon me that this year’s Feast of Trumpets marks a new season of judgment. That is not to say that something catastrophic is going to happen on Tishri 1 (September 9, 2010), but that it is a time when God is going to release a new season of consequences/judgments on an unrepentant world.

I also believe the Lord has show me that this shaking/judgment will be poured out over the course of the next two to three years much along the timeline I gave in the “2012 And Beyond” teaching. In that teaching, I clearly explained why 2012 is not the end of the world like so many are predicting it is. However, I also point out that the later part of 2012 could easily be a critical period when various financial, social, political and military crises crescendo at the same time, causing events that might look like the end of the world. I also point out how a series of global crises hitting in quick succession could provide the perfect atmosphere for establishing a New World Order that gives rise to the antichrist . No one knows the exact timing of this, but I believe the timeline in “2012 And Beyond” is pretty sound.

I am humbly seeking the Lord for more details regarding specific events within this coming judgment as well as the timing of those events. If, and when, the Lord gives that to me, I will share it with the body of Messiah as He leads. In the mean time, please pray that I hear the Lord clearly and keep a right spirit within me.

Return to the Lord

In all of the confusion about what is happening in the world, and whose prophetic word said what, and whose word is right, and what we should do about it, there is one mandate which is clear throughout all of it, and that is to “Return to the Lord.” I believe the best example of what this is supposed to look like is when King Josiah returned to serve Yahweh with all his heart, soul and might. He did this by restoring God’s commandments in his personal life and reestablishing the Torah throughout the nation of Israel. As a result, God declared that Josiah became the greatest King to have ever lived (2 Kgs. 23:1-25).

In the same manner, Yeshua (Jesus) reestablishes this principle of keeping God’s commandments in the New Covenant Church as a sign of greatness in His kingdom:

18 For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law [Torah] until all is accomplished. 19 Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (Matt. 5:18-19)

In this regard, Jesus (Yeshua) the Messiah is calling His people (the church) to be great in the kingdom of heaven by returning to Him and His ways, so that He might return to us... Amen!

In God’s Love,
Norm Franz
A Messenger of the Covenant

Open for Speculation

The following is from an email a friend sent me, and it was such good thinking material I had to share it:

"1) The spirit behind the health care bill - these people KNOW and BELIEVE in the power of satanic dates. The last time they tried to pass the health care bill was Dec. 24. It passed Sunday March 21. The average American assumes they are trying to "catch us" when we are not paying attention, but I think it is much more sinister than that. I think these dates have to do with demon worship. - Dec. 24 can be construed as a sacrifice to Saturnalia and the Federal Reserve Act passed on that day so many years ago! Sunday is not the Sabbath, no matter what Glenn Beck says about it, and these people believe in special powers on the spring equinox and the sun.

2) The next few weeks will probably pass without nothing more than health care debate, BUT Bibi is going to be visiting Obama and given our past history with the top 10 FEMA disasters being directly correlated to pressuring Israel to give up her land, I am watching that meeting carefully.

3) Will Israel go ahead with the planned Passover sacrifice on the Temple Mount? Will it only be one sacrifice? Or will daily sacrifices continue on the Sanhedrin's mobile alter? WHO will stop this?"

I truly believe the Health Care bill is a way to move us closer to the mark. I have seen numerous commercials lately about having all your health data on a chip in your body so that doctors can better help you in an emergency. It's not true- they have protocols that tell them what to do in an emergency. It's like trying to convince people that they need to spill all their private info in the census so that the government knows how many bridges to build- they do traffic studies for that! If we mandate health coverage, the next logical step is to mandate record chips so that the health care can be spread around evenly. And evenly is going to mean capping some people’s usage (i.e. letting them die after so much coverage because they are using more than their fair share).

This fit into what I wanted to post about today as I had an experience myself that I wanted to share with government-sponsored Health Care. We do not go to the doctor as often as most families I know. I don’t like invasive procedure, chemically-created drugs, and the invasion of privacy that accompanies most visits anymore (they scanned my driver’s license last time! I didn’t know they were going to or I wouldn’t have given it to them. I thought they were just checking to see if I was really who I said I was to avoid insurance fraud) In this county, foster children who are adopted receive a Medicaid card until the age of 18. I have no problem with this idea because the children were wards of the state, and because of medical issues (known and unknown) a lot of people don’t want to take on the responsibility for kids whose medical history and genetics they know nothing about. It is a fair trade off to give those people complete medical coverage for those kids. Remember, too, that many of these kids have been exposed to drugs in utero and have long-lasting consequences of it.

I have to say, though, that as much as I appreciate having free coverage for them (which truly does cover everything ‘in theory’) there is always a price to pay for something free. For instance, it seems that Medicaid tries to deter people from using their benefits by making them chose from the sub-par. The frames we are allowed to select at the eye doctor's office are ridiculously ugly. They are very thick, orange plastic. Good luck finding anything that is not as big as your child's whole face. We finished the eye exam and the assistant handed the charts to the lady who fits frames and writes up orders for glasses. She was all smiles and cheerful until she looked at the chart. "Oh, Medicaid." And I'm not kidding, she pulled out a cardboard box from under the desk with our frame choices in it.

This is not just one office. We have had the same experience at three different optometrists in the time we've had the cards. We also went to a free vision clinic sponsored by the county (because when you first get the kids, law requires you to get all kinds of medical checks done on them, but nobody will take the vouchers that are used until the kids are officially in the system). You could seriously tell who went to that clinic because the doctor put an eye patch on at least one kid in every foster family that year. We would see one another at the store and know who had been to that clinic because of the ugly maroon eye patches with cartoon characters on them. When we finally got a medical card and went to a real doctor's office (they doctors are always nice, just not their staff) he said he didn't know why they insisted on doing that to kids. Apparently he had been the recipient of many of the eye-patch gang and couldn't find a single one of them that really needed the patch. It made me wonder if we weren’t part of some government-sanctioned experiment carried out on the poorer people because they didn’t have the resources to fight it. It’s happened in the past in this country.

The dentists aren’t much better. This is where I sat for hours while the kids' teeth were addressed. You can probably guess that in a home where mom and dad are busy doing drugs and the kids fend for themselves, oral hygiene is not a priority. I knew the kids would need several appointments to get their mouths fixed, but the amount of wait time was crazy. One morning we arrived at 8:20 for an 8:30 appointment. When the doctor hadn’t shown by 9:30, I said we were leaving and the staff got nasty with me. The office was not very clean or orderly because, being free medical care, it was manned by dental students. If you ended up in chair #1, people would brush past you the whole time because in order to get to the other rooms, they had to walk through yours. Sounds perfectly sanitary to me! And you CANNOT have white fillings if you are on Medicaid. I said I would pay the difference because I don’t want the kids to have mercury fillings. They said no. I said I would pay the whole bill myself and they said no. Medicaid patients cannot have white fillings unless they are the front teeth, and then it has to be approved. Luckily it was all in baby teeth and will be gone sooner or later.

And the pharmacy is always a nerve-wracking experience. Try having a new baby who doesn’t know you and is scared out of her mind AND has a double ear infection, and the pharmacist says he doesn’t want to give you the prescription because he hasn’t been paid by the county yet for the last 2 foster kids' prescriptions he filled. WalMart is giving away antibiotics now! They are not that expensive. It's just sickening.

Then yesterday I tried to make an appointment with our new doctor (we keep getting switched because, like with the dentists, you get people fresh out of medical school who can’t afford a private practice). You join the 'group' and get whoever is a part of it when you show up. Our latest doctor in the practice is great and we really like him, so we wanted to stay with him. The receptionist told me I could not get an appointment with him because the name of the primary physician on our card was different than this doctor's name. It had never been a problem before- in fact when I tried to change the card I was told it didn’t matter who was listed as physician, we could see anybody who takes Medicaid. The kids have been seeing this guy for two years, every time we went in (which isn’t often, but still consistent). I asked her what I needed to do to get an appointment because it was for a sick child, and she said to call the insurance company and have them fax over a paper stating they were changing the name on the card.

So I called Medicaid and after waiting in line for 24 minutes, my call was answered (sometimes I get the recording that says, no joking, "We are so busy we will not be able to answer your call at this time. Please call back another time"). When I explained it all to the insurance lady, she said we could no longer see that doctor, or anyone in that group, because they were at their quota and no more cards could be printed with the group’s name on them. I told her we were already patients there, but it made no difference. She offered to find me a new doctor, and after searching available pediatricians in our area who take Medicaid, she found one that's an hour and a half drive, and one that's an hour drive. Not only would I have to drive too far away for the kids who most often needs seen because of medical issues, I had the choice of having kids at two different practices OR trying to find another doctor with 7 openings. I really hope we move soon and I don’t have to worry about it. We ended up using the MedCenter, which drives Medicaid crazy because it costs them too much money, but then they need to get rid of their stupid rules!

This is what we have to look forward to with government insurance. The stories from Canada about people dying while waiting for help are not a joke. The government does not truly care about you the way they say they do. I have no issue with reforming some of the stupid things going on with insurance, but here’s evidence that a government-mandated system will not fix the problems! It is going to get worse, and I truly believe it is all a cover to carry out their demonic agenda.

So, anybody want to weigh in on this thinking?

Doggin' Over Dogma

"Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." Mark 7:7

When we discuss a church teaching the traditions of men as doctrines, I think Catholic or Episcopalian. I think Amish as well, since a person can lose their status in the church and risk hell for doing something the church has not allowed, even if the church ends up allowing it later (like using a gas lawn mower). But as I am an equal opportunity offender (i.e. pointing out error no matter who it belongs to) I really need to discuss the problem of holding to traditions in the evangelical and independent circles of the body of believers.

First, I want to say that I do not think anybody will be let into or kept out of heaven based on their beliefs when it comes to secondary doctrines. Secondary doctrines, to me, are the ones that are NOT stated as being required for salvation. We see in the Word (Acts 2, Romans 10, etc) that what is required is belief in the sinless life of Yeshua and his death to pay for sin, then his resurrection and ascension. Those are the three that you absolutely must hold to for salvation because we are saved by grace through faith in Yeshua as the one who has conquered sin and death. The rest are certainly important, but even in Revelation when addressing the churches, Yeshua says each one has done things right, but that they have also got some of the doctrines wrong. So if we know no church has it all right, and we know no person is always correct, why do we have churches throwing people out because of disagreements over things that are not about salvation or the working out of faith in daily life?

The first tradition I want to tackle is one I have encountered mostly in conservative Baptist churches, and it has to do with the two words. By that I mean that parts of the Bible are still applicable and others are not. You already know I believe the law is for us because Yeshua said that the law would not pass away until heaven and earth passed away (which hasn’t happened) and that anyone who teaches others not to obey the law will be least in the kingdom. There are a lot of people from every denomination who believe the law has been done away with, and as will be the theme here today, the reasons are more that the church has taught them this way than any actual Biblical commands. But I won’t even get into all that right now. What I want to address is the church that teaches the law has been done away with, and yet holds parts of the law against people. This is called a double standard, or my little name for it, the issue of two different words, as in subjective obedience.

If you walk into a conservative Baptist church as a guy with a pony tail, you will be gawked at. If you try to place membership, you will likely receive a lecture about your hair, if not an actual refusal to give you membership unless you cut that hair. While I agree with the premise because they are applying 1 Corinthians 11:14 which says it is shameful for a man to have long hair. Yet, I do not see the same application of the same chapter regarding women put into force. I believe it to say a woman out to wear a head covering, mostly because the word in Greek means a piece of cloth. But even if the church truly feels that reference is about hair, why are they allowing women (and often the pastor’s wife) to be church members with short hair? I have heard it argued that the Bible does not say how long the hair must be, and that is true, but it also does not say how short a man’s hair must be. Yet I know of churches (especially the ones with schools attached to them) who will send a boy home from an event or outing if his hair touches his collar. Brother Mike, who writes those study books I love so much, says himself that he will not allow a man to participate in church functions unless his hair is within their guidelines (determined by man and based on opinion, but still used to prevent someone from participating in the L-rd’s work). So parts are enforced and others are not?

Well, that’s a New Testament command and some churches believe that men, as the spiritual heads, are more accountable than women. So let’s look at another example. Those same conservative Baptist churches teach from the pulpit that getting tattoos is a sin. This is based on Leviticus 19:28. Yet they will serve ham at the church potluck after services the same day, which is in violation of Deuteronomy 5:5. These believers will argue with you that they have freedom in Christ to eat whatever they like (and the rebuttal to that is way too long to insert here), but my question is then why don’t they have freedom in Christ to get tattoos? Why are parts of the OT applicable and others not? The same is true of churches who require their men to be clean shaven. I have no idea where they get this traditions from, because not only did men in the OT have beards (Psalm 133, Samuel 21:13, Ezra 9:3), it was a shame not to (2 Samuel 10). And Yeshua himself had a beard which was ripped out as part of the torture and humiliation he endured on the way to the cross (Isaiah 50:6).

To broaden the paddle some and not just pick on Baptists, let’s consider the traditions of Christmas and Easter. You will not find these words in the King James Bible. These were not holidays appointed by Yah. In fact, they were pagan celebrations that were adopted into what became the state religion of paganism with touches of Christianity. They were means of worship to false gods, and now they are offered up to the Father. He warns us repeatedly not to learn the way of the pagans, and not to offer up strange fire (he must be worshipped in spirit and in truth, not however we see fit). Yet the church the world over calls these the two ‘holiest’ days on the calendar. But that doesn’t jive with what Adonai himself calls the holiest day, also known as Yom Kippur (Leviticus 23). Not only does he declare that he will destroy any who do not observe it (which he does not say about the other feasts) but also that it is to be celebrated forever. Do you believe Him when he says forever? I have heard it argued that forever doesn’t mean forever in the Bible, but that means that we won’t be in heaven forever, or that He was not in existence forever. Two words- it’s really forever when we want it to be, but when we don’t, it’s a limited forever (explain that to me). So we have told Yah that we don’t think his feasts are important anymore, but we conjure up feasts of our own choosing? Are we in the place of the father that we can do such a thing? And yet, I have been called legalistic for observing what the Creator of the Universe established rather than what the pagans established.

Lastly, I want to look at the tradition of the pre-tribulation rapture (and I'm not going to put the scriptural debate here as it can be found several other places, including in my archives). Those who believe in it are accusing those who do not of abandoning the faith, even calling the denial of it the great apostasy of the end times. Yet the Bible does not say we will be spared from tribulation. Far from it. We are given signs to watch for, told what we will endure, and promised blessings for staying true to the end, whether alive or martyred. For ever scripture that may be used to imply that we will not face tribulation, there are two more promising persecution of the saints. Where they read between the lines that we are not present, I read the actual word where white robes are given to those who were killed for their faith in the tribulation. There is also required a great deal of presupposition required in the pre-trib stance in order to make the verses read the way the supporters claim they do. For someone like me who was raised in a church that did not teach this doctrine, those verses are used out of context (and necessitate the conjuring of other non-scriptural doctrines, like different resurrections and different raptures) and still don’t really say that we will be whisked away before the tribulation. Despite that, I am not willing to claim that I have the correct interpretation because we are warned that no man knows the day or hour (meaning we also can’t declare for certain where in the timeline we are taken up), but also because the understanding of all this was sealed up in Daniel until it was time to reveal it. We disagree on other doctrines as well, but without the anger and bitterness that accompanies the lambasting of those who change their understanding of the timing of the rapture. We are only promised that we will be spared the wrath (Romans 5:9). So why are people so adamant that they will not face anything hard?

This tradition is not truly born out of scriptural interpretation, but of another source. People are willing to attack others as heretics over something no one has full revelation of because they are not really willing to die for their faith. Nowhere in the history of the called out ones were believers spared from trouble. They were run out of town, hunted, burned, crucified, torn apart by lions, and scattered to the four corners of the earth. If the Father did not spare even the apostles, who were highly favored, or the establishers of the early church (who did NOT believe in a pre-trib rapture, BTW), then why would He be so specific to spare the current church? In reality, though, He is not sparing the current church. How many in Iran, China, Pakistan, and India are dying for their faith every day? It would seem then that He would only be sparing the Western church? The truth is that the core problem is an entitlement attitude and having such a high standard of living. Americans are the majority if this group, and they claim their suffering will gain them rewards in heaven, but they don’t have any idea what suffering really is. It is not our own self-consciousness when we say grace over our meal in front of co-workers, or even the separation of church and state in our schools. Real persecution is having your life taken away for passing out Bibles. Real persecution is being forced to choose life at the expense of your soul. We don’t want to face the trials listed in the Word, so we take anything that makes us uncomfortable and call it persecution. But our ‘victories’ over these persecutions feel hollow for a reason- how can we stand before the throne and hold up name-calling as persecution when we are standing next to someone who watched their entire family slaughtered and still did not deny the faith? If we will not face any trials, why are warned throughout the Bible so that we be not deceived? If we are going to be kept from tribulation and then raptured away before anything bad happens, then many of the scriptures do not apply to us:

And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Matthew 10:28

These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. John 16:33

And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. Mark 13:13

So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure: Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer. 2 Thessalonians 1:4-5

Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 2 Timothy 2:3

And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. Revelation 13:7
He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. Revelation 21:7-8

Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. Matthew 5:11-12

New World Religion?

"They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised..." Romans 1:25

Worshipping creation is not a new phenomenon. It wasn't even new when Yeshua walked the earth (read Jeremiah and other OT writings). The difference now is the nearly mandatory nature of it, and how so many in the church are assimilating. Especially our kids.

We have very basic TV, and we have that only because with farming, the weather forecast is essential (though they seem to be so inaccurate these days- Yah confounding the wisdom of the 'wise'?). Part of that basic package is the Disney Channel. When I was young, I would ask to spend the night with my grandma on the weekends because she had the Disney channel. I loved the movies, old and new, which were for the most part wholesome entertainment. I have seen a very sad slide into inappropriateness in the modern Disney programming, and last night was the topper.

In what I thought was just a music video by some of the Disney Channel's biggest stars, teens were singing a song about saving the planet from global warming with such passion and zeal, it looked exactly like a worship service. The lyrics were akin to 'This Little light of Mine' and 'It Only Takes a Spark'. The call was to rebel against the grown-ups who say kids can't make a change in the world by registering your name and pledging allegiance to the planet. The singers were beating their chests, closing their eyes, and raising their hands. One time the singer even reached her hand forward to the audience, essentially inviting them to help her end the agony that comes from being environmentally irresponsible.

It made me sick. Talk about proselytizing! Environmentalism is one of the fastest ways to lose your kids to the world. If we allow them to participate in events to 'save the planet', we are essentially telling them the one who created it is not able to keep it as he has promised, and we create a chasm that makes reconciling what they hear in the pew with 'reality' impossible. Rather than looking to the scriptures to see what will happen, they begin to look to the media. We make the Word a book of fairy tales by forcing it to compete with the popular and the cool.

I have written before about the church we left when the balance of actual Bible preaching was replaced with environmentalism, and the crux was a sermon about Rachel Carson (if you don't know who this is, you aren't much of an environmentalist- and you didn't go to college in the 21st century). Even after we left, we still received the newsletter, and in one 12 page issue I counted 11 articles or announcements about going green, including the whole front page of Notes from the Pastor. Not once was there a mention of sharing the gospel. In fact, the message of environmentalism fits very comfortably with the trend in churches to make all missions about compassion and enriching people's lives. Compassion is essential. Being good stewards is fine. BUT THESE HAVE REPLACED THE TRUE CALL OF THE CHURCH TO GO INTO ALL THE WORLD AND PREACH THE GOSPEL. What good is a new well to a village if they are all dying in their sins? How compassionate are we to address the temporal and be silent on the eternal?

This shift of focus is indicative of the world-wide call to address the supposed issues plaguing the planet. It is now part of our politics and even our laws. It is now something we fund whether we like it or not, as our tax dollars pay for much of the legislation commissioning studies to cut down on carbon emissions or reduce the human footprint on the planet. Some very radical environmentalists even propose killing off humans in order to save the planet. With someone willing to die for a cause, it is obviously their religion. What else is man willing to die for except what he believes in? And they are using our children and our churches and our government to make this set of beliefs mandatory, if not yet enforced in practice, at least by criminalizing the morality of those who do not agree. I'm sick to death of commercials where young children have to instruct their stupid fathers (because mothers are protected by feminism) on the new way of doing things from purchasing a light bulb to finding a green appliance.

All this makes me wonder if the one world religion of the last days will not be based on, if not centered around, the planet. There is nothing new under the sun, so the corruption of religion we have seen before will be the corruption we see again. It is also such a prevalent idea that many who call themselves believers are completely wrapped up in it, making the deceiving of the elect very easy to accomplish. We have to fight this religion of Mother earth. If the only thing our kids see is about saving the planet, that will be the core issue in their hearts, and it is not hard to imagine a generation that will have forsaken the scriptures completely for the traditions of men. It is essential to teach our kids the Bible first and most so that they are able to weed out the humanism that shows up dressed in a choir robe.

Brother in Arms

It hasn't happened yet, but I am sure I will hear considerable back-lash for saying it is fruitless to pray for this country anymore. Many of the people who feel that way are those who believe America, like the Church, is not the receptor of Yah's wrath, so nothing bad can happen to us. Unfortunately, those who hold to this view are the first to lose their faith when something does go wrong. But alongside them there is a group of people, like my brother the soldier, who are willing to risk their lives to defend the freedoms we have and to keep us safe from all enemies. This is such a noble sacrifice that I do not want to give anyone time to believe I am belittling it. Rather, it is the government we now serve (though it is supposed to be the other way around) who make void the long history of personal valor. And I want to explain why so that you see I am not at ALL against the premise of what our country is supposed to be.

Firstly, we are no longer a republic. We were never a democracy, though many use the term democratic to refer to the US. What we are now is an oligarchy. We have thousands upon thousands of young men and women willing to risk their lives because they understand that if we do not meet the enemy on his turf, he will meet us on ours. YET, those thousands of soldiers do not make the decisions regarding their deployment and service. Those decisions are made by the elite few (definition of oligarchy). I have yet to know a soldier who went to Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, or Kuwait, who felt it was unnecessary. I'm sure there are some (there are also soldiers who sign up to get the free education and are then shocked when they are called to active duty), but the military personnel I have heard discuss the situations say we NEED to be there. If it were up to them, we would continue to be there for however long it takes. Not so with our messiah monarch. He has determined their risk is pointless and has promised (in order to get elected) to pull them out by an arbitrarily appointed date.

The idea with a republic is supposed to be that an elected body does the legwork for the masses, based on what they desire. Congress and the Senate quit caring long ago what the people want, and instead have decided it is their duty to decide for us because we don't know enough to make decision for ourselves. The 'stance' of America on such things as the war on terror, the nation of Israel, and the role of the government in such things as the economy and health care are FAR AND AWAY from the views being promoted and pushed upon us by the elected few. We are no longer really free, and unless a revolt overthrows the entire city of DC (and that would be tough because they have taken away our right to bear arms) we are destined for ruination.

Secondly, Yah never spared a nation from judgment based on the holy people within it. He did make that offer to Lot, though it proved his point of why there was no need to save the nation. Instead, he told Lot to get out, thereby assuring his safety. Other times, he brought judgment down hard on the nation while protecting those who belonged to him. This was true in Egypt. He didn't stop the plagues because His people were there, but put a shield around them so that the plagues didn't touch them. A third scenario is that he allows His people to be captured, but he goes along with them into captivity in order to fulfill his plan. Daniel was allowed to be carried off to captivity. Joseph was allowed to be taken into captivity. Both men were instrumental in saving the elect from that position in which they found themselves. Other time Yah allowed His own to be killed while standing up for the truth, thereby proving that his promises, while sometimes covering this life, are meant to be eternal and that he alone can conquer death in order to fulfill a vow.

I can forsee all of these scenarios as possibilities in out nation's future. By all means, pray for the military who is keeping us from toppling over that line into world chaos. Intercede for those in government who have no taste for politics and are truly trying to serve the L-rd and the people. Stand up for what is right- demonstrate, send letters, make calls. My point was only that our government has become so corrupt, and many of the people who voted them into office are now so depraved, that to ask for further mercy on our nation is futile and sinful. If the point of discipline is to bring people back to the truth, who are we to see them wandering away and ask that they not be corrected? If the soldiers are willing to risk their lives to save another, shouldn't we be all the more willing to risk our temporal bodies for the eternal salvation of many? Truly, what is the motive for putting off discipline if not for one's personal comfort? Even if we manage to take back the reins of the nation, if we do not turn away from the sins that have put us here, we are making our 'way of life' a priority over obedience to the Father. Either way, the only answer for believers is to come out of her. We must be separated from the system of this world if we do not want to be partakers of her punishment.

"And if they be bound in fetters, and be holden in cords of affliction; Then he sheweth them their work, and their transgressions that they have exceeded. He openeth also their ear to discipline, and commandeth that they return from iniquity. If they obey and serve him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures." Job 36:8-11

Baruch Haba B'shem Adonai

Judgment

Whether you agree with it or not, the truth of the Word says that the loving Father chastises his children. The church used to agree with this statement, and only seems to have turned away from the wisdom of it after the advent of modern psychology, which taught parents that their children knew what they needed and should be gently guided through life rather than instructed in righteousness and 'chastened betimes' to save his soul. Now we are so preoccupied by the idea of damaging someone's self-esteem, we never correct. Even our judicial system is a joke. Because of budget cuts, and overcrowding as a result of our lack of morality in putting to death child murderers and the sexually depraved, criminals are being freed in California (I am not picking on one state- they are just the only ones being honest about it).

This news should not be a surprise, though, in a nation where 'freedom' has become about fulfilling the lusts of our flesh regardless of the effect it has on others. What surprises me are the number of people calling for prayers for our nation and our president. Why?!?! Or have they not read the scriptures, which clearly tell us that if He has sent judgment on a nation to try and turn them away from their sin, he will not hear their prayers until they have turned away form those sins?

"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; THEN will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14

He also warns the prophet Jeremiah not to pray for a nation that is in rebellion, because he will not listen!

"Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up a cry or prayer for them: for I will not hear them in the time that they cry unto me for their trouble." Jeremiah 11:14

We are facing our judgment for what we have done, and no amount of praying or patriotism or wishing is going to do anything to stop the scourging of the Father until the people realize what they are doing and STOP! That does not mean that we should stop praying altogether, but if you are praying for mercy on America you are not being heard.

Every time we as a nation receive discipline, our answer is to increase our rebellion, which only brings more judgment! In a horrible news story this week, a mother was found to have eaten parts of her newborn baby. The discovery of this scene has reportedly severely impacted those officials who had to collect evidence. Everyone asks the 'unanswerable' question of why, but they do not really look for that answer in the place it can be found. Rather than turn to the Father for guidance, they have likely already declared it a result of post-partum depression and placed the woman on anti-depressant (if not anti-psychotic) drugs. Some even utter that all-too-familiar phrase 'How could God let this happen?' I can give you a few answers right from God himself:

"And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God...

But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee...And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters, which the LORD thy God hath given thee...The tender and delicate woman among you, which would not adventure to set the sole of her foot upon the ground for delicateness and tenderness, her eye shall be evil toward the husband of her bosom, and toward her son, and toward her daughter, and toward her young one that cometh out from between her feet, and toward her children which she shall bear: for she shall eat them for want of all things secretly in the siege and straitness, wherewith thine enemy shall distress thee in thy gates."

In fact, if you read through Deuteronomy 28, it reads like a laundry list of our news headlines for the past 50 years, and the future doesn't look very promising! Well, those words were written for Israel and not us, right? First, Hebrews clearly says that we have become part of Israel by our grafting in to the olive tree. Secondly, if you want more proof, how about other books of prophecy that we believe are playing out before our very eyes?

"And I will cause them to eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and they shall eat every one the flesh of his friend in the siege and straitness, wherewith their enemies, and they that seek their lives, shall straiten them." Jeremiah 19:9

"They have dealt treacherously against the LORD: for they have begotten strange children: now shall a month devour them with their portions...When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah saw his wound, then went Ephraim to the Assyrian, and sent to king Jareb: yet could he not heal you, nor cure you of your wound. For I will be unto Ephraim as a lion, and as a young lion to the house of Judah: I, even I, will tear and go away; I will take away, and none shall rescue him." Hosea 5:7, 13-14

This warning in Hosea speaks of the tribe of Ephraim, and while I'm not going to get into the whole two-house theology, it is true that Ephraim is a type of the church by representing the adopted gentile sons. And doesn't it sound just like America to find ourselves in sickness, and rather than try to figure out where that sickness came from, we run looking for a cure-all to get rid of it. If we don't know why something happens, how can we prevent it from happening again?

What are we under judgment for? To start with, we have turned away from the commandments of Yah. People are living sinful, decadent lives and still claiming to be christians. So we're guilty of sin and blasphemy. We made the last election about securing our way of life (money) rather than about protecting life (so there, too- why are we surprised at a news story about a mother killing her child when it happens thousands of times every day?). We are murderous and without natural affections. We have turned our backs on Israel, our 'mother' nation, and even taken up collections to help the Palestinians fight the Jews in our churches!!!!!!! But my personal opinion on when we crossed the point of no return was when Obama, who represents us, stood up and summarily declared that America is not a christian nation. The favor we received in the past, our very establishment as a country, were based on obedience to the Word of the L-rd. We have now forsaken our first love and turned to idols.

It should be no surprise that a self-declared godless nation turns to depravity. Without truth, good and evil become ambiguous terms. The Chinese have begun to make a soup from fetus parts. This 'delicacy' is reported to have many health benefits, and sells for $40 a serving.



(If you are fasting for Tisha B'Av, this is not only something else to mourn over, but something that should help you lose your appetite). Within this article is reference to another scriptural instance of eating children (2 Kings 6). What is the ultimate outcome in that book of history? Captivity. Why is America absent from prophecy? Some speculate that we are too far away to be present for the 'final showdown' except by military presence. Others feel we may be the New Babylon spoken of. I believe we are absent because we will not be a sovereign nation in the end! We have been disciplined repeatedly, and rather than learn from it, we have set our hearts against the Father. We have declared we do not know Him, and thereby sealed our fate.

Don't waste time praying for this country. Rather, heed the warning we have been given:

"Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues." Revelation 18:4

The Breaking Dam

Well, for someone who hasn’t felt like posting for so long, I’ve got ONE LONG POST to put up today. It is truly like a breaking dam, because it is a culmination of things that I have been noticing and studying for about a year. And they all go together, so there’s no way to talk about just one at a time. Bear with me, too, because it will be difficult to bring these things together on paper the way they come together in the lightning fast brain. There will surely be moments when you wonder if I have begun to write fiction, but I hope to make it cohesive by the end.

The first thing I want to mention is the scriptural command for testing a prophet to see if he/she is truly from the Father or not. There are two criteria, though many people stop at the first. Deuteronomy 13 says that a true prophet’s words will be proven. In other words, if he says something is going to happen, it does. But that is not enough, because even the demons can give someone a prophecy and then make it come true. The second test is to make sure that what the prophet says and does lines up with the Word. If a prophet says something will happen, and it does, but then he tries to lead you away from the Bible, he is a false prophet. This is important, and we’ll come back to it in a bit.

Next is something I have been discussing with Laurie for a while (I am just referencing where the topic came up- she does not necessarily agree with anything I am saying here). We have both noticed a trend recently in Hollywood to use movies with certain amounts of prophecy in them. The problem is that usually there is a little tiny bit of something from the Bible followed by a ton of anti-scriptural claptrap. At first I speculated that it was merely to draw people and their money to the box office because prophecy is currently a hot topic, but now I believe it is part of the whole deception of the end times. Some of the movies we discussed were The Day the Earth Stood Still, Angels and Demons, and Knowing (and now the previews for 2012 due out in November). Anybody with a passing knowledge of scripture can likely pick out the connotations in these movies. The disturbing part is that those who aren’t acutely knowledgeable in the scriptures can very easily be led astray. This is another reason is it VITALLY IMPORTANT that you know your Bible.



One very prominent idea in the movies and media right now is that of alien-led exodus from the planet. The premise is generally that we have destroyed the earth through our actions (global warming, pollution, religious based wars, etc.) and the aliens must come down and either save us all, or ‘rapture’ a select group to start over on the new earth. Norm Franz has a DVD called Report From Roswell: Unraveling the UFO/Alien Phenomenon that I think every believer truly, truly needs to see. It is only $14 at his website, or it does have permission to copy on it if someone has a machine that can make copies (mine only does CD’s). In this DVD, Norm uses the lens of scripture to examine things such as the alien autopsy, ufo sightings, and different cults that believe that aliens are our gods. Many of these cults have an end-times theology of aliens coming to earth to rapture us away!

What interested me in this video in the first place were all the recent blog discussions of aliens and how they could be demons. Most specifically was the discussion Ace had about the mating of the ‘sons of God’ with the daughters of men in Genesis 6. This discussion was a great example of why when we don’t understand something, we need to go back to the original languages. There is already so much confusion and so many false teachings because of the many Bible perversions that are sold (I’m not picking on anybody, just stating a fact). If you read this passage in the Hebrew, the translation is ‘heavenly beings’ or those who dwell in the realm beyond earth. This understanding is important for 2 reasons. First, we know they were not ‘christians’ because as I wrote last year, we did not have the power to become the sons and daughters of Yah until after the once-for-all sacrifice of the Lamb (John 1), who was called his ONE and only begotten son. Instead, a good way to explain it would be to compare the phrase sons of God with the phrase sons of man (or in this verse, daughters of man). The difference between them is the realm in which they dwell. Because some languages have only one word, like son, while others have several variations with different meanings, there can be something lost in the translation. That does not mean that the scriptures are translated in error, only our ability to understand them fully is at fault.

Secondly, we see here that they mating of these two created offspring. Anybody with any creationism training knows that two different species cannot mate together. Even before I knew what evolution was or was old enough to be concerned, I remember a Sunday school teacher saying that two species cannot mix, and this was good evidence that we were created special and stayed that way. The reason this is important is that many heresies were formed from the theology that Yah could not impregnate a woman, so that Yeshua was either fully divine or was fathered by someone else and Yah just orchestrated it. Obviously the sons of God, or celestial beings, looked like humans. This will be important later on, too.

In this discussion over at Ace’s blog, it was mentioned that many reports have been made by women claiming to have engaged in intercourse with (and sometimes being impregnated by) aliens (or demons). The importance of the head covering is discussed by Paul to be for the benefit of the angels, or heavenly beings, and the discussion went along the lines of wondering if that were to do with this joining of the two. The head covering serves as a sign that you belong to Adonai and are therefore off limits, so to speak. There is no indication in the scriptures that the sons of God cannot tell the difference between men and women, thereby necessitating a sign. Rather it would seem that in this explanation, the covering is a sign of belonging to Yah and his order of things, which makes you ‘untouchable’.

Remember also that Satan was at one point a good guy and that when he fell, he took 1/3 of the angels with him. If the theory is correct that what people are seeing as aliens are actually demons, or fallen angels, it poses some questions. When we talk of demons looking like aliens, or vice versa, we get a picture in our minds of weird looking creatures with big heads and black eyes, and it makes you wonder why anybody would want to have intercourse with something like THAT! Why didn’t the women in the Bible run screaming from the sons of God? Why didn’t the babies come out looking like science fiction characters (because the only difference noted in the Bible is that they were giants)? Why would someone today want to have intercourse with an alien?

And then I saw something in these Hollywood movies that made complete sense to me, kinda connecting the dots. In one, the aliens (demons) disguised themselves as humans. They were walking around just like everyone else until the end, when they took off the masks and ‘surprise’, it’s really aliens. There are plenty of people who say they are believers but who don’t know the Word, or who have mixed cultural Christianity with so many other things that there is no longer a label for it, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if they believed that ‘God’ sent aliens in a spaceship to rapture them away (2 Timothy 4). But what about those who do know, because we are told that the deceptions will be so great that even the elect might be led astray. It’s hard to imagine church people lining up for a UFO ride, believing it was scriptural. But then I re-read 2 Corinthians 11, where we learn that Satan can disguise himself as an angel of light. Can he take on any disguise he wishes? What if the alien suits are the disguise and the demons really look like people, and will reveal themselves as such when they stage their own second coming? How else would you explain masses of people being deceived into thinking the devil was really the Christ himself (Matthew 24:5)?

Many, many people are expecting a rapture from this earth. Could it be possible that Satan will come first, posing as the Messiah, in the very same way? But surely we would know Jesus if we saw him. Well, how would you know? By the pictures painted hundreds of years after his death? By his charismatic personality and the miracles he performs? How will you really know him? What if the deception is crafted to look different to each person? The false messiah might look like the Mahdi to Muslims, the Maetraya to New Agers, and whatever people are expecting or believe in, including aliens. And he may look like Jesus to those who think they know him but don’t. We will know him as a true prophet if what he says happens, and if he follows the Word. In the same way, we will know the counterfeit by his failure to agree with the Word.

Not only do we need to know the scripture to know the signs of His coming, but we need to know the scriptures so that we can detect the fake! If Satan comes in disguise, he will still tip his hand by going against scripture, because he is by definition the lawless one. I have read recently that there is noting to prevent the return of Christ, but I disagree and think this is a dangerous heresy. We are given a list of things that must happen before our Christ returns. There are events like an increase in earthquakes, famine, and wars that are the beginning of birth pangs, but those have been happening all along. They can be hard to pin down as fulfillment of prophecy, and unfortunately many will see anything close to one of these occurrences as a sign. But we have also been given very specific, one-time events to tell us for sure of the times we are in. If we don’t know these, it can be easy to fall for what is given as a counterfeit.

BEFORE the return of Christ....
1. 2nd Thessalonians 2 says the son of perdition had to be revealed before Yeshua will return. I have not yet figured out how this works in with the pre-trib rapture theory (one of the reasons I don’t agree with it), but it fits perfectly with people believing the first thing that arrives on earth being the saviour. We know that false christs will arise first based on the chronology of Matthew 24.

2. Yeshua said that we will see the Abomination of Desolation before his return (Matthew 24:15-16). That means he will not show up and go to Jerusalem to the place of sacrifice first- the antichrist will. The antichrist will set himself up as the one to be worshipped rather than giving glory to the Father. There is also a warning that many will flee to the wilderness in Judea once the false messiah is revealed. If the true Messiah of Israel came first, what reason would there be for any of them to flee?

3. After the revealing of the antichrist, there will be tribulation like has never been before (Matthew 24:21-22). There will be no mistaking that we are in the tribulation. It also says the days must be shortened for the sake of the elect. If we have been raptured away to heaven, why does it matter to us how horrible things are on earth? Obviously, we will be here, both because of this promise that time will be shortened for our sakes, and because this sign happens before the return of Christ.

4. After the tribulation, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not shine (Matthew 24:29-30). The stars will all fall and the heavens will be shaken. We need to be careful of trying to fit something into this description that doesn’t go, because even the false christs will be able to perform signs. Yeshua’s signs will not happen until the signs above have happened (23-25).

5. Yeshua said when he returns, it will be like a flash of lighting across the sky that everyone will see at once (Matthew 24:26-27). He specifically said not to believe those who would say he is in one place or another. I used to think that we would all see it at once by TV, but that doesn’t make sense because the Bible says EVERYONE will see him coming. What about those without TVs? I think instead that the TV will be a means of deception, broadcasting the arrival of others in specific places, and people will go ‘here and there’ to see him. Yeshua specifically said not to do that.

Given the number of ‘prophecies’ being circulated that aliens will come to earth to save us one way or another, and the expectation of many of the Messiah's imminent return, the ideas of Satan coming in a disguise and leading people to believe he is the true Messiah is not much of a stretch. Especially since so many don't know what to look for other than 'perilous times'. Rather than avoid these movies with false prophetic messages in them, I think we ought to know what delusions are being presented so that we can avoid them ourselves and hopefully help others who might be deceived. Unfortunately, many in the church believe one of three things about demons:

1. They are not real.
2. They are real, but do not exist in our realm.
3. They exist in our realm, but cannot touch or affect us.

All three of these theologies are wrong. To prove it, read 1 Peter 5:8, Ephesians 6:11, and James 4:7. The devil and his army are real, and they are working feverishly to try and take as many away from salvation as they can (Revelation 12:12, 13:7). What easier way to deceive the world than to take the little bit of knowledge they have of something and twist it into a shape they don’t recognize as darkness? Satan has long taken that which Yah made and tried to counterfeit it...why would the Second Coming be any different?

The Spirit is Grieved

There seems to be an epidemic of sorts. I hope no one minds me sharing specific names, but I want to draw on the increase of this phenomenon just in our small little blog world. Many of us are finding ourselves weeping without explanation. First I thought I was going through some kind of hormonal change because I posted several times about the strange sorrow that would come over me, and it was contrary to my nature. I would begin to weep over the scriptures in places that never even effected me before. Then Berean Wife then shared about the sudden sorrow she felt one night, and it was at the exact same time that I was weeping on the way home without any specific reason. Then Jeannie sent me a private email about issues weighing on her heart and how she can't put into words what she feels- a sense of urgency over something she can't quite explain. Then Denise discussed her propensity to depression without any reason. Now today two of my blog friends, Jen and Kim have both posted about that weeping without any specific cause. And it really started me to thinking about why we are all so weepy. When I put it together with what I have been studying and learning lately, I truly believe it is a result of the grieving of the Holy Spirit. We are told that the world will be so wicked in the last days that it will grieve the Father as in the days of Noah- you know, when he destroyed everyone and everything else. If we love him and are connected to him so intimately, how can we NOT feel his sorrow?

Maybe I'm way off, but as things escalate toward the end (and I don't think you have to necessarily agree with eschatology in order for it to still be the case if you are filled with the Rauch HaKodesh) and the world becomes so proud of its evil and rebellion, the sorrows that scripture warns of us increase to the point that we are mourning even when we don't know why. If this is true, as hard as it is to be so sad and not have an explanation, it is actually a very good thing because it means we are really and truly in tune to the Spirit of Adonai. But it also means time is running out. There really is plenty to be sorrowful over in this world, especially considering the number of lost souls who are barrelling toward the point of no return without a bit of concern. When the world sanctions gay marriage, embryonic mixing, and stealing land from the Chosen People, those who belong to the Father cannot help but to be grieved.

"And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 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.

Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:

For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened." Matthew 24

"For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; 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. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then
look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh!" Luke 21

More Weeping and Great Discoveries

It's official- I am a cry baby.

Tonight on PBS's series The History Project (because we all know historians love their history!) they had a special called Digging Up Jesus. Of course archaeologists can't ever demonstrate their personal faith (if they have any) in examining the artifacts and digs they examine, but the host did say it is no longer a subject of debate that Yeshua actually lived. And, of course, they make no statement as to whom He really was or wasn't spiritually.

But the part that got my tear ducts going was the surprise the archaeologists had over finding all these evidences so recently, when people have been living and excavating in Jerusalem for thousands of years. My mind immediately went to the scriptures and the verses about things being sealed up or hidden until the end, when they will be revealed. These 'proofs' were hiding in plain sight and they are just now finding them! Or perhaps it is like other Bible accounts where the people's understanding was taken away and the understanding is just now being given back, at Yahweh's appointed time. I have always cherished the Word and believed all that it said. But to see so many things coming to fruition in my generation makes my heart overflow with emotion. I am truly delighting in it.

Hallelu Yah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Provoking Jealousy

Israel's Messianic Jews Draw Ire of Orthodox Jews

"I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy." Romans 11:11

Not Paranoid, Prepared

From the week-long discussions Glenn Beck had with Joel Rosenberg about whether we can tell if these are the end times...

"We don`t want to overreach and take every headline that`s in the news and say, "That`s, you know, end time prophecy." But Jesus was asked very specifically by his disciples in Matthew Chapter 24, Luke Chapter 21, "Hey, when are you coming back and what are the things that we should be watching for?"And among the things Jesus said, wars and the rumors of war, one of them was famines, global food shortages. Now, is that the kind -- certainly the kind that you see in Sudan or Ethiopia or sub-Saharan Africa over the years, but you would be watching for trend lines of food shortages and, of course, hyper inflation and other things that go with it. When you get to the book of Revelation, you see all kinds of economic disasters and food shortages."