The Issue is Control

"He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name." - Revelations 13:16,17

This is a famous passage from the Book of Revelations used in movies, books, and the Bible. Most concentrate on the mark, the name, or 666. However, I suggest that the stage for this final act of rebellion against God is set before this "man of sin" is ever revealed and the driving issue is control. We have been hearing about "the New World Order" from several Presidents now and they have been putting laws and regulations into place, mostly behind the scenes and carefully shielded or downplayed by a false news media. Now, they evidently feel they are so successful that the need for secrecy is no longer needed. U.S. Representative Maxine Waters publicly threatens big oil executives that they will soon be out of a job after the government takes them over.

For years the anti-gun loby has been trying to do away with, or de-nude the 2nd Amendment, but they have always been unsuccessful. Now the Obama administration plans to go around the Congress by using Presidential Orders. In a bureaucratic block the Obama Administration secretly banned the re-importation of American made M-1 Garand and Carbine rifles being stored in South Korea. These rifles were used by the US military during the Korean War and left there after the war was over. With one stroke of his pen, Barack Obama bypassed the Constitution and single-handedly banned nearly a million American made rifles by executive fiat. They have also banned the resale of used military shell casings to private American companies, favoring countries like China. His administration is also signing on to UN resolutions that control the private ownership of guns, without Congressional approval.

The U.S. Congress recently passed a health care bill that will remove another key to individual freedom, the right to choose our health care. Hidden provisions are being revealed almost daily and they all give evidence of one thing - government control over individual rights.

Now the 'lame-duck Senate is trying to pass Senate Bill S 510 the Food Safety Modernization Act . Not only does this bill take away your "right to grow, trade and transport any food" it gives big government the right to regulate what you grow and what seeds you save.

If you remove the people's right to grow their own food, get their own health care, and arm themselves you have taken giant steps toward controlling the people! As President Ronald Reagan said, "America is the last hope of freedom in the world" but forces are actively working to reduce America to a 3rd-rate nation. President Obama never loses an oportunity to downgrade America before the world and so-called American liberals never lose a media chance to 'trash' America. Our Christian foundations, which are so evident to any honest person, are daily denagrated and even so-called Christians are openly preferring Muslims to Christians. Some are even equating Jehovah with Allah. We need to ask our selves a question before we timidly submit to these idiots - "Where in history or modern times do you find a Muslim country that practices freedom for all within its borders?"

Remember one basic teaching of Christianity is , "For freedom Christ has made us free: stand fast therefore and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage." - Galatians 5:1. You only find the teaching of 'freedom' in Christianity and our liberty and prosperity does not come from government - it comes from God!

Beware the Trojan Horse

Islamic Rebels

It’s time the American people ask, “Whose side is Obama on?” All the while we were fighting those who were committing terrorist actions against us in Iraq and Afghanistan, he and most of his administration were opposing and apologizing to the world for our actions. He does nothing to support the true democracy movement in Iran but he supports those in Egypt, including the Muslim Brotherhood, bringing down the largest Muslim government in the Mideast who was pro-American. As other Muslim pro-American governments in the Mideast face attempts to overthrow them, Obama is silent. Now, in Libya, he suddenly cares about ‘the people’ and wants to bring down Kaddafi. Nothing is said about the rebels apposing Kaddafi containing Al-Qaida and Hezbollah elements. Supposedly, we were only going to enforce a ‘no fly’ zone, but, now we are bombing Kaddafi forces and supplying arms to the rebels. Meanwhile the so-called democracy movement in Egypt has become a full fledged radical Islamic movement that has just rewritten their constitution to include Sharia law. You know, that’s the law that makes all other religions sub-servant to Islam and women little more than chattel to the men. No wonder the King in Saudi Arabia was angry with Obama and allowed Iranian ships to go through the Suez Canal to set up a military port in Syria. He knows he is probably next on the radical Islamic hit list and that Obama will do nothing to stop it.

Everything Obama does is seems to be calculated to weaken the United States and its Constitution. Instead of protecting American Border States, like Arizona, against being invaded by Mexican drug lords, He joins Mexico in bringing a law suit against Arizona, when it tries to enforce U.S. law. When a Federal Judge rules that Obama Care is unconstitutional, Obama goes ahead and implements it anyway. He obviously doesn’t think the Constitution applies to him. Since he doesn’t think he has to show his birth certificate to prove his eligibility to be President, I guess we shouldn’t be surprised. He doesn’t go to the Congress to get permission or approval for his military actions in Libya, but to the United Nations! If the American people don’t wake up we will soon lose our sovereignty to the United Nations. The Obama administration already is trying to control our guns by signing on to UN sanctions against guns, and his treasury secretary has publically admitted that we might be better off if the US dollar was replaced as the world’s reserve currency. He tried to accuse the US of being at fault in supplying guns to the Mexican drug lords but, now it is revealed that his own administration was doing just that very thing! This was just another attempt to get control of our rights to bear arms.

Obama canceled the Christian Day of Prayer in the While House, but he honored the Muslim day of prayer and joined in. He has alienated our strongest ally in the Mideast, Israel, and behind the scenes worked to weaken their position in a sea of hostility, known as the Mideast. If they object, he threatens to recognize a Palestinian State, knowing it would further destabilize the region and certainly not bring peace.

American Christians rise up and cast out this ‘Trojan horse’ that has sneaked into the White House. We have the two-edged sword of prayer and the vote and I hope we use them before it too late.

Prophesy for Today; The Return of Israel-Issue 5

Isaiah prophesied that when Israel returned to the land, even the desert would blossom (Isaiah 35:1), and it has. The land that was barren and waste is now re-forested and Israel is the leading producer of fruit and vegetables in the area. Many prophesies of their return have been fulfilled; the promise of a restored language (Zeph. 3:9), and going into captivity as two nations, Judah and Ephraim, but returning as one nation (Jer. 3:18 and Ezek. 37:22) are just two. Ezekiel also prophesied they would become a very great army (Ezek. 37:10) and we have witnessed that as well. As Israel prospered, her neighbors became resentful and have attacked them without ceasing. Israel began with a war, the war of 1948, continued on in the midst of repeated wars; 1956 Sinai War, 1967 6-day war, 1973 Yom Kippur war, 1982 Lebanon war. All of these wars were started by Israel’s Muslim neighbors and in each of them Israel gained land, almost recovering the land promised by God to Abraham. This too, was prophesied by Isaiah 11:14 -

"But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the west; they shall spoil them of the east together: they shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them."

Just substitute the modern word for Philistine - Palestine - and you can see prophesy happening before your eyes! And this verse may not be finished yet.

Palestinian Children Training

Since that time, a new era of diplomatic war has been entered into; a war in which the nations of the world turn against Israel, demanding that she give up land for peace, a peace the Muslims do not want. The only peace that will please the Muslims is the peace of death for Israel. Since they could not win in all-out war, the Muslims have resorted to terrorism, until they are strong enough for another war. Meanwhile, they train their children to hate Israel and prepare for war. The scenario goes like this: Muslims commit an act of terror against Israel, Israel responds and the United Nations condemns Israel for its actions. Of the hundreds of UN resolutions in the last few years, nearly all of them have been against Israel for actions most reasonable people would consider self defense. Now, over a hundred nations are demanding that the PLO be given a state of its own and of course, Israel must give the land to accommodate it! But these nations do not understand the terrible price tag for such actions -

"I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and [for] my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land." – Joel 3:2

 The valley of Jehoshaphat means the valley of judgment! Those nations who divide up the land will all perish, and the reason – they tried to divide the land of Israel. In other Scripture God says He will make Jerusalem a 'burdensome stone' and all who try to lift it will injure themselves (Zechariah 12:3). History proves the veracity of this curse by God.


God is using these wars for two purposes: 1) They will humble Israel and bring her back to God, and 2) They will bring judgment on the nations that have earned it. There are at least two more such wars prophesied that you can read about yourself: 1) the war described in Psalm 83, every nation described there is a Muslim nation, and 2) the war of Ezekiel 38 and 39 which I believe is Russia at the head of a Muslim coalition. These may represent one war or they may be separate.

As we watch and pray about these events, we need to understand that God is doing exactly what He said He would do – purifying His own and giving all (Jew and Gentile) a chance to set their lives right with Him. All through this time one Scripture is true – “All who call upon the Lord shall be saved.” It is our job, as watchmen, to be a witness for Him.

Prophesy for Today; Issue 4 - The Return of Israel

Fig Tree in Israel

As we consider what the world will look like at the 2nd coming of Jesus, we need to remember what Peter wrote: "but as He who called you is holy. you must also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, 'Be holy, for I am holy.', and if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear." - 1 Peter 1:15-17. That being said, we also need to say that no one know exactly when the Lord will come back but, we are given signs to look for. One of these signs is the return of Israel.


Jesus taught, "Now learn this parable from the fig tree. When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see these things, know it is near - at the doors." - Matthew 24:32. Israel is often referred to as a fig tree: God said, "When I found Israel, it was like finding grapes in the desert; when I saw your fathers, it was like seeing the early fruit on the fig tree." - Hosea 9:10. I believe Jesus was referring to the nation of Israel being re-established.


Israel was re-established as a nation in 1948, against all odds. Many Bible scholars were teaching that the Church had supplanted Israel in God's promises and that Israel would never again exist. They are still teaching that false doctrine today, which is known as Replacement Theology. However, God has proven them wrong. God said He would use Israel as an "ensign to the nations".

"And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth." - Isaiah 11:12.

The re-gathering of Israel is a sign to the nations. They went into captivity as two peoples - Judah and Ephraim, but they will return as one nation - Israel. After they return they will "fly upon the shoulders of the philistines ..." (Isa. 11:14), which speaks of the series of wars they have had since 1948. Each time the Arab nations attacked them, they won more land, coming closer to the borders promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.


It is interesting that the modern word for 'philistine' is Palestine. Jeremiah even describes how they will return - without faith. Zionism is by in large an agnostic movement - without faith.

"Return, faithless people,' declares the Lord, 'for I am your husband. I will choose one of you from every town and two from every clan and bring you to Zion." - Jeremiah 3:14.

There are signs of revival in Israel.  They have re-established the Sanhedrin. They are training Priests to minister in the Temple and are producing their ceremonial robes and ministry utensils. There now some 60 Messianic congregations throughout the land. They are preparing to re-build the Temple. The fig leaves are getting tender, and the devil knows it! God will use him and the nations that follow him to purify both Israel and the Church.


The fact of Israel is God waving a flag to get the attention of the nations (Gentiles), and the message is - You don't long, get right with God and 'kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little!' - Psalm 2:12.

Prophesy for Today - The Second Coming; Issue 3

"Now brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him ...". This is the way Paul begins the 2nd chapter of his second letter to the Thessalonians. This is such an important doctrine that he wanted to make sure they understood. Already at that time some were distorting the event saying "the day of Christ had come", or that it was just a 'spiritual' doctrine and not real. He wrote, "Let no one deceive you by any means: for that day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, ...". Notice the sequence of events, 1) the falling away, then 2) the man of sin (Antichrist). 


What is meant by the phrase "the falling away"? The word in Greek is 'apostasia' from which we get the word apostate. It means Christians no longer keep the Word of God, they do not obey the truth of Scripture, and they do not have the Holy Spirit to guide them because He is only given to those who obey Him (Acts 5:32). Friends, this is the condition of much of the Church today. Over a third of those who call themselves Christian do not believe in a personal devil. Almost half of those teaching our Seminaries do not believe in the virgin birth of Jesus. Even among Evangelicals (those Christians who declare they believe all the Bible), many do not believe in the gifts of the Holy Spirit for today, even though the Bible nowhere tells us they were withdrawn. It does say that the Holy Spirit is only given to those who obey Him - hmm. Their churches are filled with people who, as Christians, are divorced and remarried, some multiple times, even though God says "I hate divorce" and because of it God will not hear our prayers anymore (Malachi 2). As a result, our children are scattered all over the place with no firm foundation to grow on. Instead of being the 'salt' and 'light' of the world, our past moral foundations are being eroded and our country is walking in darkness. Christians have turned their children (their heritage in the Lord) over to a godless school system that outlaws prayer to God and any mention of the name of Jesus. Several generations have now been trained to accept the theory of evolution as fact and the Book of Genesis as myth. In 1963 & 64, we - a so-called Christian nation, allowed prayer to God to be removed from our public schools and a blind man could see the results: 

Our best students cannot compete against the students of the world in reading, science, or math. While we spend more per student than any other country except Switzerland, we have little to show for it. While the reasons for this problem are many, I suggest that the main reason is we have forsaken God, who was the reason for our prosperity and success. 


The United States is the most Christian of all the nations on earth today - and we have become apostate!


Paul said after the great falling away the Antichrist would come - are we there? Paul also wrote, "For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth [will let], until he be taken out of the way." (2 Thes. 2:7). The Greek word translated 'letteth' means  'to hold back, detain, restrain'. Is Paul writing about the apostate church? You decide for yourself but, David prophesied, "If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?" - Psalm 11:3.




Although this is not a 'happy-go-lucky' teaching, don't despair. God is still on the throne of heaven and He still hears the prayers of the righteous. We can still be light and salt to this world. And, in Malachi God says, "Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord listened and heard them, so a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and who meditate on His name. They shall be Mine, says the Lord of Hosts, on the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him. Then you shall again discern between the righteous and the wicked." - Malachi 3:16-18.

Prophesy for Today - The Second Coming; Issue 2

Jesus is coming back! Today, we will consider the question - how? 


When Jesus ascended into heaven the first time, the angels declared to the disciples  "This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven." - Acts 1:11. At His trial, Jesus told the High Priest, "Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven." - Matthew 26:64. When Jesus comes a second time, He will come on the clouds of heaven. We are told in Revelation 1:7 that when He comes "every eye shall see Him". Paul gives further description of the event: "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:" 1 Thessalonians 4:16. Jesus Himself described His coming - "For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." - Matthew 24:27. 


Let me summarize: 1) He comes on the clouds, 2) He comes with the earth shattering shout of an archangel, and 3) His coming is so bright it is like lightning the shines from east to the west. His coming is so spectacular that every eye will see Him. It is certainly not a "secret" coming as some have taught. There will be no doubt as to who is arriving! The righteous and the wicked alike will know it is Him. The wicked try to hide, even calling the rocks down on themselves but, the righteous "lift up their heads, for their redemption draweth near." - Luke 21:28.


His second coming is so powerful that even the dead in Christ will rise from the dead! And those who yet alive will be changed and caught up to meet Him in the air - "Then we which are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." - 1 Thessalonians 4:17. In the Latin Vulgate version of the Bible, the words "caught up" is 'rapio' from which we get the word 'rapture'. Some have tried to separate this rapture from His revelation to support their secret coming theory, but, Scripture is plain - they all happen together! 


As He comes with the clouds, and the shout of the archangel, and as lightning across the sky, so bright that every eye will see Him; the dead in Christ are resurrected and we who are yet alive will be transformed and caught up to meet Him in the clouds. Paul wrote the Corinthians about it as well; "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." - 1 Corinthians 15:52. The rapture and the revelation of Christ all happen at the same time.


There is another very interesting aspect of this event. In 1 Thessalonians 4:17 Paul writes that we rise to "meet" the Lord in the air. The Greek word translated 'meet' is 'apantēsis' and it is only used one other time in the New Testament. When Paul was on his way to Rome, the brethren there came out to 'meet' (same word apantēsis) them and escort them into Rome. So we see, that when we rise to meet the Lord in the air, it is to greet Him and accompany Him back to the earth, where we will help Him overcome and judge the wicked. The Book of Jude quotes a prophesy of Enoch that describes this; "And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard [speeches] which ungodly sinners have spoken against him." - Jude 1:14, 15.


The redeemed of the Lord will be active in His victory right from the beginning of His second coming.

Prophesy for Today - The Second Coming; Issue 1

Many today do not know what Scripture teaches about Jesus and His coming back to earth, so I will attempt to give some basic review: 


1st) Jesus, the Messiah, came to earth some 2000 years ago, fulfilling many Old Testament prophesies. The first time He came as the "suffering servant". Isaiah prophesied of Him "Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he [was] wounded for our transgressions, [he was] bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace [was] upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken." - Isaiah 53:4-8. 


2nd) At His first coming, He destroyed the devil's hold on all sinners and paid the blood debt to God, the Father, for Scripture declares "the wages of sin is death". Death could not hold Him in the grave and He resurrected after three days. He spent 40 days teaching His disciples and then He rose into the heavens. As they watched Him rise out of sight, two angels stood by them asking why they were gazing into the heavens - "Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.: - Acts 1:11. Hebrews 9:28 also declares the same truth - "So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation."


Many Messianic prophesies describe Him as a conquering avenger rescuing His people and meeting out judgment to His enemies as well as those, like Isaiah, who describe Him as a suffering servant. This is why many Jews did not receive Jesus as Messiah during His first coming, they were expecting Him to avenge them on their Roman conquerers. They did not understand that His first coming was meant to cleanse their hearts from sin. However, His second coming will not be as a lowly, suffering servant but as a conquering judge. David writes in Psalm 2 about the Son judging the nations and breaking them in pieces like a potters vessel,  "Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish [from] the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed [are] all they that put their trust in him." In the Book of Revelation He is shown as a conquering general at the head of His armies - 

"And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him [was] called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes [were] as a flame of fire, and on his head [were] many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he [was] clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies [which were] in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on [his] vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS." - Revelation 19:11-16.

It is at this second coming  that "every knee shall bow and confess to God" that Jesus is the Christ. While there is much more that could be said, this is enough for this basic teaching on the second coming of Jesus Christ.