CURRENT EVENTS - MUST READ!

[nChrist]

MYTHS AND FACTS ABOUT ISRAEL - Part 1 of 2
by Todd Strandberg

    The devil hates the Jewish people with a passion. The Jews are the ones who gave mankind the Bible and the Savior, Jesus Christ. It should come as no surprise that nations who are demonically controlled would share in the devil's hatred of Israel. On this page, I've listed a number of popular myths about Israel, and I've also provided facts to counter those lies.

    MYTH:
    "The land of Israel is really the land of Palestine."

    FACT:
    The term "Palestine" is believed to be derived from the Philistines, an Aegean people who, in the 12th Century BC, settled along the Mediterranean coastal plain of what is now Israel and the Gaza Strip. In the second century AD, after crushing the last Jewish revolt, the Romans first applied the name Palaestina to Judea (the southern portion of what is now called the West Bank) in an attempt to minimize Jewish identification with the land of Israel. The Arabic word Filastin is derived from Latin. There is no language known as Palestinian. There is no distinct Palestinian culture. There has never been a land known as Palestine governed by Palestinians. Palestinians are Arabs, indistinguishable from Jordanians (another recent invention), Syrians, Lebanese, Iraqis, etc.

    MYTH:
    "The Jews have no historic claim to Israel."

    FACT:
    Only one group of people have continuously lived in Israel for the past 3,700 years - the Jews. Jerusalem, in particular, has had a Jewish majority since the 1840s, 40 years prior to the beginnings of Zionism. Seventy-five percent of the land in east Jerusalem, which the press calls "historically Arab east Jerusalem," has been owned by Jews since 1947. The nations that inhabited the land prior to the Jews are no longer in existence, for they have been absorbed into various other peoples throughout the millennia. The Arabs of Israel only came to the land in 632 with the Muslim invasion.

    MYTH:
    "The creation of the state of Israel in 1948 changed political and border arrangements between independent states that had existed for centuries."

    FACT:
    The boundaries of most Middle East countries were arbitrarily fixed by the Western powers after Turkey was defeated in World War I and the French and British mandates were set up. The areas allotted to Israel under the UN Partition Plan had all been under the control of the Ottomans, who had ruled Palestine from 1517 until 1917. When Turkey was defeated in World War I, the French took over the area now known as Lebanon and Syria. The British assumed control of Palestine and Iraq. In 1926, the borders were redrawn and Lebanon was separated from Syria. Britain installed the Emir Faisal, who had been deposed by the French in Syria, as ruler of the new kingdom of Iraq. In 1922, the British created the emirate of Transjordan, which incorporated all of Palestine east of the Jordan River. This was done so that the Emir Abdullah, whose family had been defeated in tribal warfare in the Arabian peninsula, would have a kingdom to rule. None of the countries that border Israel became independent until this century. Many other Arab nations became independent after Israel.

    MYTH:
    "Israel violates the human rights of the Palestinian Arabs."

    FACT:
    The facts are different. Israel granted full citizenship to all of the Palestinian Arabs who fell within its borders after the War of Independence. Arabic is an official language in Israel. Israel remains to this day one of the few countries in the Middle East where Arabs can legitimately vote--and it is the only one where women can vote.

    MYTH:
    "The West Bank is part of Jordan."

    FACT:
    The West Bank was never legally part of Jordan. Under the UN's 1947 Partition Plan--which the Jews accepted and the Arabs rejected--it was to have been part of an independent Arab state in western Palestine. But the Jordanian army invaded and occupied it during the 1948 war. In 1950, Jordan annexed the West Bank. Only two governments--Great Britain and Pakistan--formally recognized the Jordanian takeover. The rest of the world, including the United States, never did. During the 1950-1967 period of its occupation, Jordan permitted terrorists to launch raids into Israel. Amman lost the West Bank after the Jordanian army entered the 1967 war.
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[nChrist]

MYTHS AND FACTS ABOUT ISRAEL - Part 2 of 2
by Todd Strandberg

    MYTH:
    "Jerusalem is Islam's third most holy city."

    FACT:
    Muslims try to connect Jerusalem to Islam by using a vague passage in the Koran, the seventeenth Sura, entitled "The Night Journey." It relates that in a dream or a vision, Mohammed was carried by night "from the sacred temple to the temple that is most remote, whose precinct we have blessed, that we might show him our signs. ..." In the seventh century, some Muslims identified the two temples mentioned in this verse as being in Mecca and Jerusalem. And that's as close as Islam's connection with Jerusalem gets--myth, fantasy, wishful thinking. Meanwhile, Jews can trace their roots in Jerusalem back to the days of Abraham.

    MYTH:
    "The Temple Mount has always been a Muslim holy place and Judaism has no connection to the site."

    FACT:
    The area of Solomon's Stables is believed to date as far back as the construction of Solomon's Temple. According to Josephus, it was in existence and was used as a place of refuge by the Jews at the time of the conquest of Jerusalem by Titus in the year 70 A.D. More authoritatively, the Koran--the holy book of Islam--describes Solomon's construction of the First Temple (34:13) and recounts the destruction of the First and Second Temples (17:7). The Jewish connection to the Temple Mount dates back more than 3,000 years and is rooted in tradition and history. When Abraham bound his son, Isaac, upon an altar as a sacrifice to God, he did so atop Mount Moriah, today's Temple Mount.

    MYTH:
    "Under Israeli rule, religious freedom has been curbed in Jerusalem."

    FACT:
    After the 1967 war, Israel abolished all the discriminatory laws promulgated by Jordan and adopted its own tough standard for safeguarding access to religious shrines. "Whoever does anything that is likely to violate the freedom of access of the members of the various religions to the places sacred to them," Israeli law stipulates, "is liable to imprisonment for a term of five years." Israel also entrusted administration of the holy places to their respective religious authorities. Thus, for example, the Muslim Waqf has responsibility for the mosques on the Temple Mount.

    MYTH:
    "The Arab states have had to keep pace with an Israeli-led arms race."

    FACT:
    In most cases, the reverse has been true. Egypt received the Soviet IL-28 bomber in 1955. It was not until 1958 that France provided Israel with a squadron of comparable Sud Vautour twin-jet, tactical bombers. In 1957, Egypt obtained MiG-17 fighter planes. Israel received the comparable Super Mystere in 1959. Egypt had submarines in 1957, Israel in 1959. After the Egyptians obtained the MiG-21, the Israelis ordered the Dassault Mirage III supersonic interceptor and fighter-bomber. Egypt received ground-to-air missiles--the SA-2--two years before Israel obtained HAWK missiles from the United States. Later, Washington reluctantly agreed to sell Israel Patton tanks.

    MYTH:
    "Israel's destruction of Iraqi nuclear facilities was an unjust act."

    FACT:
    Back in June 1981, after the Israelis bombed the plant at Osirak, the UN Security Council unanimously condemned Israel. Washington ostentatiously held up its delivery of armaments to Israel. A decade later, however, the strike looks awfully good. Had Saddam Hussein been armed with nuclear weapons during the war with Iran, much of Tehran would now be obliterated and large sections of Iran annexed to Iraq. More: Iraqi forces might have rolled straight from Kuwait into Saudi Arabia, long before American forces could have arrived. Today, Saddam could already control five oil-rich countries and thereby over half of the world's oil reserves. Economic disaster would be one result; and American troops would have no good place to land.

    MYTH:
    "Israel has been an expansionist state since its creation."

    FACT:
    Israel's boundaries were determined by the United Nations when it adopted the partition resolution in 1947. In a series of defensive wars, Israel captured additional territory. On numerous occasions, Israel has withdrawn from these areas. As part of the 1974 disengagement agreement, Israel returned territories captured in the 1967 and 1973 wars to Syria. Under the terms of the 1979, Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty, Israel withdrew from the Sinai peninsula for the third time. It had already withdrawn from large parts of the desert area it captured in its War of Independence. After capturing the entire Sinai in the 1956 Suez conflict, Israel relinquished the peninsula to Egypt a year later. In September 1983, Israel withdrew from large areas of Lebanon to positions south of the Awali River. In 1985, it completed its withdrawal from Lebanon, except for a narrow security zone just north of the Israeli border. That too was abandoned, unilaterally, in 2000. After signing peace agreements with the Palestinians and a treaty with Jordan, Israel agreed to withdraw from most of the territory in the West Bank captured from Jordan in 1967. A small area was returned to Jordan and the rest was ceded to the Palestinian Authority. The agreement with the Palestinians also involved Israel's withdrawal, in 1994, from most of the Gaza Strip, which had been captured from Egypt in 1973.

    MYTH:
    "Israel is the aggressor in the current conflict."

    FACTS:
    One: The Palestinians are the aggressors; they started the conflict, and they purposely drive it forward with fresh killing on an almost-daily basis.

    Two: The Palestinians regard this second intifada not as a sporadically violent protest movement, but as a war, with the clear strategic aim of forcing a scared and emotionally exhausted Israel to surrender on terms that would threaten Israel's viability.

    Three: As a tactic in this strategy, the Palestinians will not fight Israeli forces directly but instead have concentrated their efforts on murdering Israeli civilians. The greater the number, the more pathetically vulnerable the victims--disco-goers, women and children in a pizza restaurant--the better.

    Four: Israel has acted defensively in this conflict; and while Israeli forces accidentally killed Palestinian civilians, their planned lethal attacks have all been aimed only at Palestinian military and terror-group leaders.

[nChrist]

THE TEACHINGS OF ISLAM
by Todd Strandberg

    The Teachings Of Islam

    For several years, there has been a growing trend towards ecumenism. During the tribulation hour, a global religious system will be established, and all the world's major religions will be united under the rule of the Antichrist. Right now, the devil is working hard to build a foundation to facilitate that eventual unity.

    Christianity by its nature is not compatible with any other religion. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6). The Lord didn't say, “I am one way among many.”

    I maintain that Islam is itself incompatible with Christianity. Western liberal scholars do their best to promote the idea that Islam means peace and love, but they can't hide the vengeful and perverted teachings easily found in Islamic writings. The following is a list of quotes from the Koran and other Islamic holy books that clearly speak for themselves.

    "They say, 'Accept the Jewish or the Christian faith and you shall be rightly guided.' Say, 'By no means! We believe in the faith of Abraham, the upright one. He was no idolater.'" (Surah 2:135)

    "The only true faith in God's sight is Islam." (Surah 3:19)

    "Say, 'Obey Allah and the apostle.' If they give no heed, then truly, Allah does not love the unbelievers." (Surah 3:29)

    "If you fear that you cannot treat orphans with fairness, then you may marry other women that seem good to you: two, three or four of them." (Surah 4:1)

    "Try as you may, you cannot treat all your wives impartially." (Surah 4:3)

    "Men take authority over women... As for those who are disobedient, admonish them and send them to beds apart and beat them." (Surah 4:34)

    "Believers, do not approach your prayers when you are drunk, but wait till you can grasp the meaning of your words..." (Surah 4:43)

    "Will they not ponder on the Koran? if it had not come from God, they could have surely found in it many contradictions." (Surah 4:82)

    "Seek out your enemies relentlessly." (Surah 4:104)

    "They denied the truth and uttered a monstrous falsehood against Mary. they declared: 'We have put to death the Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary, the apostle of God.' they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him, but they thought they did...they did not slay him for certain. God lifted him up to him..." (Surah 4:157-158 )

    "The Jews and Christians say: 'We are the children of God and His loved ones.' Say: 'Why then does He punish you for your sins?" (Surah 5:18 )

    "Believers, take neither Jews nor Christians for your friends." (Surah 5:51)

    "Unbelievers are those who say: 'God is one of three.' There is but one God. If they do not desist from so saying, those of them that disbelieve shall be sternly punished." (Surah 5:73)

    "The God will say: 'Jesus, son of Mary, did you ever say to mankind 'Worship me and my mother as gods besides God?' 'Glory to You, 'he will answer, 'how could I ever say that to which I have no right?" (Surah 5:116)

    "If you fear treachery from any of your allies, you may fairly retaliate by breaking off your treaty with them." (Surah 9:12)

    "Fight against such as those to whom the Scriptures were given [Jews and Christians]...until they pay tribute out of hand and are utterly subdued." (Surah 9:29)

    "The Christians say: The Christ is the son of Allah; these are the words of their mouths; they imitate the saying of those who disbelieved before; may Allah destroy them." (Sura 9:30)

    "Prophet make war on the unbelievers and the hypocrites and deal rigorously with them. Hell shall be their home." (Surah 9:73)

    "And say: All praise is due to Allah, WHO HAS NOT TAKEN A SON and WHO HAS NOT A PARTNER in the kingdom."(Sura 17.111)

    "'How shall I bear a child,' she [Mary] answered, 'when I am a virgin...?' 'Such is the will of the Lord,' he replied. 'That is no difficult thing for Him...God forbid that He [God[ Himself should beget a son!...Those who say: 'The Lord of Mercy has begotten a son,' preach a monstrous falsehood..." (Surah 19:20-21, 29, 88-89)

    "NEVER DID ALLAH TAKE TO HIMSELF A SON, and never was there with him any (other) god . . ." (Sura 23:91)

    "Muhammad is God's apostle. Those who follow him are ruthless to the unbelievers but merciful to one another." (Surah 48:29)

    "The Day of Resurrection will not arrive until the Moslems make war against the Jews and kill them, and until a Jew hiding behind a rock and tree, and the rock and tree will say: 'Oh Moslem, oh servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him!'" (Sahih Bukhari 004.52.176)

[nChrist]

ETERNAL REWARDS - Part 1 of 5
By Terry James

    Eternal Rewards

    We, as human beings, are, of course, earthly minded. We look, during these hurried and harried days, for moments of rewards as counterpoint to the frustrations of our daily interactions with the world around us. We want that gratification to be instant, immediate, now! Our moments of reward, when they do come, are brief, fleeting, and more often than not leave us looking for the next high that must be more intense, longer in endurance - more gratifying.

    We will never be satiated in this flesh  - at least most of us won’t.

    Considering those of great wealth from as far back as Solomon, and even before him, we can get understanding of just how unsatisfying life can be, no matter how much money and material wealth we garner, no matter how much we achieve.

    Elvis once recorded a song called, I think, “Fame and Fortune.” In it were the lines: "What good is fame and fortune? They are just fleeting things…” Elvis, of course did enjoy the fame and fortune about which he sang. And, he died at 42. They were for the king of rock and roll, indeed, just fleeting things.

    The writer of Ecclesiastes, who almost certainly was Solomon, wrote that after he had tasted all of the world’s delights  - both those that were allowed, and those forbidden - he found them all to be self-centered, and in vain. He then gave his assessment of life in this human flesh, and what really matters: “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).

    We will all come to the end of our fleshly lives. We will stand before God. This is what is called sometimes jokingly, but with a serious undertone, “Going to our eternal rewards.” I wrote the following as a chapter a few years ago for my book, Prophecy Power: Strength from God To Face Your Future. You can see at the end of the article where you can get a copy of the book, if you wish.

    This Is Your Life!

    “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things [done] in [his] body, according to that he hath done, whether [it be] good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10).

    We who are of a certain generation remember a TV show in the late 1950s called “This is Your Life!” Each week, the host, Ralph Edwards, would come on the air, whispering, usually holding a large book under one arm and a microphone in the other. He would look directly at us through our (black and white) TV screens and then glance nervously around him while the camera panned from him to see if it could locate the guest of honor for the evening’s program.

    Finally, someone would walk into the bright glare of the television spotlights on some sidewalk in New York or elsewhere. That person would have another person in tow, and would tug him or her toward Ralph Edwards. The person in tow would appear to be greatly surprised, his mouth and eyes widening in disbelief when he realized he had been tricked into coming to the spot so “This is Your Life!” could spend the next 30 minutes  - minus commercials - going over his life for the TV viewers.
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[nChrist]

ETERNAL REWARDS - Part 2 of 5
By Terry James

    Our Turn Is Coming!

    We who are Christians have a review of our lives coming that will be much greater in scope than the biographies Ralph Edwards did on any of the celebrities he reviewed for many years. Not one moment of our lives will be missed by our reviewer because the one who will review our lives from start to finish will be none other than the Lord Jesus, himself!

    We will look in this lesson, of course, at the “judgment seat of Christ” and all it will encompass. Only the saved will be at this judgment, which is not a judgment for sins committed, but a bema judgment that will be for determining our eternal rewards.

    All About the Bema

    Have you ever thought about how it will be on Judgment Day? Many think that when Judgment Day comes, everybody will stand in a long line, perhaps one that will circle the Earth many times in length. The thought seems to be that we will all wait our turn. When our name is finally called, we will approach the throne, where an angry looking old man with white hair, his eyes on fire and a scowl on his face, will say something like: “Let’s have a look at how bad you’ve been, and whether you’ve done anything good at all.”

    An angel or someone will come from somewhere, carrying a large balance-scale. Somehow, using some sort of measure, our good deeds will be put on one side of the scale. Our bad deeds will be placed, or will appear on the other side. Whether the scale dips toward the “good” side or the “bad” side will determine our eternal fate. If we’ve done more good than bad, we go to Heaven. If it tilts the other way, we go to…well, you know that result. (No one seems to consider what might happen if things balance perfectly.)

    No Fairy Tale

    As one prophecy teacher I know says, “You’ll find that description of Judgment Day in the Bible in the same place you’ll find the story of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer." Sadly, far too many Christians have no more idea of what God’s review of their lives will be like than that described above. This study is meant to help us understand, as thoroughly as God’s Word allows, what one of the major judgments following life on this planet will be like.

    Supreme Court Appearance

    Each person who has ever been born has a destiny that includes standing before Almighty God. There’s no escaping it. You and I will stand before the one, true God, the Creator of all things. The writer of Hebrews tells us: “…it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment…” (Hebrews 9: 27). Make no mistake, we will one day stand before the SUPREME COURT!

    Two Judgments Await

    Not only will there not be one long line where we stand in dread for a few thousand years awaiting our turn, but there will not be one judgment; there will be two. The first judgment to take place will be the bema judgment, also called “the judgment seat of Christ.” The second --the final judgment-- will be “the great white throne” judgment. You do not want to be at the second of these two judgments--not unless you are there as witness to God’s righteousness, rather than as one who is being judged. You do, definitely, want to be at the first judgment. This is because only the saved stand before Christ at the first judgment, and only the lost stand before God at the second. Everyone at the first judgment will go into Heaven to live eternally in God’s presence. Everyone who stands before God in the second judgment will go into Hell, apart from God for eternity. Prophecy Power will cover the great white throne judgment in a later study. We will look at the judgment seat of Christ for now, to get a handle on exactly what Bible prophecy says awaits each of us who name the name of Jesus in the intimate way essential for salvation.
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[nChrist]

ETERNAL REWARDS - Part 3 of 5
By Terry James

    For Supernatural Athletes Only!

    Have you ever admired a great athlete and wished you had that kind of ability? The super athletes of our time make the big bucks, garner great attention, and seem to thrive with rewards of their tremendous feats.

    More Super than Super Bowl!

    God’s Word tells us that we are competing in a contest that is supernatural, and that has eternal consequences. All who are on God’s team are expected to give it their very best effort in this great race we call life. Paul the apostle likens our competition to a number of athletic events. The analogy is to the competitions of the Olympic games of ancient times. Christians are in competition that involves far more profound consequences than do the athletic feats accomplished by even the world’s greatest athletes in earthly sports events. The competition is with ourselves. It is individual. We should strive to achieve our utmost potential in order to give honor and glory to our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom and for whom we were made.

    Paul Was a Real Sport

    Paul was a man of many facets, not just some guy walking around spouting pious things. He was a tremendous scholar, a great missionary and evangelist, and a tentmaker. He was also a terrific sports fan. We can know that Paul was indeed a fellow who followed the athletic competitions of his day with great relish from his writings. He used analogies and allusions to sport terms in his instructions on how God wants us to live our lives. He refers in the following to such a sports analogy: “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:1-2).

    Bema Background

    Paul based much of his sports analogy on his knowledge of the bema of athletic competitions of his day. One writer clues us to what Paul was talking about in this analogy: “In the large Olympic arenas there was an elevated seat on which the judge of the contest sat. After the contests were over, the successful competitors would assemble before the bema to receive their rewards or crowns. The bema was not a judicial bench where someone was condemned. It was a reward seat. Likewise, the judgment seat of Christ is not a judicial bench. The Christian life is a race, and the divine umpire is watching every contestant. After the Church has run her course, He will gather every member before the bema for the purpose of examining each one, and giving the proper reward to each” (Levin Strauss, God’s Plan for the Future, Zondervan, p. 111).

    Paul Pleased

    The great apostle indicated that at the end of his own life he was satisfied he had given all he had for his Lord, who is also his Judge: "For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:6-8 ).

    Powerful Promise!

    How thrilling! Did you catch that? Paul says in this prophecy that not only he, but we who run the race with all we have, will also receive great rewards. But he says more than that. He prophesies that there is a special reward for Christians who “love His [Jesus’] appearing." Now that’s an empowering truth for those who look for the Lord Jesus at any moment in the rapture!
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[nChrist]

ETERNAL REWARDS - Part 4 of 5
By Terry James

    Building Before the Bema

    A person, at the moment he accepts Christ, is instantly placed upon a rock-solid foundation. The truth of that foundation is found in the following: “He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:15-18 ).

    Jesus, Our Rock

    Jesus was not saying here that Peter was the rock upon which salvation is based, but that Jesus is that Rock. This foundation stone is the same stone that will smash all anti-God, Antichrist humanistic government at Christ’s second coming (Daniel 2:34-35). Paul the apostle says about Jesus, the foundation: “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:11).

    Beware of Error

    Some teach the error that we must work to earn and maintain our salvation. The Scriptures above plainly teach otherwise. There is no other foundation whereby we can become God’s child: “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

    Eternal Destiny Is Affected

    So, our immortal souls can never be in danger of facing God’s wrath, once we are upon the foundation, which is His blessed Son, Jesus. Nonetheless, our eternal destiny is still subject to influence, based upon how we live our lives while still in this realm of earthly existence. You see, we, when we are set upon that unshakable foundation - the Lord Jesus Christ - we immediately begin building on that solid Rock. We send the materials ahead of our trip to glory  - whether that trip be through death or the rapture-- for constructing our eternal dwelling place, and for making our heavenly wardrobe. In that sense, our works while in this life do affect our eternal destiny.

    Building Supplies Tested

    The building materials we send ahead in the form of our works on this earth will have to pass God’s test to determine their worthiness for heavenly construction. The testing will take place at the bema  - the judgment seat of Christ. Here’s what God’s Word has to say about that moment of testing for each of us: “For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building. According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is” (1 Corinthians 3:9-13).

    Salvation Secure for Eternity

    Paul, under divine inspiration, is quick to tell us that this judgment in no way will determine whether the person being judged is allowed to enter Heaven. The one being judged is eternally secure from the very moment of salvation. Paul writes about the bema judgment further: “If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire” (1 Corinthians 3:14-15).
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[nChrist]

ETERNAL REWARDS - Part 5 of 5
By Terry James

    Our True Reward

    We must each stand before the judgment seat of Christ to give an account of what we did while living on earth. We will either receive rewards or suffer loss of rewards. The good works we do in the sight of God are symbolized as made of gold, silver, and precious stones. Our worthless works are represented as wood, stubble, and hay. While we stand before the bema, heavenly fire of righteousness will be applied to each work we did in life. The gold, silver, and precious stones will stand the test by fire, and all dross (useless, excess) will burn off. Only the pure, refined works will remain. All other works will perish in the heavenly fire.

    Again, this has nothing to do with salvation of our souls. That was settled the moment we accepted Jesus as Savior, while still in physical life on earth. Jesus will then bestow upon each believer his or her rewards, based upon the refined gold, silver and precious stone works that have been tested in the fires of supreme judgment.

    Greatest Reward of All

    The greatest reward of all will be to hear our Lord say to us the same thing the master said to his servant in the story Jesus told while teaching: “His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord” (Matthew 25:21).

    Which Works Are Which?

    Although it’s not easy to know exactly what goes into making a gold, silver, and precious stone work, or a wood, hay, and stubble work, God’s Word informs us about certain, general areas of life where God is particularly interested. We will look scripturally, and in-depth in Session 12 at the crowns that will be given at the bema. We will, with equal scriptural intensity, look in Session 13 at the areas of living life on earth in which the Christian will be tested at the judgment seat of Christ. For now, it is the greatest banquet that will ever be held that takes stage-center in God’s prophetic program.

    The Marriage Supper of the Lamb

    What a contrast this banquet will be to the feast taking place on Planet Earth!

    A Grisly Dinner

    We read about that grotesque earthly banquet: “And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh” (Revelation 19:17-21). The human carnage will be stupendous. But, it will be Righteous Judgment that is well deserved. The carrion of earth will indeed have their fill!

    The Most Extravagant Wedding Feast Ever

    The Church Age saints of God whom the Bible says have white robes of righteousness will be the wife of the Lamb (Jesus Christ). This is the bride the Apostle Paul wrote about as follows: “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church” (Ephesians 5:25-32).

    A number of views on exactly who the bride will be have been a cause for debate. The purpose here is to present what God’s Word says, advising each child of God to study, pray and seek Holy Spirit direction while considering this awesome topic of prophecy yet future. The Scripture on the marriage supper of the Lamb we are given specifically says: “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God” (Revelation 19:7-9).

    The bride will forever be with her Lord, the King of all Kings. All saints of all ages will have different duties to perform and offices to administrate, but the body of believers who constitute the Bride of Christ will be with Him forever in a special relationship, while serving Him as He wills, based upon bema rewards earned while during earthly life.

[nChrist]

NATIONS IN PROPHECY - Part 1 of 6
By Terry James

    The scriptural text is powerful. It magnifies the Lord’s interaction with the nations for prophecy students wise enough to be observant, while the last of the last days approach.

    “Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. 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” (Psalms 2:1-12).

    God’s dealings with man-made government down through the eons of time is wrapped within those Scriptures. However, these words point particularly to the end of days  - the time just before Christ returns to put an end to humankind’s self-destruction. Clearly, the nations of the world provide the most effective profile of these last days.

    Nations in prophecy can be expressly identified, and the rest are covered, as demonstrated by the body of scriptural text above. The nations of earth versus God, himself, is the most profound and pronounced arena of prophecy that points to things to be fulfilled in the future. Today’s news purveyors are literally everywhere, with sometimes dozens of news organizations covering any given unfolding of a story. Daniel’s prophecy, in this sense, certainly applies to the news organizations of our day: ”But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased” (Daniel 12:4).

    This doesn’t always equate, of course, to saying truth will increase. World views have become so skewed because of misinformation, and particularly because of ideological sleight-of-hand from the various points along the geopolitical spectrum, that truth suffers horrifically. Truth can almost never be 100% assured in analyzing what has and has not happened in any given news story. Agendas and flawed ideological perspectives make it more and more difficult for us to get to what really happened.

    Despite this unfortunate skewing of the news on a daily, even an hourly, basis, it cannot be denied that the world is shaping a certain way. And  - if one is attuned, spiritually, to Bible prophecy, there can be no doubt that the nations of Planet Earth are conforming precisely to the shape of things to come  - according  - I’m convinced - to the pre-tribulation rapture, pre-millennial view of the return of Jesus Christ.

    The news organizations run to and fro, but their knowledge, while increasing in looking at the swiftly developing geopolitical situations and events, is sorely lacking when it comes to having an accurate understanding of history. Revisionists are running amok. This fact is most manifest when it comes to their understanding of history concerning the Middle East and the “Holy Land” and Jerusalem in particular. The media conglomerate, as a whole, has an amazingly shallow understanding/view of facts about the “Palestinians' ” right to the land. And this inadequacy highlights the chief reason that the region is the prophetic center, the nucleus of the problems involving the nations of the world and their rebellion against God Almighty. This world view, completely muddled by luciferian spiritual brainwashing, is what will, ultimately, bring the nations to the Valley of Jezreel for Armageddon.
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[nChrist]

NATIONS IN PROPHECY - Part 2 of 6
By Terry James

    Chief Reason for Ignorance

    World diplomats and global media alike dismiss what the Bible has to say about Israel’s right to a home in the region the world has come to call Palestine. There never was such a land so named in God’s Word. This fact, of course, is of no consequence to the international community, as indicated in Psalms 2:1-12 given above. No other people, as a race, have been in the Middle East region now called Palestine longer than the Jews. At times, they have been there in large numbers. Sometimes they have been there in very small numbers. But, despite the fact that the race has been scattered into all the world several times, there have been at least a few Jews living in the area for more than 3,000 years.

    People who have been around a long time usually have made many friends. But they have also met some unfriendly folks along the way. Quite possibly, they’ve made an enemy or two as well. The Jewish nation Israel has very few friends today. Israel has, it seems, more than its share of unfriendly neighbors and violent enemies. That fact is reflected in news reports on the ongoing Israeli-Arab troubles that dominate international headlines. Many accounts point to the hatred at the center of the matter of Mid-East rumblings of war.

    God’s Word on Israel’s Islamic Enemies

    None of the current hatreds raging against His chosen people have taken God by surprise. The psalmist looked millennia ago down through the corridors of time at the tiny nation and its enemies - whose god is Allah. The prophecy anticipated the diverse Islamic peoples who now occupy the territory promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

    “Keep not thou silence, O God: hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God. For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head. They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones. They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance. For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee: The tabernacles of Edom, and the Ishmaelites; of Moab, and the Hagarenes; Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre; Assur also is joined with them: they have holpen the children of Lot. Selah” (Psalms 83:1-8 ).

    Nations of Prophecy Troubled by Israel

    Current issues and events that look to be harbingers of the biblically prophesied apocalypse bombard this generation of earth’s inhabitants. Jesus’ Olivet Discourse prophecies, foretelling things to come in the time of “great tribulation,” seem to leap from news reports that are becoming so routine that they no longer shock. No signal is more prophetically significant than present circumstances involving the city where Jesus was crucified nearly 20 centuries ago. This is as the Old and New Testament prophets said it will be just before Christ returns to a planet that is home to a world of rebels against God. That rebellion is scheduled, the prophets forewarn, to culminate in history’s final and most destructive war. Armageddon will be triggered because of both Satan’s and fallen mankind’s determination to install themselves upon the single spot on earth dearest to the heart of God.

    Mt. Moriah sits at the southern end of the ancient city, crested by a golden dome that represents hundreds of millions whose religion demands of its adherents blood-vowed opposition to God’s chosen nation, Israel. This is the place God picked to have His temple on earth constructed. It is the precise location where the third temple will sit  - the temple that will be desecrated by Antichrist, earth’s last and most beastly tyrant. Even more importantly, the Temple Mount will be the home of Christ’s Millennial Temple. Moriah, then to be known as Zion, will be supernaturally elevated by the tremendous topographical changes caused when the Lord’s foot touches the Mount of Olives at His return.
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[nChrist]

NATIONS IN PROPHECY - Part 3 of 6
By Terry James

    Diplomats of the world have, for the past four decades, engaged in effort after effort to bring stability to the region, at whose heart the city of Jerusalem sits. We remember the many jettings to and from Washington D.C., Jerusalem, and other capitals of the Mid-East. From Henry Kissinger, James Baker, Madeleine Albright, and Colin Powell to Condoleeza Rice  -  America’s secretaries of state have burned mega-gallons of jet fuel in trying to find the formula for peace that would diffuse the Armageddon bomb. And, the former British prime minister, Tony Blair, immediately upon resigning, was named by the so-called “Quartet” (US, EU, UN and Russia) as the overseer of continuing efforts toward constructing Mid-East peace, which has eluded mankind for thousand of years. All of that diplomatic shuffling is a mere prelude to the fretting that is about to take place over this, the most important, thus most volatile city on Planet Earth. Zechariah the prophet foretold in Zechariah 12:1-3 the end-time anxiety that we believe is, observably, now on the precipice of gripping the international community.

    Good Reason for Worry

    There is good reason for the building anxiety. Israel’s terrorist-sponsoring neighbors to the north strive mightily to develop nuclear bombs and missiles that will deliver them. No one doubts in which direction these missiles will be pointed, should Iran be successful in producing such weapons of mass destruction. Israel’s one common declaration, amidst all of the political infighting, remains the core of its defense: “ Never again!”

    The following summary of atrocities to the Jewish race presents compelling evidence why “Never Again!” must be their passionate declaration, backed by nuclear strength:

    “Due to [Israel’s] disobedience the Jews have suffered terribly. They were ruled by Rome in Christ's day but rebelled in A.D. 70 and 250,000 were killed. They rebelled again in A.D. 135 and again Rome smashed them killing even more and scattering them throughout the empire. Since then they have been bitterly persecuted. Forcibly expelled from England in 1290 and from France 1306. In 1298 more than 100,000 were killed in Europe. From 1648 to 1658 some 400,000 were massacred. From 1939-45 Hitler's Nazis killed more than 4 million… In its history Egyptian Pharaohs, Assyrian Kings, Babylonian rulers, Persian satraps, Greek Hellenists, Roman Caesars, Holy Roman Emperors, Roman Catholic Pontiffs, Medieval monarchs, Christian Crusaders, Spanish Inquisitors, Nazi dictators, Communist commissars, Arab sheiks and United Nation delegates have all turned against the Jew yet they still survive.”1

    The Jewish people of Israel collectively declare they will never again let themselves be enslaved within regimes that want them erased from the earth. Never again will they allow the genocide they have suffered through the centuries. Their national vow is backed by the ominous “Samson Option.” This last-ditch military imperative is not lost on the leaders of the international community, which is headed by the G-8 nations (America, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Canada, and Russia ).

    These leaders of this enlightened age might not believe the Bible is the word of God, but, they know the story of Samson and what happened when he was finally put in a predicament in which he could no longer be free. The world’s diplomats  - at least those of the western world - have no doubt that the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) will bring the house down around them, if it comes to that as Israel’s only viable option. The international community  - once termed “the new world order”-- has developed a systemic neurosis involving the bleak outlook for the future of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The “Roadmap to Peace” seems to be the nerves-soothing therapeutic course of action upon which the powers-that-be have chosen to eliminate the possibility of nuclear conflict being triggered over earth’s most coveted city. World leaders consider Jerusalem the trigger to Armageddon; they will do whatever it takes to defuse that trigger.
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[nChrist]

NATIONS IN PROPHECY - Part 4 of 6
By Terry James

    Nations in Prophecy Specifically Indicated

    God’s Prophetic Word, in addition to predicting in overall or general terms about the nations and their individual dispositions just before Christ’s return, gets quite specific, even if through description rather than using the modern names of countries at the end of days. We will look at the scriptural passages we believe refer to the nations in prophecy, then analyze the most recent disposition of each of those countries, in present-day terms. European Union

    ”And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate” (Daniel 9:26-27).

    Daniel was given the prophecy for the very end of human history as it is presently known. Daniel prophesies that the “prince that shall come,” Antichrist, who will come out of the people who destroyed Jerusalem and the Jewish temple, Roman Empire, will guarantee the implementation of a covenant of peace between Israel and its enemies. Great world turmoil will follow that action, until the very end (at the second advent of Jesus Christ).

    Those who destroyed Jerusalem and the Jewish temple came from the region now inhabited by the nations of Europe and a few Mediterranean areas. Rome is the very heart of where the ancient Roman Empire resided. Antichrist will come out of an area near the center of that general geographical location. The European Union (EU) is comprised of a unification of 25 countries that now represent a growing world power. The EU, many prophecy students believe, forms the matrix out of which the Antichrist regime, as indicated in Revelation, Chapter 13, will grow to become the worst tyrannical government ever to exist upon Planet Earth.

    The European Parliament meets on a regular basis now, in many instances usurping national autonomy and sovereignty of the European states that are members of the EU. Some believe the 10-kings economic power bloc prophesied to develop during the tribulation, or just before the tribulation begins, will grow from the EU, which will be its nucleus: “And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast” (Revelation 17:12-13). It is wise to observe developments such as the North American Union (NAU) and other such powerful economic trading blocs, in considering this prophecy.


    Russia

    “And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords…” (Ezekiel 38:1-4).

    Although there is considerable controversy over the ancient names given in Ezekiel’s Gog-Magog war prophecies, there is sufficient etymological evidence to conclude that Rosh is the ancient name of the modern nation we know as Russia. Likewise, the other names of the ancient geographical areas have been scrupulously examined, so as to give confidence that Russia and its leader will be the culprits that will lead this massive end-time attack on Israel and the Middle East, in order to take “great spoil”.
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[nChrist]

NATIONS IN PROPHECY - Part 5 of 6
By Terry James

    China and the Orient

    “And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared” (Revelation 16:12).

    This prophecy, scheduled to coincide with Armageddon when all the armies of the world will be gathered in the Valley of Jezreel, almost certainly will include the modern nation of China. I view that coming juggernaut as the king of the kings of the east  - the leader of all countries of the oriental world. This Revelation 16 prophecy correlates to Revelation 9: 16-18. China exerts hegemony today over its neighbors. It is a growing international player, harboring strength and potential that will soon vault it into superpower class, equivalent to the US and the EU. China’s leadership is still an oligarchy that is maintained and perpetuated by an ever-increasing military. This force is destined  - I believe Bible prophecy predicts - to eventuate in the 200-million-man army prophesied in Revelation chapter 9.

    Syria

    “The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap” (Isaiah 17:1).

    Syria, under the leadership of Bashar al-Assad, hasn’t improved in its attitude toward the much-hated Israel from the days that nation was under the dictatorship of his father, Hafez al-Assad. The country hosts the headquarters of every major terrorist organization in the Middle East. A prophecy that draws interest of prophecy watchers today is the one above. Damascus, capital of Syria, is prophetically scheduled to be completely destroyed, with no chance of becoming a city again. That, of course, smacks of nuclear destruction. There is little doubt that Israel, with nuclear weapons, could accomplish that foretelling with one bomb.

    Iran and Others

    “Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet” (Ezekiel 38:5).

    Iran, occupying much of territory that was encompassed by ancient Persia, is front and center in the news today. The Ezekiel Gog-Magog prophecy says they will be at the forefront of invading to the south toward Israel to take great “spoil”. We are left to postulate, of course, that the “spoil” might be the oil  - the vast petroleum deposits throughout the region. Certainly, it looks as if the thirst for oil might be a catalyst in bringing all nations to Armageddon.

    Turkey

    "Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee” (Ezekiel 38: 6).

    Again we run into controversy when considering the names mentioned here in the Ezekiel Gog-Magog prophecy. Togarmah is most often put forward as the area that now has at its center modern Turkey. Gomer is thought to be parts north and east, in the Mediterranean and east European regions. Turkey is in flux, politically. It is torn between government factions that are secular and at the same time Islamic in nature. The secular, supported by the military, has proven to be the power that rules. The Islamics have recently taken political power, however, but still are controlled by the army generals. Turkey, we believe, will one day join the Islamic world in marching with Russia and the other nations in the Gog-Magog attack on Israel.
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[nChrist]

NATIONS IN PROPHECY - Part 6 of 6
By Terry James

    Egypt

    Strangely, little is prophesied about Egypt for the end-time period just before Christ’s return. There are Scriptures to indicate that Egypt will yet receive blessings from the Lord  - but during the millennial era, which will follow the tribulation.

    Saudi, England, and Others

    “Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?” (Ezekiel 38:13).

    These nations seemingly will observe the Gog-Magog attack from the sidelines. There seems no more opposition offered from them than diplomatic notes of protest. They will not resist the attack. Sheba and Sedan seem to be Saudi Arabia and other Arab nations; perhaps the Emirates and small countries of the Persian Gulf area. The "merchants of Tarshish" and her "young lions" have long been interpreted  - through considerable study - to be the area of the “land of tin” where England, in particular, is presently located. The young lions are thought to be the nations that have come into existence by breaking away from Britain. The United States would qualify as one of the young lions, as would, for example, Australia. As things presently shape up, it is hard to believe that such a massive attack as prophesied by Ezekiel would be allowed to take place by such nuclear powers as Great Britain  - and particularly -  the United States. Many believe the rapture of the Church could so confuse leadership of these nations as to make them temporarily incapable of organizing military opposition to the assault into the Middle East by Russia and her coalition hordes.

    Iraq

    “And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double” (Revelation 18:2-6).

    I suggest you also read Zechariah, Chapter 5. That prophecy foretells a time when the concentration of the geopolitical evil of the world will be drawn back to the land of ancient Babylon. The heart of that area is, of course, present-day Iraq. There can be little argument against the fact that the news eyes and ears of the world are concentrated each and every hour of each day upon that region. The United States and its coalition partners - e.g., the leaders - are in a quandary. If they stay in the region to protect the Iraqi government, which obviously couldn’t protect itself against incessant Islamic fanatics, they continue to draw the ire of the world, the political flames fanned by a liberal press that hates the U.S. administration that put the troops there. If the forces are withdrawn, the great oil reserves might fall to diabolist nations  - led by the likes of Iran. Babylon is foretold to be a city again, one that will be destroyed in a single hour. Many prophecy scholars disagree with this view, believing that the Babylon of prophecy yet future will be perhaps the greatest (wealthiest and most influential) city of its day, but not the Babylon of antiquity.

    Israel

    “The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him. Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem” (Zechariah 12:1-2).

    Israel, and Jerusalem in particular, have been at the eye of the growing geopolitical storm since its re-birth into modern statehood on May 14, 1948. Every camera and microphone is focused upon and attuned to that nation while it sits upon a powder keg of potential nuclear conflict. The nation, a tiny sliver of land in a vast region promised it by God, has become marginalized to the point it is rapidly becoming hated by most every other country on earth. This is exactly what God predicts. The United States is Israel’s only real friend in a growingly hostile world. When the rapture occurs, and much of the nucleus of support for Israel is instantly gone, God will deal with His chosen people, and with those who will try to destroy them: “And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it” (Zechariah 12:3).

[Biblefreak]

I'd like to be honest here and say that I have blocked out all politics & other forms of news. Why? Simply put. It doesn't matter the season or time we live. I want to be about God's work right up until the end. I don't want anything eles that will distract me from that.

That means telling as many people as I can about God's good grace. Influencing the people around me while not being influenced by the people around not of God.

That way I know when the Blessed day comes I will have left it all out on the table.