Revelation 6:5-6 KJV  And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.  (6)  And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.

The third seal

Balances were a device used in buying and selling.

A days wage for a measure of wheat. Scarcity of food. The amount of food for one person for a days wage. That would be around maybe (using minimum wage) $58 for food for one person for a day. Or you could look at it using median house income which is about $46,326 a year, which comes out to $178 a day to buy food for one person for a day.

Can you imagine $180 a day just to feed yourself? What will that mean?

Well, supermarkets will be open game to be looted. Forget getting money from the ATM, you better guard yourself when you put your groceries in the car. Home invasions where they break in your home just to steal your food.

Do not harm the oil and the wine.

Oil and wine aren’t considered necessities, but luxuries. The idea is that for the common person, or for the poor person, there will be a great famine. But for the rich and privileged, there won’t be any lack. Some will be living the good life and that is the very rich, the very powerful.  We see that today, go to North Korea or even Russia and most of the people are in poverty, except the wealthy and they live in luxury and have what ever they want!  On the other hand, the poor are having a hard time getting enough food to feed and sustain themselves and their families.

There are only going to be two classes of people, the rich and the poor. The middle class will be absorbed in with the poor.

Revelation 6:3-4 KJV  And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see.  (4)  And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.

The second seal

Each time a seal is opened, the scroll is rolled open a little more, and events occur on the earth, until the scroll stops at another seal.

I thought the Antichrist was a man of peace, why all these wars?  Listen to what John MacArthur said regarding something that took place that seems to parallel what the Antichrist is going to do. He wrote:

It may seem incredible that the world, hovering on the brink of final disaster, could be so totally deceived.  Yet that is precisely what happened on a smaller scale before the outbreak of the most devastating war to date, World War II.  Adolf Hitler spelled out in detail his plans for conquest in his book Mein Kampf, published more than a decade before World War II began. Yet, incredibly, the Western allies (particularly Britain and France) persisted in believing Hitler’s false claim to be a man of peace.  They stood idly by as he re-occupied the Rhineland (demilitarized after World War I), thus abrogating the Versailles Treaty, then annexed Austria, the Sudentenland, and Czechoslovakia.  Desperate to appease Hitler and avoid war, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain met with the Nazi dictator at Munich in 1938. Upon his return to England, Chamberlain triumphantly waved a piece of paper (containing a worthless pledge of peace from Hitler) which he claimed guaranteed “peace with honor . . . peace for our time.”  When Winston Churchill (one of the few never taken in by Hitler) rose in the House of Commons to declare that England had suffered a total, unmitigated defeat he was shouted down by angry members of Parliament. The deception was nearly universal; almost everyone misread Hitler’s intentions.  Only after he invaded Poland in September 1939 did the allies finally acknowledge the truth. By then it was too late to avoid the catastrophe of the Second World War.

- John MacArthur, Revelation 1-11, p. 179

You see, the deception promoted by Hitler, his false peace plan, seems to parallel what the Antichrist is going to do as he now exercises his strength upon the nations and by the time we get to the midpoint of the Tribulation Period, he is a man out of control, his true colors are seen.  We see nations fighting against themselves and he will try to stop it, but there will come a point when he will crush them into subjection. This passive man is not passive any longer!  And again, please understand that at this point his fury is not fully unleashed, that is coming!  This too is a judgment of God, this rider on a red horse representing these wars – the second seal!

Luke 16:1-4 KJV  And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods.  (2)  And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward.  (3)  Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed.  (4)  I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.

The steward is ripping him off. The steward knows he is in trouble.

Luke 16:5-8 KJV  So he called every one of his lord’s debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord?  (6)  And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty.  (7)  Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore.  (8)  And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.

Apparently this steward had the ability to “forgive” his master’s debt. He had the ability to make a deal with a debtor and lower the amount that they owed.  Sometimes a bank or the IRS will negotiate with you to lower what you owe just so they get something out of you.

Yes, the steward is hurting his master, but I don’t think he’s doing anything illegal. He is using what was still at his disposal, using the position of his job to endear himself to these people who owed his master so they would help him out later.

wisely – phronimos – prudently, wisely; perhaps “shrewd” would be a good word.

The lord wasn’t happy that he had been further ripped off by this guy.  He was commending the guy for being a shrewd operator.

Luke 16:9 KJV  And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.

Don’t become slaves to what you resources. Use what God has given you wisely.

Money can be at times a cause of “unrighteousness”, the “mammon of unrighteousness”.

1 Timothy 6:9-10 KJV But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. {10} For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

It’s not money itself, but the “love of” money that leads to great problems.

Money can be used wisely in a way that will work towards people coming into the kingdom. This happens through your personal use of money. It can happen as you help someone through your use of money. This happens as you support the church and other organizations that are influencing people for the kingdom.

Luke 16:10 KJV  He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.

God’s promotion comes from faithfulness in small things. People who want to go places in their lives often have this idea that they can just start out at the top.

Is a person someone you can count on in little things?

How do they do in the “little things” in their life?

If they don’t know the importance of being faithful in little things, they aren’t going to be faithful in the big things.

Proverb 22:29 KJV  Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.

Zec 4:10 KJV  For who hath despised the day of small things?

Jeremiah 45:5 KJV  And seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not: for, behold, I will bring evil upon all flesh, saith the LORD: but thy life will I give unto thee for a prey in all places whither thou goest.

Luke 16:11 KJV  If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?

True riches – Spiritual Resources

God wants you to use your resources for His glory.

Luke 16:12-13 KJV  And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own?  (13)  No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Be faithful in the things that God has put before you. Be faithful at work.  Be faithful in your ministry.

As important as it is to the Lord that you use your money wisely, God wants you to serve Him, not your money.

Luke 16:14-15 KJV  And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him.  (15)  And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.

2 Tim 3:1-2 KJV This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. {2} For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

1 Tim 6:10 KJV For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

Why would the Pharisees turn up their noses at the teaching of Jesus? He had nailed them. They were convicted.

There’s the old Eskimo saying, “Throw a rock into a pack of dogs, and the one that yelps out is the one that got hit”

Sometimes it’s easier to stick our noses in the air and criticize rather than face the truth that I’ve got a problem and need to change.

God’s standards aren’t like ours

People admire things like money, position, and power.

God has different standards

Micah 6:8 KJV  He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

We need to seek God and learn to value the things He values.

Isaiah 55:6-9 KJV  Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: {7} Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. {8} For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. {9} For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Luke 16:16 KJV  The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.

With the Pharisees, they seemed to have the idea that you were either perfect like they were, or you were hopeless.  God’s message was that people everywhere should change their ways, to repent.

Luke 16:17-18 KJV  And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.  (18)  Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery.

Jesus is dealing with their covetousness. Coveting money and coveting other people aren’t that different. It is all about covetousness.

Luke 16:19-20 KJV  There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:  (20)  And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,

Is this a parable or not? Some have suggested that the language that Jesus uses is different than what He normally uses when He is giving a parable. He doesn’t start with, “the kingdom of God is like …”.  He also will actually give the name of one of the people in the story, something He never does in any of the parables. Why is this important?
Because it is possible that what Jesus is going to talk about is not some kind of a made-up-story for the purpose of teaching a lesson. Instead, it might actually be a historical account of an actual event.

Lazarus has to be laid there. Probably has trouble walking. He is covered in sores.

Luke 16:21-23 KJV  And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.  (22)  And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;  (23)  And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

There is no mention of Lazarus being buried.  It’s very likely that he, as a poor beggar, would have had his body simply thrown onto the burning trash heaps in the valley of Hinnom (called, Gehenna) outside Jerusalem.

When a person dies, their spirit is separated from their body. The body goes into the grave, but the spirit will depart and go to another location.

The rich man went to “Sheol” or, “Hades”.

Sheol is a Hebrew word, meaning sheol, underworld, grave, hell, pit. In the King James, the word is translated either “grave” (31 times), “hell” (31 times), or “pit” (3 times).

Lazarus in Abraham’s Bosom.

When Jesus rose from the dead, we believe a change of destinations took place for the dead. We believe that Jesus took all those in Abraham’s bosom with Him to heaven.

Eph 4:8-9 KJV Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. {9} (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?

All those who have trusted in Jesus and have died since the time of the resurrection will go immediately into heaven, to be in God’s presence.

Paul wrote about what he expected to happen when he died

Phil 1:19-24 KJV For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, {20} According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. {21} For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. {22} But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not. {23} For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: {24} Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.

He also said that to be absent from the body meant that a person was present with the Lord.

2 Cor 5:8 KJV We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

While a change took place for the righteous, the unrighteous still go to the same place.

There, they are waiting for the day when they will be brought back to life and stand before God at the Great White Throne Judgment, and sent forever into the Lake of Fire (Rev. 20).

Don’t miss the point of this verse. Both people died. The poor man died. The wealthy man died. Death has an amazing success rate. One out of every one people that are born, will die. There is no escaping it.

Heb 9:27 KJV And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

The question is not whether or not you will cheat death. The question is whether or not you will be prepared to go to the right place when you die.

Luke 16:24 KJV  And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.

Luke 3:6-9 KJV  And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.  (7)  Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?  (8)  Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.  (9)  And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

Jewish mindset was I am a Jew. I am going to heaven. That was false. Just because your father is a Christian doesn’t make you a Christian.

The rich man was tormented.

Ephesians 4:7-9 KJV  But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.  (8)  Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.  (9)  (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?

Lower parts of the earth. Sheol/Hades

Luke 16:24-25 KJV  And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.  (25)  But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.

How was Lazarus saved? By faith. The rich man served money. Lazarus served God.

Luke 16:26-28 KJV  And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.  (27)  Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house:  (28)  For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.

There are no more chances after death.  The gulf cannot be crossed.

The rich man wants his family warned.

Luke 16:29-31 KJV  Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.  (30)  And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.  (31)  And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

Here, Abraham is telling the rich man that the witness in the Bible to his Jewish family is also enough.

Jesus Himself would rise from the dead, and many would still not believe.

The time to witness is now. After a person has died, it’s too late.

Luke 13:18-19 KJV 
Then said he, Unto what is the kingdom of God like? and whereunto shall
I resemble it?  (19)  It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man
took, and cast into his garden; and it grew, and waxed a great tree;
and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it.

God bless

This is a post from earlier this year about how I was healed from fibromyalgia. Hope you enjoy reading it.

First my story then my thoughts on healing.

I had fibromyalgia. It kept me from being able to do many things. It made me like a 80 or 90 year old rather then a 26 year old.
 
My life is very different now.

When I had Fibromyalgia I couldn’t keep up with the house work. I couldn’t cook all the time. I couldn’t take my children to something like vacation bible school because I couldn’t sit on the chairs that long.

There were so many things I couldn’t do.

Now I can clean. I can play with the children. I can pick up Christian when he has a ouchy with out it sticking me in bed the whole next day. I can take my children to VBS all week instead of trying to take them one day and not being able to move the next. I can play on the porch with my children etc.

I can be a wonderful 26 year old mother instead of a 80 year old mother.     

How was I healed?

I went to church and was anointed and prayed for and God healed me.

Now on to my thoughts on the topic of healing…..

Many people teach today that God will heal everybody, all the time, all they need is faith.

They teach that when a person is not healed, then there is either unconfessed sin in the person’s life, or they lack faith.

Though it could be true that a person isn’t being healed because of their lack of faith or because of unconfessed sin, it could also be that God doesn’t want them healed, or at least not yet.

If God heals everybody, and all you need is faith, then why doesn’t Paul just tell Timothy to claim his healing?  Instead, he says,
1Tim.5:23  No longer drink water exclusively, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.

There is another doctrine that teaches people that they need to believe that they are healed even when they don’t feel healed.  The problem I have with this is that it is teaching people to simply deny reality.  They are taught that if they ask for healing and don’t keep confessing that they are healed, then they lose it.

There are no instances in scripture of a person getting “healed” who needed to be talked into believing that they were healed.

James 5:14 Is anyone among you sick?  Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.

God has redeemed us spiritually, emotionally, and one day He will redeem us physically. This is in the future, when the Lord comes back to “catch up” or receive His bride, the church. It is then we will get new bodies, we will be moving out of this tent of flesh into mansions that God has prepared for us.

As many try to deny the fact that we still have sickness, disease and death, the evidence speaks for itself.

Romans 8:22-23, “For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.”

We wait for that day when this physical body will be redeemed.

“Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed–in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory.’ ‘O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?’ The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” I Corinthians 15:51-58.

At the time of the rapture of the church our physical body will also be redeemed!

Mark 16:15-18 “And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.’”

Who can heal? Jesus says all those who believe! That includes us, not just the apostles. Again, that doesn’t mean we can heal at will, but the Holy Spirit gives this gift as He wills. That is very important for us to understand!

God is sovereign and He heals in His time and He heals those whom He wants to heal. We must not forget that. Those in the positive confession movement believe they can use a positive formula to get healing from God. But, if you say anything negative, then those negative words you spoke will create a negative power and it will happen to you.

Maybe you have heard of this story of three men traveling in a car and the driver asked the friend next to him, “How’s your brother doing?” The man responded by saying, “He’s really sick!” Quickly the driver responded, “Don’t say that negative thought, say that he thinks he is sick!” The driver then turned to the man in the back seat and asked “How’s your sister doing?” And he responded by saying “She thinks she’s dead!” Silly, yes, but that is the reality of what they teach.

Today we see all kinds of abuse with this gift of healing. We see healers using sideshow tricks, growing a leg longer, pumping people up to make them think they are healed, and-so-on. This does not negate what God is doing, but it does dishonor Him. And what happens is we see people following after signs and wonders instead of signs and wonders following after those that are in love with the Lord.

Benny Hinn teaches “Sickness does not belong to any of us…He promises to heal all – everyone, any, any whatsoever, everything – all our diseases! That means not even a headache, sinus problem, not even a toothache – nothing! No sickness should come your way…God’s greatest desire for the church of Jesus Christ…is that we be in total and perfect health.”

Thus, if you have enough faith you will never be sick because that is part of the curse that was taken away by Christ. First of all, these faith teachers get sick, have surgery, and even die. And yet they make people feel guilty about their own sickness, that it is a lack of faith on their part, and that is why they are not healed. Wrong!

Secondly, death is also part of the curse and yet we will all die one day. The death rate is still one per person. Yes these bodies will be redeemed some day but not yet. But now some faith teachers are now saying that if you had enough faith we would never die. How foolish. Hebrews 9:27 “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.”

Paul had a “thorn in the flesh”, not the spirit. A physical problem that was not a small thorn, but literally a “tent spike”. And many believe it was a severe and painful eye problem. The reason God allowed Paul to suffer this way was to keep him humble and trusting in the Lord. And Paul even believed in physicians, he had his own personal one, Dr. Luke! And Paul was a man of faith.

“Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)

II Timothy 4:20 we see Paul leave Trophimus sick in Miletus. If Paul only knew of the faith formula, right? Wrong! I’m sure Paul prayed for this man and in the sovereignty of God, he was still sick.

Now why is it that some people are healed and some are not? I do not know. There are just a lot of things that I do not understand about divine healing. And I do know that many times there are people who think that they have developed some kind of formula about how to touch a person, where to touch them, and how to read the body language. They have developed a lot of formulas and they even hold seminars on healing. It is interesting that some of the people who conducted those seminars on healing are quite sick right now. But you know, when you think you have all of the answers, then God sort of shows you that you do not have all the answers. And you cannot put it down to a formula.

Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator. (1 Peter 4:19)

And that takes tremendous faith to just say, “Well, it is all in the Lord’s hands and He is doing what He knows to be best.” And resting, not really struggling with it or fighting it, but just resting in that my life is in God’s hands and He knows what is best.

I believe in praying for the sick. I believe in laying hands on the sick in the name of Jesus. I believe in anointing with oil because it is scriptural. Some are healed and some are not, but that I leave with God.

When you are diagnosed with depression, before you pop a prozac, ask the elders to pray for you. When your child is diagnosed with ADHD, before you put them on Ritalin bring them to the church and let them lay hands on them asking God to reach out from his heart of compassion for children, and bring peace into your child’s life. If you were to be diagnosed with cancer, please call the elders to pray for you before you start radiation or chemo therapy.

Most of us are going to get some kind of disease that is going to cause this temple to deteriorate, and eventually collapse. The only thing we can hope for, is that if the rapture doesn’t happen before we die, is that our death will glorify God.

“There shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain.” (Revelation 21:4)

And despite the pain we suffer here on earth, once we get to heaven, we won’t even remember the pain.

God is far more concerned with the healing of your soul than he is with the healing of your body

What good does it do for you to be healed only to die later in your sins? Oh you may be a good looking corpse lying in your coffin, but those good looks won’t do you any good as you spend eternity in hell. Even the strength you now have won’t help you overcome the pain that comes from being burned by the flames of hell that are so hot that they torment you, yet they never kill you. That is why it is essential for you to have a relationship with the only one who can give you eternal life.

If you’re not a Christian, let me encourage you to right now ask the Great Physician, the Lord Jesus Christ, to come into your heart, and heal your sin-sick soul. He can do this because he is the one who let the Roman soldiers beat his back with a whip, 39 times, just so his blood could flow from those wounds so that he could rescue you from the terrorist Satan, who is holding you as a hostage. Jesus also let the Roman soldiers nail his hands & feet to a cross so that through the blood that came forth from those wounds could pay the ransom to set you free from the penalty and power of sin. And he did all that just because he loved you. So how can you reject one who has such a love for you?

Father, we thank You for the love of Jesus Christ towards us. And we thank You that He bore our sins and by His stripes we are healed. Lord, we come to You in our limitations. We do not know Your ways. We do not understand Your ways. We know that they are beyond our finding out. But Lord, we come and we trust You and we believe in You. And if there is a failure and a weakness in the manifestations of Your Spirit and the power of Your Spirit, Lord, we recognize that it is not Your fault. It is our fault. So Lord, bring us to that place where You can do that which You are wanting to do. Give us, Lord, a greater openness to the working of Your Spirit. Take away any barrier, any restriction that might come from us that would hinder the flow of Your Spirit from our lives. Lord, help us, that we might be a witness to the world of the power and of the love of Jesus Christ. In His name, Father, we ask these things. Amen.

May the Lord be with you and fill you with His Holy Spirit. We each make up a part of the body. And it would be thrilling to me if God would give to many of you the gifts of faith or the working of miracles. I would love it. Let us just be open. Who knows what God wants to do in your life.

(Just a note….I am not saying it is wrong for someone to take pills for a mental illness. I am just suggesting being prayed for before running off for some pill)

Revelation 6:1-2 KJV  And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.  (2)  And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.

There are lots of interesting things starting to unlock in front of us, which means we are very close. In fact, no pun intended, we have never been closer in the churches history. Which brings up a big question. Where are you? You see if you have opened your heart to Jesus Christ then we will be with the Lord. Revelation chapter 5, You have redeemed US by thy blood. That is why last Friday I felt it was so important to go into why it is so important for your bible to say us and not them. Why it is so important what translation of the bible you are using. The church is in the presence of Jesus. The church is worshiping God. Now Jesus takes the scroll and opens the seal and here comes the anti-christ.

Where are you? Do you know Jesus personally?

Now is the time. After time is passed comes the day of vengeance of our God. If you will not accept Jesus in the acceptable time and you reject Him now, saying that you will do it after the rapture happens, when you see “proof.” Do you really think you will accept Him then? That you will accept Him when strong delusion is?

2 Thessalonians 2:8-12 KJV  (8)  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:  (9)  Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,  (10)  And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.  (11)  And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:  (12)  That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

There will be strong delusion and the judgments of God will be unleashed on the world. The anti-christ will come. The whole world will think he is wonderful. He does not gain this world leadership position by force but the world ushers him in. The reason I say that is because he has a bow but no arrows.  He rises to power without blood shed, without force as the people welcome him with open arms to head this one-world government. The whole world will think he is awesome until he sits in the temple and says everyone has to worship him.

Let me share with you this short Bible prophecy equation
to show you how close we really are:

• Israel back in her Land again as a nation
• Iran and allies threatening war against
  Israel 
• China
  and allies armed with weapons capable of quickly destroying 1/3
  of mankind
• ‘Weak
  mixed with strong’ nations of the Roman Empire reuniting and
  rising in power (Europe)
• Teachings of ‘false Prophets’ deceiving
  and leading many
• A
  Generation which is ‘marked’ by being “morally corrupt”
  and “filled with violence”   (The Bible uses
  the word ‘corrupt’ -  like smelly, rotting meat)
• ‘The
  falling away’… churches and synagogues no longer teaching or
  “enduring sound doctrine”
• Israel and Jerusalem . . . trouble,
  troubles, and more trouble 
• All nations turning against
  nation Israel . . .                       
  

For the first time in history this prophetic ‘equation’ is nearly complete

The stated target for full implementation of the North American Union is 2010.

“The Task Force proposes the creation by 2010 of a North American community to enhance security, prosperity, and opportunity. We propose a community based on the principle affirmed in the March 2005 Joint Statement of the three leaders that ‘our security and prosperity are mutually dependent and complementary.’ Its boundaries will be defined by a common external tariff and an outer security perimeter within which the movement of people, products, and capital will be legal, orderly, and safe. Its goal will be to guarantee a free, secure, just, and prosperous North America.”

                    – Patrick Wood, Toward a North American Union, The August Review, 2007

The ultimate goal is an integrated North American Union – complete with a currency, a cross-national bureaucracy and virtually borderless travel within the union. Like the European Union, a North American Union would represent another step toward the abolition of national sovereignty altogether.

Wars, famines, global warming, economic problems, terrorism, health care issues and-so-on, are all part of the agenda to form a one-world government and it is happening right before our eyes!  Keep watching and look at the alliances that are being made and what nations are saying, what they are doing to form this government!

Watch for news about a war in the Middle East as Russia and her Muslim allies gather together just as the Bible tells us.

Where are you today?

May the Lord richly bless you as we wait for His return by continuing in the work of God!

When it comes to smooching, Kirk Cameron only has lips for his wife.

The former star of the TV sitcom “Growing Pains” refused to kiss the
actress who played his wife in his new movie “Fireproof,” he told the
“Today” show on Monday.

“I have a commitment not to kiss any other woman,” he told the
morning show. So his real wife, actress Chelsea Noble, was the body
double for the onscreen kiss.

“So when I’m kissing my wife, we’re actually husband and wife honoring marriage behind the scenes,” Cameron told “Today.”

The former child star became an evangelical Christian at 17 and is involved in The Way of the Master ministries.