The South, Judah, held on for over a hundred years, but finally Jerusalem was conquered by Nebuchadnezzar’s armies in 586 BC. History tells us that Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, plundered the Temple and deported Jerusalem’s wealthy and educated inhabitants to Babylon.

They looted what they found in the Temple. But apparently Israel had thrown a bone, leaving what seemed like a great treasure to find and seize, but it was actually only a fraction of the whole treasure, only about 2% of the total massive treasure.

The 5400 items that were captured were eventually returned by Cyrus, King of Persia, when he authorized their rebuilding of the Temple after Israel’s 70 years of Babylonian Captivity. The Bible is clear that Cyrus returned all that had been stolen, even listing out the items.

But none of the 10 solid gold menorahs were mentioned, or any tables of showbread on Cyrus' list (Ezra 1:9-11). Nor was there any mention of the other tens of thousands of gold and silver Temple implements, or gold and silver bars from the treasury.

Now, since only a small fraction of all that gold and silver went to Babylon, what happened to the other 98%? Basically we’re missing the entire fortune that Israel had accumulated under Solomon.

Where did the Temple treasures go?

In the Jewish Talmud, tradition says that King Josiah and the Temple priests hid the vast treasure, including the Ark of the Covenant, in secret winding passages under the Temple Mount 10 years before the 1st Temple’s destruction.

Well, the Jews are a smart people, and Israel did have 140+ years to think about what to do if Jerusalem was ever conquered like their brothers in the north. And Zechariah, God’s prophet of the day, was continually hammering the Israelites to wake up and clean up their sins or the Lord would allow them to be conquered like their Northern brothers.

Zechariah, unlike most other prophets, was also a Priest. He knew it was possible that Israel was going to be conquered. And he would have had first-hand knowledge of the vast riches stored in the Temple treasuries. He was in the unique position to approve plans to hide the treasure if it looked imminent that Israel would be conquered, fulfilling his own prophetic predictions.

Zech would certainly want to protect as much of Israel’s riches he could, including those 10 golden menorahs and 10 golden Tables of Showbread. Not to mention the hugely important Holy Ark of the Covenant that contained Moses’/Aaron’s staff and the two stone tablets with the 10 commandments.

So apparently Zech approved the hiding/burying of the Temple treasures. And Israel was smart enough to throw the Babylonians a bone. They left in the Temple several thousand gold and silver utensils, which would normally be significant spoils of war.

The ruse worked. History tells us that Nebuchadnezzar plundered what they found in the Temple and deported Jerusalem’s upper-class citizens, like Daniel, to Babylon.

However, Zech hid the rest of the treasure so well it's never been found to this day.

Qumran and the Copper Scroll


Since 1947, in and around Qumran down by the Dead Sea, thousands of pieces of parchment were found buried in caves in the cliffs surrounding the area.

Collectively called the Dead Sea Scrolls, their discovery came within months of Israel becoming a fledgling nation again, and Jews today readily admit the discovery helped awaken Jews around the world to their Biblical roots.

But in 1952 another scroll was found, one made not of parchment but of copper mixed with a tiny bit of tin.

This copper scroll wasn’t found near any of the parchment scrolls, but rather by itself, on a carved out shelf in the back of a cave in the area of Qumran.

Since it was written on copper, whoever wrote it thought the contents so valuable they had to make permanent indentations in metal to stand the test of time.

All the other Dead Sea Scrolls contained Old Testament books, scripture commentaries, and general Jewish life observations. But the Copper Scroll was simply a list of instructions of where tons of gold, silver and precious stones were buried.

But, as Frank Peretti said in his classic THE CHAIR presentation, you have to have a "fixed point of reference" to know where to begin any journey. And there are no reference points in the Copper Scroll instructions.

Though many have tried, no one yet has been able to figure out the right place to dig. Probably they were written vaguely on purpose because once they find just one of the 64 locations, they can find the rest of the massive treasure.

Biblical archaeologists who’ve analyzed the Copper Scroll believe it to be written by five different people who apparently were in a hurry to complete the scroll.

Hebrew priests normally take great care in making each line perfect, but the Copper Scroll looks as if time was of the essence to complete it. Lines are not uniform, some letters are hard to read, there are misspellings, etc.

The Copper Scroll is most fascinating because 63 of the 64 locations described listed staggering quantities of gold and silver. There are even some large unnamed items that very well could be the 10 missing 1st Temple menorahs and Tables of Showbread.

In total, there was over 345,000 pounds of gold and silver listed, not counting the 10 menorahs and 10 Tables of Showbread. That’s over $5 trillion! Certainly enough to entice the Russians to “devise an evil plan.” (Ezek. 38:10)

But, as the commercials always say, “That’s not all!”

More to the story…


2Maccabees 2:1 (granted it’s not part of inspired Hebrew scripture, but heavily relied on and quoted by Jewish historians) mentions that Jeremiah, another of God’s prophets at the same time of Zechariah, made records of the Temple inventory. He even warned those helping him make the records not to be “led astray in their thoughts upon seeing all the gold and silver.”

The Maccabean text continues to say that Jeremiah then found a cave to store the treasure, including the Ark of the Covenant, and covered up the entrance saying the treasure would not be found until "God gathers His people together and shows His mercy.”

Over the last 75 years, several Americans have raised and spent small fortunes looking for the Temple treasures in Israel. Most notably, John Allegro, Vendyl Jones, Oren Gutfield and Jim Barfield. Others, like Randall Price, go on yearly digs to find anything they can. So the area will eventually yield its fruit.

In the meantime, with each failure of discovery the chorus of naysayers who don’t believe the treasure is real grows louder and louder. But all that gold and silver is hiding somewhere and will one day be found.

A Most Intriguing List

Several hundred years ago, some Hebrew scholars decided to try to locate these “other records” that Jeremiah mentioned. They found what they were looking for in the Emeq HaMelekh, which means “Valley of the Kings.” In 1648, a Rabbi translated Emeq HaMelekh and his translations were discovered in 1992.

Emeq HaMelekh is a Hebrew account of five Temple guardians who hid the Ark, the Sanctuary and the Treasures of Solomon’s Temple. Could those five be the same five guys on the Copper Scroll? Very plausible, to say the least.

Most importantly to this article, the Emeq HaMelekh has a lot in common with the Copper Scroll list of Temple treasures, but it lists about 100 times more pieces of gold and silver. Now we’re easily into the mega trillions of dollars worth of gold and silver to be found.

To save space I have made an edited (but numerically accurate) recap of the Emeq HaMelekh. I have added my notes in red, including calculated amounts in parentheses in today’s dollars on some of the items to give you a feel for how much it is.

[Note: A talent was approximately 75 lbs.]

Emeq HaMelekh

These are the vessels dedicated and concealed when the Temple was destroyed:

Mishnah 1


The Tabernacle and the Curtain


The Holy Menorah


The Ark of the Testimony


The golden forehead Nameplate


The golden crown of Aharon the Cohen

The Breastplate of Judgement


The silver Trumpets


The Cherubim


The Altar of burnt offerings


The curtain of the Communion Tent


The forks and the bread molds


The Table of Showbread


(The list "Mishnah 1" continues with several pages of priestly garments)

Mishnah 2


These are the holy vessels and the vessels of the Temple that were in Jerusalem and in every place. They were inscribed by Shimur Halevi and his companions on a Luach Nehoshef Copper Plate with all the Vessels of the Holy of Holies that Shlomo son of David made. And together with Shimur were Hizkiyahu, Zidkiyah, Haggai the Prophet, and Zechariah, son of Berachiah, son of Iddo the Prophet.

Mishnah 3


These are the vessels of the Temple that were taken and buried in the ground:

The locking rods


The pegs


The boards


The rings


The standing pillars of the courtyard

These are the Vessels:


1,200,000 silver Mizrakot (sacrificial basins)


50,000 fine gold Mizrakot (sacrificial basins)


600,000 bowls of fine gold


1,200,000 bowls of silver

Mishnah 4


500,000 trays of fine gold


1,200,000 trays of silver


500,000 bread mold of fine gold


1,200,000 bread molds of silver
On each of the molds there were 5 Margallot/pearls and 2 precious gem stones. The value of each precious stone was 100 talents of gold ($180 million). The total value of all the Margallot was 200,000 talents of gold ($360 billion).

36 golden trumpets


7 branched menorah of fine gold worth 100,000 talents ($180 billion)

Mishnah 5


77 tables of gold


7,000 talents of gold  ($12 billion)


3 rows of priceless stones, 7 cubits by 5 cubits

Mishnah 7


The counting of precious stones, Margallot gems, silver, and gold that King David dedicated to the great Temple was:

1,000,000 talents of silver ($180 billion)


100,000 talents of gold ($180 billion)


600,000 talents of fine gold ($1.08 trillion)

All these were concealed, hidden and safeguarded from the army of the Chaldeans in a place called Borseef.

Mishnah 8


7 golden curtains with 12,000 talents of gold ($20 billion)


12,000 Levitical garments with belts


70,000 Levitical garments with belts, turbans and pants

All of these service clothes were concealed until the future to atone for Israel in the end of days.

Mishnah 9


David also made:

1,000 copper lyres overlaid with fine gold and 8 stones


7,000 harps

All these were hidden and concealed in Ein Zidkiyah that the fittest men of Israel knew in secret, lest they fall, G-d forbid, into the hands of the enemy who hated Israel. These vessels are not to be used except to atone for Israel, thus concealed to prevent the Chaldeans from using them, G-d forbid. They hid them until the day when Israel will return to their former stature and reclaim eternal honor and worldly glory, and they find a man named David, son of David. The silver and gold shall then be unearthed to him, when all Israel shall gather and make a complete Aliyah ascent to Jerusalem. Amen.

Mishnah 10


These are the weights of silver concealed at Ein Kahal by Baruch and Zidkiyah:

1,200,000 talents of silver


1,600,000 of fine silver


2,000,000 pots of fine copper


1,100,000 pots of iron


3,000 frying pans of fine gold
 (LOL!)

Countless copper sinks and lavers


70 tables of fine gold

All those were concealed by Zidkiyah.

Mishnah 11

Treasures of gold and silver stored away from the days of David until Zidkiyah and until Israel was exiled to Babylon.

Hundreds of thousands of golden shields 
Countless silver shields


353,000 precious stones


1,900,000 Korin of gold [no clue what that weighs]

All the prophets, wise men, and scribes in the world could not calculate the wealth and the glory that was in Jerusalem.

Mishnah 12

Twelve precious stones with the names of the Tribes engraved on them.

No king, prophet, or anyone else knew where they were hidden, excepting Hiluk, son of Shimur Halevi. All Israel concealed the Vessels until a righteous king arises over Israel. What’s more, they all share a solemn vow never to reveal the whereabouts of these vessels until David, son of David, arises. All silver, gold, and Margallot precious stones which were ever hidden away will be handed over to him when the exiles of Israel will be gathered from the four ends of the earth, and they ascend with greatness and exaltation to the land of Israel. At that time a great river will issue forth from the Holy of Holies of the Temple. Its name is Gihon and it will flow to the great and dreadful desert and become mixed with the Euphrates River.

       --- End of Emeq HaMelekh ---
--------
Well, there you have it. Trillions of dollars of gold and silver are still hidden somewhere in Israel. Not to mention those 3,000 gold frying pans! 🙂 Certainly enough to entice Russia to invade if they saw a window of opportunity.

And when they do find that incredible treasure, look up!

“But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” Luke 21:28

Shalom!

BP

Climate Change Is Definitely True, Here’s Why:

In 1958, noted liberal Betty Friedan wrote in Harper’s magazine that scientists were certain “the glacial thermostat, the present interglacial stage is well advanced; the earth is now heading into another Ice Age.” Since the late 1800s, establishment liberals proclaimed that our planet was doomed to freeze in as few as ten years. Referred to as “Global Cooling,” the libs trotted out one scientist after another showing scientific research as proof of the coming “freeze.” (1)   Yet since the early 1900s, scientists have disagreed as to whether the earth is heating up or cooling off.  

But by the 1980s, when the idiocy of the “fact” we’re going to freeze showed obvious holes, they switched to “Global Warming,” and have since paraded out more scientists with research showing the “irrefutable facts” of the coming world heat disaster.  

But ultimately Global Warming began to also reveal its non-scientific stupidity, so they switched to “Climate Change.”   Now they're blaming all the world’s problems on man’s impact on the planet. They say there are “over 1000 research studies” that prove Climate Change is real... which is a bald-faced lie.   The national news promotes the lie, calling it the "FACT" of Climate Change, and come down hard on anyone who disagrees.  

The only "FACT" is that these "studies" are myths, lies and distortions produced by the same kind of people who conspired to say Donald Trump "colluded” with Russia.  

Yet students today are universally taught that it is a scientific fact that man (usually meaning white males) has so damaged this planet from using fossil fuels that the earth will only last a few more years… doom is coming soon if we don’t do what they say.  

To anyone with two brain cells, the obvious purpose of all these climate proclamations and predictions through the years is to use the climate for political value. After all, who can argue against saving our planet? All we have to do is give them the power to control more and more of our lives.   Liberal politicians are now turning up the heat saying we must change how we live, even saying if we don’t change our ways we’ll have to go back to the dark ages to stay alive on this planet.  

Some politicians say this disaster will come in as few as 10 or 15 years. Of course that’s what they’ve been saying since the early 1900s: 10 to 15 years. It's a phrase well-tested in those focus groups. Makes you want to worry!   And this time they actually are right!   Yes, you read that correctly. The liberals are dead-on about climate change coming in the next 10 to 15 years. But it’s not going to happen like they think.  

One of the most graphic characteristics of the soon-coming Tribulation that follows the Rapture, is the horrific scorching heat that comes on the earth. The temperature so high that people are grateful to die to escape the heat.  

“These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation…they will hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore; nor will the sun beat down on them, nor any heat;” Rev. 7:15, 16

“Men were scorched with fierce heat;” Rev. 16:9  

This “climate change” will in fact sink Miami, as famously predicted by Bill Clinton when he said:   “'The water is going to keep rising’ whether US stays in the Paris Accord Talks or not.” (The Paris Accord was the world meeting to deal with Climate Change that President Trump wisely pulled out of).  

And yes, the polar ice caps WILL melt, but probably in about an hour, not decades. And that will be the least of their problems. This is the time that God will shake the earth so violently that ALL the mountains will fall and ALL the islands will sink.

“and there was a great earthquake, such as there had not been since man came to be upon the earth, so great an earthquake was it, and so mighty. … And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. Rev. 16:18,20

In Isaiah 24:13,19 the Bible compares someone violently shaking an olive tree to get the olives to fall off to what God does to the earth during the Tribulation. Ouch!   All this causes the nations of the earth to be in disarray, totally baffled by all that is going on.  

“There will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves,” Luke 21:25

The bleeding heart liberals left behind after the Rapture will have more than "climate" change" to deal with...rather, they will be the recipients of God's wrath. God says the time will come when He will not be silent any more!  

"I have kept silent for a long time, I have kept still and restrained Myself.    Now like a woman in labor I will groan,    I will both gasp and pant. I will lay waste the mountains and hills    And wither all their vegetation;    I will make the rivers into coastlands    And dry up the ponds". Is. 42:14-15

Of course God clearly warned of this time in His Word. It's there for anyone to read. He even offers a way to escape the coming horrors. But most people chose to ignore scripture and instead chose to worship Satan—who is actually behind all this hokey “climate change.”   And those who ignore the Word of God will pay a stiff price.  

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,” Rom. 1:18   “For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience,” Col. 3:6

Let me rephrase that in case you missed it. The WRATH of God IS coming against all unsaved sinners, all non-Believers. It's coming suddenly, in a moment you least expect it. The lies, murders, blasphemy is all seen and recorded for future judgment.   It will be a sad time on earth. Most will die. Few will survive into the Millennium.  

“All the merry-hearted sigh. The gaiety of tambourines ceases, the noise of revelers stops, the gaiety of the harp ceases. All joy turns to gloom. The gaiety of the earth is banished. Is. 24:7, 8

Praise the Lord that God has not appointed us to receive the coming “wrath!”  

“For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,” 1Th. 5:9   “Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.” Rom. 5:9

All Born Again Believers will be removed from this earth before His judgment begins.   So the next time some liberal starts in on "Climate Change," just say "I agree with you, 'Climate Change' is coming." And that will give you one remarkable witnessing opportunity!  

But keep in mind that this whole climate issue is not about the "climate." Rather, it's about "Control." In the not-too-distant future, this earth will be controlled by one person from one place. We're just seeing the beginnings of this taking shape.  

Use us, Lord!   Shalom!  

BP  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_cooling

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I’m not a conspiracy theorist! At least I don’t worry about a man-based group that will someday take over the world and begin shooting Christians. I do know that a Satan-based world takeover WILL happen one day, but it’s a post-Rapture event.

But I DO believe we’re living in the last of the last days. And the Bible tells us to watch the signs — fulfilled prophecies… and there are many! So much so that the news these days sounds like a Bible-prophecy recap.

Therefore, we’re obviously getting closer and closer to the end. And since we know the antichrist will show up in the last days and singularly rule the earth, we should very well be seeing things coming together just before the Church departs this earth.

We’re so close that Satan has undoubtedly put people in place who are sold-out for him, setting the stage for his world takeover. No longer behind the scenes, they’ve come out in the open with their lies and deceit. For example:

UN Global Socialism Plan

In 2015, the United Nations had a huge Global Elites meeting in Paris, where all 193 countries of the world met and unanimously approved a plan to “Transform Our World” in the next 15 years.

Dubbed UN Agenda 2030, they proudly outlined how they will use climate and global warming issues to take over the entire globe.

Obama’s administration enthusiastically signed this monstrosity, in which it is specifically called a “plan of action for people, planet and prosperity by the year 2030.”

This, of course, fit nicely with Obama’s original campaign theme in 2008: “We want to fundamentally change America.” They needed to change America because a free country didn’t fit with a one-world government.

So before B.H.O. left office he started a ball rolling that would have ultimately changed the U.S.A. from LEADING the world to FOLLOWING the U.N. The U.S.A. would then be under the U.N.’s direction to purportedly “save the earth.” And if implemented, it would have been a disaster for Christians as it is a godless manifesto.

Realistically, this world “agenda” is really nothing more than Satan ramping up for full control of the planet… and we know that’s what WILL happen post-Rapture. When the Elites do finally reach their goals during the Tribulation, it’ll be deadly to admit you’re a Bible Believer.

But in Steps Donald Trump

Seeing through their Globalist ruse, President Trump is shaking up their agenda. He’s not going along with any of it. Rather, he’s making decisions that benefit America and making everyone else get in line.

This is making the Globalists white-hot mad, and they’re unleashing everything they can to undermine his Presidency. It is unrelenting, and I think it’s only the prayers from Believers that are keeping him alive.

The Elite control most of the media so we see a daily dose of political lies peppering the airwaves. Undeterred, under the prayer cover of millions from his Believer-base, the President continues to put America first.

Trade War or Common Sense?

For instance, the most recent “China Trade War” is simply making China trade fair and equitable with the United States. The past four U.S. Presidents have allowed this trade imbalance to grow to such unhealthy levels that our whole U.S. monetary system is in serious jeopardy.

China’s been taking their $700 billion surplus from the huge trade imbalance and purchasing hard assets like gold and silver, even gold and silver mines. President Trump sees this can’t continue and must stop. And he’s drawn a line in the sand.

Not-Federal/Not-Reserve

Another of President Trump’s shot-over-the-bow salvos is to the Federal Reserve, which is not “Federal” and not a “Reserve.” Rather, it’s a corporation controlled by eight Global Elite families. And President Trump is boldly in their face. Especially after the recent public comment by their Chairman who said, “Trump needs to be defeated.”(2)

This group of Global Elites, under the guise and power of “The Federal Reserve,” has controlled our country’s finances, milking us for over 100 years …without accountability. Since they got control, our dollar has lost 92% of its value. They’ve never been audited so they basically do what they want to do.

President Trump again is just doing what is best for America. He’s seriously looking at changing our dollar to a gold-backed dollar that would be trackable (think Bitcoin backed by gold). That would circumvent and free us from the Global Elite and the Federal Reserve all in one sweep.(1)

Regardless of all the good things our President is doing, we know this reprieve won’t last forever. Most Christians realize that we’re living in Satan’s world. He IS the “god of this world,” and he will one day get un-Holy-Spirit-hindered control.

But, thankfully, we’re also in a God-controlled universe. And just like Nineveh was given an extra grace of time before God lowered the boom, we too are on borrowed time. We’re in what the Bible calls the time of God’s patience.(3)

Ultimately the end will come with the Church’s exhilarating exit, which paves the way for Satan and his Global Elite minions to take over, ruling the earth for a horrific 7-year Tribulation period where literally 1/2 of the earth’s population is murdered.(4)

But the timing of the Devil’s world takeover has been slowed down by God, for His unknown purposes. I personally think President Trump will be reelected to continue to keep America going on a non-global track. But at some point in the future the Elites will get back in power and finish the job.

Now this is what’s interesting

If President Trump is reelected, that would get us to 2024. We might get four, or even eight more years if a staunch conservative is elected following President Trump.

But even if Trump is not re-elected, this reprieve has pushed the Globalist agenda into the 2030s for completion. This is very interesting because that lines up very well with two end-time prophetic projections — the Church Age Prophecy and the One Generation Prophecy.

The 2000-Year Church Age Prophecy

We have taught and defended for years that God’s original creation week is a timeline-template for all human time (see timeline chart below).

The seven 24-hour days of God’s original creation week are a template for 7000 years of time that God assigned to man to complete on this planet. Scripture mentions the correlation between 1000 years and one day in at least two places.

”For a thousand years in Your sight are like yesterday when it passes by, or as a watch in the night.”

— Psalm 90:4

”But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.”

— 2 Peter 3:8

So applying this Creation week timeline of 1 day = 1000 years, the length of the Church Age is quite easy to see.

Looking at the above graphic, notice that no life was created on the first four 24-hour days of God’s Creation week, only non-living things. And we know from the Bible’s genealogy that there are about 4000 years between Adam and the cross.

At the end of the timeline, God’s day of rest on the 7th day of the Creation week would correspond to Jesus’ 1000-year Millennial reign on earth when Satan is bound.

”And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years;”

— Revelation 20:2

“…reigned with Christ for a thousand years.”

— Revelation 20:4

That leaves two days, or 2000 years, for the Church Age in which we currently live. Jesus came to earth on the 5th day and brought life.

There is even a prophecy that can’t be fulfilled unless this template-timeline for a 2000 year-old Church Age is true.

“Come, let us return to the LORD. For He has torn us, but He will heal us; He has wounded us, but He will bandage us. He will revive us after two days; He will raise us up on the third day, that we may live before Him.”

— Hosea 6:1–2

That’s an unfulfilled prophecy that says Israel will be scattered around the world for 2000 years (2 days) hurt and wounded. But after the 2000 years, God will revive them/bring them back to life. And on the third day, which is the last 1000 years, the Jews will literally live before Him in Israel.

It’s also interesting that the only interaction anywhere in the Bible that Jesus had with non-Jews was specifically for TWO DAYS.

So when the Samaritans came to Jesus, they were asking Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days.

— John 4:40

After the two days He went forth from there into Galilee.

— John 4:43

After the “two days,” the “third day,” He returned to the Jews. A perfect fit for the model. See also Ex. 19:10–11 — it will blow your mind.

So life showing up on the 5th and 6th days of the Creation week is a parallel to Jesus bringing life to the Church Age for 2000 years while the Jews are scattered, hurt and wounded.

THEREFORE

The Church Age began in 33 AD with the coming of the Holy Spirit and will end with the Rapture, when the Holy Spirit departs. So, if our theory is correct, this would mean the Church Age would last until ROUGHLY 2033. This is not a prediction, just an observation!

There’s also another prophetic application that points to the 2030s:

The “One Generation” Prophecy

Jesus said the generation who saw Israel come together in the latter days will not pass before seeing all the things listed in Matthew 24.

A generation was referred to in varying lengths of times in the Bible — anywhere from 20 years to 100 years. Since seven and multiples of seven are God’s numbers for completion, a 70-year generation isn’t a stretch.

Mt. Moriah is the most important piece of property on earth as far as the Lord is concerned. It’s where Abraham offered Issac and the only place God allowed sacrifices to Him.

Israel didn’t get back control of the Temple Mount/Mt. Moriah until the Six-Day War in 1967. Therefore, the 70-year-generation countdown could not begin until 1967.

That puts us ROUGHLY at 2037. Again, not a prediction, only an observation based on Scripture.

Bottom Line

Therefore, between the Globalists trying to wrap things up in the 2030s, the Creation Week template pointing to the 2030s, and the One Generation Prophecy pointing to the 2030s you can make a good case that God has the Rapture scheduled for the 2030s. Certainly is interesting!

Of course (one more time) this is all speculation. We don’t know for sure when the Lord will return. We can and do observe the signs. Hey, as we know, it could happen today! 🙂

“For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.”

— Matthew 24:44

So until that fateful day, use us, Lord! And watch over our President!

BP

References:

(1) https://qz.com/1646318/why-trump-and-judy-shelton-want-the-us-back-on-the-gold-standard/

(1) https://investingnews.com/daily/resource-investing/precious-metals-investing/gold-investing/trump-gold-standard/

(2) https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/08/28/business/u-s-fed-help-defeat-trump-2020-not-enable-trade-war-china-ex-central-bank-official/#.XXlk5SV7lTY

(3) https://compass.org/article-gods-patience-in-the-last-days/

(4) Rev 6:8, 1/4 earth dies; Rev 9:15, 1/3 of balance of earth's population dies. Total—1/2 population of earth dies during the Tribulation.

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Recently Joshua Harris, a successful Christian author who wrote the bestselling book I Kissed Dating Goodbye in the 1990s, publicly renounced his faith.

Due to his staunch Biblical stance regarding no sex before marriage, many young Christians read his books and followed his advice. So this was a shocker, to say the least.

In a nutshell, Harris is clearly saying he no longer believes the Bible, pretty much giving God the finger. So this begs the question, does this mean he’s now going to hell?

I’ve heard numerous Christian leaders trying to make sense out of this by saying things like “He was never saved in the first place” and “Jesus won’t leave you but you can leave Him.” However, neither of those statements is in God’s Word.

Only God knows Harris’ heart… whether or not he trusted the shed blood of Christ to cover his sins at some point of his life. But regardless, the question remains, if he was once “saved,” can he now be “not saved?”

Most people reading this know we teach and scripturally defend that there’s no “work” you can do, or not do, to become a Believer. You can only believe the Gospel of Jesus the Messiah. It’s about what He did, not about your good or bad actions.

“He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,”

— Titus 3:5

”These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.”

— 1 John 5:13

Therefore, if there is nothing one can do to gain salvation, is there something one can do to lose it? No, there’s nothing you can do to lose it. In fact, if you think you can lose your salvation, the Bible says you’re foolish!

“Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?”

— Galatians 3:3

What Actually Happens At Salvation?

When you trust the Gospel message — which is the Good News that if you BELIEVE Jesus came from heaven, lived a sinless life, shed His blood and died on a cross in order to pay for all your sins — God immediately saves you from the eternal fires of hell… forever.

Your sins — past, present and future — are wiped clean from God’s judgment and this allows God’s Spirit to come into your life permanently, sealing you forever.

“In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation — having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,”

— Ephesians 1:13

So every Believer is sealed by God. Jesus even said He won’t lose anyone the Father has given Him.

“This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day.”

— John 6:39

To make an even better case against losing your salvation, consider this verse:

“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

— Romans 8:38–39

You are a human, created by God. Therefore, as a Believer, you cannot even separate yourself from God. No matter what you say or do. God is more powerful than you.

So if you can’t lose the permanency of salvation, what happened to Joshua Harris, assuming he was a Believer? It has everything to do with his Biblical maturity. Salvation is just the beginning of your Spiritual walk.

One of Three Things Happens to Believers When They Get Saved — Which One Applies to You?

The Bible puts a great emphasis on Believers maturing in their faith (Ephesians 4:11–14), to “grow up” in order not to be tricked by their enemy Satan — who has spent the last 6000 years perfecting his lies.

“…but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ,” —

Ephesians 4:15

Satan even tried lying to Jesus when he was tempting Him in the desert (Matt. 4:5–11). He quoted scripture to Jesus, and although the scripture was true, Jesus replied with “…the scripture also says…” In essence, He was telling Satan, “you’re taking scripture out of context.”

We too need to be able to know the Bible well enough to ward off Satan’s tricks and lies. But new Believers have so little scriptural defense they’re referred to as baby Believers (1 Corinthians 3).

The Parable of the Sower

In the Parable of the Sower in Luke 8:4–15, we see that when people hear the Word of God preached, the outcome is pretty simple: they either get saved or they don’t get saved.

Those that do get saved can have three different outcomes in their Christian life. So Jesus warns us about these life outcomes because our adversary, Satan, immediately sends his demons to compromise our walk.

1) The first thing that can happen to a new Believer is to be tricked by Satan from maturing into a solid Believer. Satan’s first goal is to get new Believers to doubt the truth about what they just committed to. Because new Believers aren’t rooted in God’s Word, the tempter can lure them away with his lies.

“…they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no firm root; they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away.”

— Luke 8:13

Satan’s lies could be about anything… sex, money, friendships, marriage, children, parents, church and everything in between. A series of seemingly innocent compromises is his age-old trick.

2) If Satan’s not successful getting you off course when you’re a new Believer, the second thing he’ll try is to get your eyes off the long-term prize. Satan knows if he can get you thinking short-term, he wins.

“…they are choked with worries, riches and pleasures of this life,”

— Luke 8:14

Satan will again bring on the lies about the burdens of life, worries about children, work, money… anything and everything to get your mind off the eternal prize that you’ve already won. If you fall for his deception, he wins.

3) The third thing that can happen to born-again Believers is that they mature, steel their minds with scripture, shake off the worries of the world and keep their eyes on the prize. God can use these mature Believers in numerous ways for His purposes.

”until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man…”

— Ephesians 4:13

”I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

— Philipians 3:14

So what about Joshua Harris? I think he is #2. I think he unknowingly let Satan get to him through the riches and pleasures of this life, choking out his testimony and grieving God with his sinful statements.

”Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”

— Ephesians 4:30

Again, notice in that verse that sin did not “unseal” anything. When a Believer is saved, it’s forever.

I do pray Harris gets a handle on whatever is haunting him. I pray he repents and seeks again to follow the commandments of his Risen Savior. Thankfully, if he is a Believer, his security is unconditional. God will never leave him, even if he tries to leave God.

“I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,”

— Hebrews 13:5

Always stand on the scriptural fact that our salvation is based on what He did for us, not what we once did, or now do, for Him. Therefore, teaching you can lose your salvation based on sin (repentant or unrepentant) violates this basic Biblical teaching.

This is why Paul, dealing with a horribly sinful and unrepentant Believer, said it would be better for Satan to kill some guy so he could be released from his sinful body and go home to be with the Lord.

“I have decided to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.”

— 1 Corinthians 5:5

This earth is nothing compared to eternity, so keep your eyes up!

Use us, Lord!

BP

Imagine…

Imagine a world where everything you do is individually monitored, scored, and kept in a big database. And your personal score determines your lifestyle — what you can purchase, your ability to travel, the interest rate you pay at the bank, even your ability to rent an apartment or buy a home or be approved for a car loan.

Everything you do, or don’t do, is monitored and scored. Your score also affects your family by causing your Internet to run more slowly, and keeping you (and/or your kids) from the best schools and the best jobs. A low score could even land you in jail!

So in this imaginary world you have to be careful to keep your social score above a certain level or you could pay big consequences. You can’t even get a driver’s license without a decent social score. So if you’re smart, you learn quickly what not to do.

Breaking the law in any way lowers your score. So will buying too much liquor in a month or using your Visa to purchase too many video games.

You also get lower scores for things like being late on a credit card payment or accessing a website that is in opposition to the ruling government party. Not to mention little things like jaywalking and smoking on trains.

Posting opinions on social media that are not politically correct or posting lewd remarks or pictures will, of course, lower your score. Even bad habits like eating too much, parking in a no-parking area, and driving over the speed limit (yes, that too) are tracked daily and tallied.

EVERYTHING is watched and monitored. Your life is scored on a day-by-day basis. And in this world, a low score can even get you arrested and jailed for nothing more than having a low social score. All to keep you in compliance with the government’s ideological framework.

Think this imaginary world I just described is absurd? Nope. Actually, this is what they are doing TODAY in China. Citizens there are 100% watched in order to be 100% controlled. The system now monitors over a billion people and by 2020 will cover/oversee all of China.

The Chinese government’s system evaluates and scores you between 300 and 850 points. In addition to education, legal, banking, and employment, the score also takes into account perceived trustworthiness, security, wealth, consumption, and social networking (i.e., your online behavior, having “undesirable” friends, and even what you click on to “LIKE”).

Due to low social scores, Chinese citizens are being “detained” (what we would call “arrested”). One man was chained to a chair for eight hours of interrogation for simply posting on Twitter… and Twitter is blocked in China!

To use Twitter in China, you have to have special software to circumvent the Chinese government ban. But even then, the Chinese government watches posts worldwide, and there are many reports of thousands of private Chinese Twitter accounts disappearing with no explanation.

When I say they’re watching everything, I mean everything. People have had their dogs taken away for their not being on a leash! When you get on a train, announcements are made to not misbehave or it will affect your social score. Of course you NEVER complain about the government.

China’s data-driven technology is growing in leaps and bounds. Referred to as Cyberspace Governance, China not only blocks certain data on the Internet but it also tracks what you do click on to determine what they will let you do, and not do. You may not even know you are clicking on a site that will lower your score.

The Chinese government is even tracking tourists crossing into China. The Border Police are now beginning to seize smart phones from the X-ray security machines, installing an app called BXAQ. This app collects all personal information including text messages, event calendars, phone contacts, and lists of people called as well as what apps you’re using.

They then check your data against a red-flag list of over 70,000 items. You’re denied entry if you have, for instance, obvious things like bomb-making instructions. But the forbidden list also includes books written in Arabic, books (or materials or documents) about (or by) certain Christian groups deemed controversial, and documents relating to the Dalai Lama. Quite subjective, don’t you think?

Cameras are everywhere as they’ve implemented the most sophisticated facial recognition system in the world. You can withdraw cash, check in at airports, and pay for goods using just your face. They not only read and verify individual faces, but also estimate age, ethnicity, and gender. But more importantly, they know where you are at all times.

There are 170 million cameras already in place, and 400 million more will be installed over the next three years. The system is so vast and accurate it’s locating wanted suspects in real time.

At any moment in time, this system can match every face on the street with an ID card as well as the path of your car. It can trace these movements back seven days, matching you up with your relatives and the people you’ve seen this week.

They’ve even begun using facial recognition to determine moods of people — are they angry or happy? What is their sexuality? Are they walking too fast? In short, they can arrest people they THINK will commit a crime.

Nothing To Hide?

Chinese officials say if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear. But as the technology develops, so does the potential for abuse. All humans are sinful. Can you imagine a Democrat controlled American government in charge of deciding who gets dinged for what?

Using the social rating system the Chinese have already banned 15 million people from traveling, buying property, or sending their kids to private school. And there’s no reason to appeal if you get banned. You can appeal, but that just makes matters worse.

Since 2015, to put some teeth into the penalties, China has increased the number of police sixfold. Thousands of them have been equipped with face-scanning devices that can determine if you’re a fugitive IN REAL TIME. This iron-fist approach is what they’re using to control every single person in China.

China has virtually become a total surveillance state where residents have different levels of freedom based on ethnicity, religious practices, and social score. The database for individuals includes things like your job, if you have a passport, even if you pray.

When all the scores are tallied, you’re categorized into SAFE, REGULAR, or UNSAFE people. UNSAFE people are sent to study centers for political education. But these study centers are actually no more than prisons with walls, razor-wire barriers, and guard towers… you can’t get out until they think you have changed your mind, realigned your politics, etc.

So people are basically being imprisoned based on surveillance data. And you can’t even see your score or the data used to rate you. People are detained (arrested) and they have no idea where they’re going or how long they will be there.

China Expands Its Surveillance Around The World

Two out of every three drones used around the world are manufactured by government-controlled Chinese companies. And consensus is that some 75% of U.S. government security cameras are manufactured in China.

Australia is currently wrestling with the overwhelming number of Chinese cameras in their cities and even military bases. Australian officials have determined that Chinese cameras are in use in their Army Forces Command, Air Force Air Command, Navy Strategic Command, and Army Special Operations HQ.

They’re worried that China may actually be tapping the images and using the data to spy or even affect election results. The elephant-in-the-room concern is that Communist China can track Australia’s entire military operation!

The Department of Homeland Security in the United States has been screaming about all this for years. Finally, in a rare bipartisan moment in the politics of Washington DC, Congress passed the National Defense Authorization Act, 2019, which prohibited cameras made by certain Chinese companies from being used in surveillance on U.S. soil. The reasoning was in part that China would be able to do surveillance in the U.S. as they suspect they’ve been doing in Australia.

The commonality of all this is that these cameras all use the Internet. Once online, the information is ripe for rip-off. And the cameras are made in a way that reprogramming can be done via the Internet. So what you determine to be safe today could be unsafe tomorrow.

This is just a foreshadowing of what’s ultimately coming to the United States. Conservatives/Christians are already being unfairly targeted. Problems with the IRS targeting conservative/Christian groups were uncovered and no one was held accountable. Imagine adding a social credit system like this used to shut up conservatives.

Again, this is happening today in China. How far away is this from the United States? Just recently Florida Democrat Congresswoman Frederica Wilson called for shutting down people who voice their opinion online saying, “We’re gonna shut them down.” Governmental surveillance used to control the population WILL come here too. And bummer for you if those who have control are not those whom you support.

It’s Just A Matter Of Time

Already there are social ratings beginning to be used in the United States. The Palms Hotel in Las Vegas is using a social media scoring system to provide perks to guests.

Twitter announced they are instituting a new social score for every user based on “influence.” And Virgin Airlines has announced they will use these scores to determine upgrades and even pricing. And Hoot Suite announced it will allow you to sort your Twitter list based on the influence of your Twitter social score.

Tommy Hilfiger has begun embedding smart chips in some of their lines that are connected to an app where you (and they) can track what you wear and where you wear it.

There have been four or five instances where a Compass advertisement was not approved because it didn’t meet Facebook’s advertising policies. There was nothing wrong with our ads, they just didn’t like what we were advertising! You can’t tell people the truth… like the fact they are going to either heaven or hell! That’s too cruel.

So most Believers easily see where this is going.

All This Is Clearly Prophesied In The Bible

The Bible says there will come a day when everyone on the earth who wants to eat or buy products will have to be part of a worldwide system. And this all-encompassing system will be run by none other than Satan himself.

”And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast would even speak and cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed. And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name.”

— Revelation 13:15–17

John, through the inspiration of God’s Holy Spirit, did an admirable job describing a clear reference to today. He’d been given a glimpse into the future of people watching their TVs, smart phones, and/or tablets and had to put it in his own vernacular. The screens could easily be what he described above as the “image of the beast.”

One day, everyone will be controlled from one place. And the one who has control makes the rules. And the rule is simple… you either take the “Mark of the Beast” and get your food, or you don’t take it and likely starve.

The Chinese have a system in place today that, between facial recognition, social monitoring, and an iron-clad grip on banking transactions, can in fact be expanded to control every person in the world.

And if the Chinese can do this with 1.4 billion people, it’s not a stretch to see this eventually being implemented in the U.S., Europe, etc.

So, knowing where all this is heading, we’re definitely seeing the early stages of the worldwide system coming together. In 30AD people voluntarily worshiped Jesus when He was physically on earth for 3 1/2 years. There’s coming a post-Rapture day when Satan dons the fake-Jesus attire and forces people to worship him for 3 1/2 years.

Some will take the Mark of the Beast, eat temporarily, and later go to hell.

”…If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, … and he will be tormented … forever.”

— Revelation 14:9–11

Forever is a long time, and many will choose poorly. But some will shine:

“… behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands;”

— Revelation 7:9

“…These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb….They will hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore; nor will the sun beat down on them, nor any heat; for the Lamb … will guide them to …life; and God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”

— Revelation 7:14–17

“…I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.”

— Rev. 20:4

Clearly there are those who miss the Rapture and immediately know what just happened. They have the opportunity to be part of the greatest revival the earth has ever witnessed.(1)

Faced with the prospect of choosing temporary life with food or eternal life with no food, they choose wisely. Most will have to give up their earthly lives in order to have eternal life with Jesus. But certainly worth it.

“He is no fool who gives up what he can’t keep in order to gain that which he cannot lose.” Jim Elliot.

Shalom!
BP

References

(1) https://compass.org/article-tribulation-evangelism-on-steroids-2/

https://www.businessinsider.com/china-social-credit-system-punishments-and-rewards-explained-2018-4#6-getting-your-dog-taken-away-6

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/10/business/china-twitter-censorship-online.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/03/21/what-do-people-china-think-about-social-credit-monitoring/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.648706d9ff1c

https://www.businessinsider.com/china-social-credit-system-punishments-and-rewards-explained-2018-4

https://www.pcmag.com/news/369368/china-is-installing-spyware-on-tourists-phones

https://www.foxbusiness.com/retail/hilfiger-embeds-smart-chips-in-new-fashion-line

 

Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation. For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water. But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. 2Pet. 3:3-7

 

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In 1948 God allowed Israel to become a nation in the midst of howling wolves surrounding the fledgling country. In a land that had been dominated by Arabs for 800 years, Israel sprang up, seemingly out of nowhere.

On May 14, 1948, the day the United Nations announced that Israel had been given formal nation status, six Arab nations invaded Israel with the expressed purpose to wipe her out before she could even get her government and army established.

So much was at stake. The Arabs had grown accustomed to controlling that part of the world. They assumed it would be theirs forever.

Immediately, within hours of Israel becoming a nation, 1.2 million Arab troops from six countries came against a total population of 800,000 Israeli men, women and children. Anyone who has played the game of Risk knows those numbers don’t work for holding territory.

Yet against all odds, somehow Israel repelled the overwhelming forces who came against her, and the new nation began. One of the things they did was drain the swamps, literally, giving Israel much-needed agricultural space.

The bottom line is that Israel survived only because the Lord wanted her to survive in order to fulfill Bible prophecy. It was proof that the Creator God of the universe was, is and will always be, in total and complete control. The ultimate result was that after 2000 years of Jews being dispersed and ridiculed around the world, God changed everything in a day.

Some 70 years later, in similar fashion, on November 8, 2016, Donald Trump was elected President of the United States. He too was dropped into the midst of howling wolves who surrounded him, fully intent on destroying his duly-elected administration. He too had to drain the swamps.

From the day he was elected, the full force of the liberal left has assaulted him with any and everything available. They’re incredulous that they’ve lost control of so much money and power. They assumed that their control of our nation’s direction would be theirs forever.

But God changed everything in a day. God allowed, for His purposes, Donald Trump to become President. And President Trump has already done as much, or more, than Ronald Reagan did for Christians. Only the Lord could have arranged such an amazing story.

George Barna, the famous national pollster, has released a new book entitled “The Day Christians Changed America.” When you read it, you realize the title could have easily been, “The Day God Changed America,” because using his monthly polling he documents how Christians and their faith were the determining factors behind the inexplicable Presidential election results. 

It’s a fantastic read for Believers because it shows beyond a shadow of a doubt that God is still in control and used Believers to turn back the openly Satanic assault against God, family and country.

Unless you had your head buried in the sand, it had become quite clear that those in charge for the last eight years wanted to detach this nation from its moral base and world prominence.

The former administration had done everything within its power to wipe out all Christian influence in this nation. They pushed one anti-biblical theme after another for eight long years. And the nightmare ended, against all odds, only when God used Believers and their underlying faith to change the direction of America in a single day.

Donald Trump is now the captain of our ship and is exposing the most unimaginable atrocities perpetuated on Christians in America by the last administration. How long this reprieve will last is up to the Lord, but in the meantime, we pray for God’s protection of President Trump and his administration. And we thank the Lord the election didn’t turn out differently.

And if you want to see what was FACTUALLY behind the presidential election, order George Barna’s book from Compass: The Day Christians Changed America. It’s so captivating for Believers I practically read it all the way through without stopping!

Within the pages of Barna’s book are several references to the invitation-only meeting I attended with other Christian leaders in June of 2016. Barna says that meeting was a turning point in the Presidential campaign.

I believe him. I wrote about the meeting that evening in my hotel room. I was exhausted from a long but exhilarating day, but managed to bang-out the post for Facebook before I fell asleep.

I was motivated because at the end of the meeting I had just witnessed most of over 1000 Christian leaders, dressed in suits and skirts, get down on the floor of a hotel ballroom to pray for our nation. I wanted to share that incredible moment as best I could.

And as I was leaving for the airport the next day, I glanced at the post and was dumbfounded to see it already had over 200 SHARES. Amazingly it was eventually shared over 2,000 times between the original Compass Facebook post and my personal Facebook page.

I then sent it to our 25,000 eNews subscribers and we spent weeks in our office answering calls from people who received email “Forwards.” Based on the response, I just KNEW God was up to something. You can read the article in our eNews Articles section online, titled “Donald Trump Meets with Evangelical Leaders.”

And as we now all know, the Lord allowed, or maybe even orchestrated, an amazing power shift in our political landscape. For whatever reason, He didn’t want those Satanic left-of-the-left liberals to take over just yet. Thankfully He’s given us this temporary reprieve from an undeniable march toward world government.

I remember before the 2016 election that I was thinking the Rapture had a chance to happen during that particular September’s Rosh Hashanah. It’s humbling to know that since then, countless people have been saved from the coming Wrath of God. And millions of babies have been born—eternal blessings from God. So God’s delay is good in a lot of ways.

Our patience is necessary in these last days, until God’s timing for that fateful moment of the Believer’s departure is upon us. And thankfully our time-extension includes President Trump’s unlikely election. Otherwise a lot of us might be witnessing from prison!

So get this book about the untold story of how God used the faith of Christian Believers to change America’s direction. I know you’ll enjoy it as much as I did.

Shalom!

Bill

© 2017 Compass Int’l, Inc. 

Bill and Susie Perkins founded Compass International, Inc. in 1993 as a non-profit, non-denominational ministry. For information on Compass’ Steeling the Mind Bible Conferences, Good Morning Lord! Bible studies, books, DVDs and Biblelands Cruises, go to compass.org

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...Jerusalem...the city of the great King.
Matthew 5:35

The entire world is involved in a dogfight over the land of Israel. The
United Nations Security Council ruled in December that Israel should
change her borders--that she had no right to East Jerusalem, which
includes such things as the Old City of Jerusalem, the Temple Mount and
the Wailing Wall!

Normally the United States would have used our veto power to block that Security Council ruling. Since Israel's beginning in 1948, we've
always protected our staunch ally in the Middle East.

But Barack Hussein Obama, for the first time in U.S. history, stuck his finger in the air and abandoned Israel. He hasn't got a clue what
he's done.

"I will bless those who bless [Israel], and the one who curses [Israel] I will
curse." Gen. 12:3

This past weekend 70 nations met in France regarding who has rights to
Israel's land. They concluded that Israel should compromise her security
and change to unmanageable borders. That, of course, will never happen.

Those 70 nations also have no clue that they're playing with fire. God says
to NEVER divide Israel or change her borders.

I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the valley of
Jehoshaphat. Then I will enter into judgment with them there ...[because]
they have divided up My land. Joel 3:2

Now, coming in like a knight in shining armor, is Donald Trump, who thankfully sees through the
world's unfairness to Israel. He's promised to return the United States to fully supporting Israel.

It should be an interesting time as Trump begins to undo the myriads of unconstitutional Executive Orders put in place by Barack
Hussein Obama. Just saying....

Slowing the World's March Toward Globalism. But can Trump trump the New World Order's march to a global government? Or at least slow it down? Time will tell. In the meantime, the push for peace in the Middle East by the United Nations, or by the 70 nations who met in France, IS an indication the world sees Israel as a problem, even if we don't.

"It will come about in that day that I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for
all the peoples; all who lift it will be severely injured. And all the nations of
the earth will be gathered against it." Zech. 12:3

Thankfully God has given us a reprieve, it seems, with the new leadership in America that supports Israel. At least it's not ALL nations yet! All but one.

Can the "whose land is it" problem ever be solved? No. Eventually the
world's push for peace will lead to a 7-year peace treaty, as prophesied in
Danial 9:27. And since that's a post-Rapture event, watching all this is quite
interesting to Believers looking for signs of our exhilarating exodus!

In the meantime our prayer is still for peace in Jerusalem, albeit temporary,
or even for a stalemate, so Israel can continue to grow and prosper.

To understand the true problem between Israel, the Muslims and the
land of Canaan, the following is a brief factual outline.

Understanding The Two Sides
On one side is the relatively new nation of Israel, fulfilling 2600-year-old prophecies that say after about 2000 years of world-wide dispersion, Israel would indeed return to her God-given land.

Since 1917 Israel has lived
surrounded by mortal enemies. The Jewish people have worked hard in a barren desert, draining swamps and building cities, making a viable and strong nation. They do want peace, but not at any price.

On the other side are the ancient Muslim-dominated nations that surround
Israel. They vehemently detest her very presence, refusing even to recognize Israel as a legitimate country. The Arab school textbooks literally teach Arabs should kill Jews whenever possible.*

The Arabs literally wish to kill every Israeli in the land. That sounds
presumptuous, but it's true. If the Arabs lay down their guns, there would be peace. If Israel lays down her guns, they would be run over.

The Most Important Land in Israel
The gold-covered Dome of the Rock, so prominent on Jerusalem's skyline on Mount Moriah, stands as a visible testament to the sharp divisions between Israel and the Arabs.

The Dome of the Rock is a Muslim shrine (not a mosque) and sits atop the Jewish Temple Mount, the eastern border of the Old City of Jerusalem. Since 1967 the Temple Mount has been controlled by Israel. Her soldiers are positioned there 24/7 to keep the peace.

Mount Moriah is the most important place on the planet to God. It's where
Abraham offered Issac, where the first two Jewish Temples were located,
where Jesus was crucified, and where Jesus' world throne will be located
during His future 1000-year reign.

Since 1967, Israel has allowed the Muslims to use and maintain the Temple
Mount area. In addition to the Dome, they have two mosques on the south
end--one built above ground and one recently built below the ground.

The Temple Mount, built atop Mount Moriah and outlined
in red, is controlled by Israel--but Muslims are allowed to
use the area. The purple represents the size of the original
Jewish Temple compared to the Dome of the Rock today

The Dome of the Rock is referred to by the Muslims as their third most Holy
site, next to Mecca and Medina. It sits atop the architecturally rich Jewish
ruins of the Herodian-built Temple Mount, which was constructed around
the time of Christ's birth.

Dome Blocking Temple?
Could the Jews rebuild their Temple today or is the Dome blocking its
rightful spot? We know that the Jews go back to sacrifices in the Tribulation
because the New World Leader puts a stop to the Jewish sacrifices half-way
through the 7-year Tribulation. Therefore the Temple must be rebuilt.

"...in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice." Dan. 9:27b

There's no consensus among the Jews as to where the Temple should be
built. Ultimately, when the Two Witnesses show up after the Rapture, they'll
show where the Jewish Temple will be rebuilt (Rev. 11:1,2). (See probable
location in purple, above).

The Jewish Temple probably was NOT standing where the Dome stands
today because the Dome was built on the pentagon-shaped ruins of the
Roman Temple of Jupiter that was destroyed in 638 AD by invading Muslims.

Another reason is that several ancient writings confirm the Jewish Temple was located directly across from the Eastern Gate. You can clearly see today that the Eastern Gate is not
positioned directly in front of the Dome of the Rock, proving there is a large empty space on
the Temple Mount where the Jewish temple could be rebuilt.

Regardless, the FACT that the Jewish Temple that Herod built 2000 years
ago sat somewhere atop Mount Moriah is verifiable and unquestioned by
anyone with two brain cells. The Muslims, naturally, deny this fact.

For His unknown purposes, God allowed the Dome of
the Rock (a Muslim shrine to their pagan moon-god) to be built during Israel's 1900-year dispersion from the land of Israel.

If nothing else, the dome has stood for 1400 years, deterring the Jews from beginning work to rebuild the Jewish Temple until God's appointed time.

Satan is well aware of the importance of Mount Moriah. Of all the arguments over "land" and "borders" in Israel, who has rights to the Temple Mount is the most contentious of all. And that's what the real fight is being fought over.

God Says He Gave The Land To Israel
The Muslims claim the Temple Mount, as well as all
of Israel, belongs to them. This runs both against
logic and also against God's Biblical grant of the land to all of Israel's
descendants.

"...I will give it (Israel) to you and to your descendants
forever." Genesis 13:15

"On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, 'To your
descendants I have given this land."
Genesis 15:18

"I will give to you and to your descendants after you, the land of your
sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession;" Genesis
17:8

But God was even more specific... here He lists the area given to Israel by
people-groups.

"the Kenite and the Kenizzite and the Kadmonite and the Hittite and the
Perizzite and the Rephaim and the Amorite and the Canaanite and the
Girgashite and the Jebusite." Gen 15:19-21

The most important of the above groups was the Jebusites, who lived in
Jebus, today called Jerusalem. Their city was built on the southern end of
Mount Moriah. God confirmed the city of JERUSALEM was GIVEN to Israel
FOREVER.

Palestine Given To The Arabs In 1924

Most people are unaware that originally, in the
1917 British Balfore Agreement, the land of Israel included Jordan! But the Arabs went nuts, demanding then what they are demanding now... "a two-state solution."

                                                        So 7 years later, England bowed to
Arab pressure, and in 1924 lopped off 3/4s of Israel and gave it to the Arabs for a two-state solution. It's interesting that he decline of the British Empire as a world power began at this very time.

But don't miss this astonishing fact: The Arabs demanded a two-state solution, and they were given Jordan to satisfy their demands.THEREFORE, they already have their two state solution!!!

But despite getting 3/4s of the area
designated to Israel, the Arabs weren't
satisfied. They wanted it all. They demanded
Jerusalem also be given to them despite Jerusalem not even being mentioned in the Koran. They jockeyed back and forth until Israel's War of
Independence in 1948.

Israel Won The War
The Arabs and the United Nations don't follow the Bible's commands. They
couldn't care less that our Bible says the land belongs to Israel. But what
about accepted results of war? Consider these facts:

Israel became a nation again on May 14, 1948.
President Truman quickly recognized Israel as a nation.
The very next day 900,000 Arab troops from six nations
invaded Israel.

Israel had only 600,000 men, women and children living in the land, no government, and no standing army. The Israelis fought for their lives and held a lot of what the UN had given them.

But neighboring Jordan captured the Temple Mount area, as well as East Jerusalem. Jordan illegally occupied East Jerusalem and Judea/Samaria, referred to today as "The West Bank," from 1948 to 1967. Israel accepted this war loss.

Never once in those twenty years did the Arabs try to make a country
out of the West Bank! If the land was so important to the Arabs to make a
country, why didn't they do it when they had it under their
control? It was because they didn't want "some" of Israel, they wanted "all" of Israel.

In 1967 the Arabs were amassing troops on Israel's borders while at the same time proclaiming to the world that they were getting ready to push Israel into the sea. Israel took them at their word, launched a pre-emptive defense strike, and the Six-Day War began.

In this brief war, Israel took the Sinai and Gaza from Egypt, the West Bank from Jordan, and the Golan Heights from Syria. See map ---> Israel won the green areas in the
1967 Six Day War

This was a bitter defeat for the Arabs. Six years later, in 1973 the Arabs
attacked Israel again. But this time the Arabs kept their plan a secret and
attacked on Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), Israel's most holy day of
the year. Although caught completely off-guard, Israel again repelled the
onslaught.

Peace with Egypt and Jordan
With Israel desperately wanting peace, the United States was able to
negotiate/broker a "land for peace" deal with Egypt. Israel
gave up the oil-rich Sinai desert to make peace with Egypt. But Egypt refused to take back Gaza!

Jordan made peace with Israel in 1994, but they wouldn't take back the West Bank! So today you have these two areas, Gaza and the West Bank (ancient Judea & Samaria)
that have become a political football re-named "Palestine."

So what the Arabs couldn't get in war, they're now using fictitious "Palestine" as an invented reason to get Israel's
land via a United Nations' decree.

What The Liberals Won't Tell You
Never lose sight of the fact that "Palestine" never existed
before Yassar Arafat in the 1980s. Consider these facts:

There has never been a nation of "Palestinians." Never! The United Nation just made it up--made something from nothing. The UN has referred to the "Low sinking of a once-proud nation." Really?
When and what was it so proud of?

Palestine has no history, no culture, no currency and no former capital. It has no former borders that it has ever in history defended.

It's had no former government, no former major cities and no former
language. No country in the world has ever recognized its existence at any
time in world history.

As I said, from 1948 to 1967, the Arabs controlled the areas in question:
Judea and Samaria (West Bank) and Philistia (Gaza), and they never once
tried to make a nation out of them. Why not? Because they don't want a
nation, they want Israel wiped out.

The Muslims are a Satanically driven people, thinking they're serving Allah,
who is really the devil in disguise.

Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against
the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but
against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this
darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Eph. 6:11-12

Really, the "Palestinians" are nothing but generic Arabs. There was never a
push for any kind of country until they lost the war in 1967.

The "Palestinians" openly state that their goal is to wipe out Israel. They
won't recognize Israel as a legitimate country, even though they got their
nation-status from the U.N., just like Israel.

Arabs Elect Terrorists For Leadership
Israel, at the world's insistence, pulled their citizens completely out of Gaza
so the Gazans could elect their own government.

What did Gazans do with their new democratic freedom? They promptly
elected a terrorist organization, Hamas, for its leadership. The terrorists then began firing tens of thousands of rockets at Israeli men, women and children only blocks away.

What would you think if Toronto, Canada began firing thousands of rockets
at Detroit, trying to kill people? Or if Mexico began firing rockets at San
Diego? Yet the world does nothing about Gaza's missiles and blames Israel
for retaliating! Satan, Satan, Satan.

The United States has had Israel's back through the years, always protected
her with our VETO power. But Barack Hussein Obama changed all that as
he left office, leaving Israel to twist in the wind.

Immediately after the UN vote, a ticked-off U.S. House of Representatives
voted 342-80 declaring that it "opposes UN Security Council resolution
2334 and will work to strengthen the US/Israel relationship" and for future
status issues toward a two-state solution to be "resolved ... between the
parties."

What will Trump do? He will support Israel and call a terrorist a terrorist. We welcome the change!

Is all this our Nineveh moment? On one hand, so much has recently
changed. On the other hand, nothing has changed!

BP

The End of the Church Age

When I bring them back from the peoples and gather them from the lands of their enemies, then I shall be sanctified through them in the sight of the many nations. Ezekiel 39:27

In the not-too-distant future, Israel will again be in the forefront of God’s actions on earth—and the whole world will be watching! Like the time of the Egyptian plagues, the world will again see God in visible action.

I will vindicate the holiness of My great name which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD,” declares the Lord GOD, “when I prove Myself holy among you in their sight. Ezekiel 36:23

Currently we’re living in the “Church Age,” and the Lord reveals Himself to individual people via His invisible Holy Spirit. But the Church Age will soon end with the sudden disappearance of all living Believers. A shocked world will immediately know things have changed.

When the Rapture dust settles, the horrific seven-year Tribulation begins. All Hades will break loose on earth and close to two billion people will die! TWO BILLION!!!

I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades was following with him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth. Revelation 6:8

That’s a lot of tribulation! But we know that number is true because God inspired every word in the Bible.

…no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. 2 Peter 1:20-21

So the Bible is penned by man, but 100% inspired/authored by God. It’s perfect in every way. Perfect in word, doctrine, design… even perfect in number. You can depend on His numbers—there will be BILLIONS who die in the Tribulation.

The law of the LORD is perfect, Psalms 19:7

Jesus left no doubt about how accurate God’s Words are:

For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass away from the Law, until all is accomplished. Matthew 5:18

If God is the author of every word in the Bible, they are perfect and all prophecy will be fulfilled, then it’s not surprising to see that numbers used in the Bible are consistent from Genesis through Revelation.

For instance, when using the number 5, and/or multiples of 5, it always refers to grace. Jesus had 5 wounds on the cross. Almost all measurements in the Jewish Temple are multiples of 5.

Eight is the number of new beginnings—there were 8 people on the Ark and the 8th day of the week is a new week. Forty is the number of testing— Jesus fasted in the desert 40 days and Israel wandering in the wilderness for 40 years. Six is the number of man—as in 666.

But the most interesting of all the numbers is 7, God’s number He uses to indicate “completion.” There are 7 days in a week and there were 7 days in the creation week. Israel had 490 years assigned to her by the Lord…and 7 years are still left to be fulfilled in the future—called the “Tribulation” or “Time of Jacob’s trouble.”

Keep Your Eyes On Israel We know we’re very close to the end of the Church Age because Israel is being readied by God to again bring her and her land to the forefront of the world. Consider these fulfilled prophecies in the last 69 years:

1) In the latter days God would gather Israel back to her homeland after being scattered around the world. He did.

When I bring them back from the peoples and gather them from the lands of their enemies… Ezekiel 39:27

…I will take the sons of Israel from among the nations where they have gone, and I will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; Ezekiel 37:21

2) Israel would return to their homeland as a pure race. She did.

And I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred and forty-four thousand sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel: Revelation 7:4

3) Israel would take over her land in a day. She did.

Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Can a land be born in one day? Can a nation be brought forth all at once? Isaiah 66:8

4) Israel would have a mighty army. She does.

So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they came to life and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.” Ezekiel 37:10

5) Israel would have nuclear weapons. She does.

Now this will be the plague with which the LORD will strike all the peoples who have gone to war against Jerusalem; their flesh will rot while they stand on their feet, and their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongue will rot in their mouth. Zechariah 14:12 (Ezekiel 39:11-16)

6) The regathered nation would be a problem to the whole world. She is.

It will come about in that day that I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples; all who lift it will be severely injured. And all the nations of the earth will be gathered against it. Zechariah 12:3

7) Iran would be her enemy. They are.

Persia, … with shield and helmet; Ezekiel 38:5 (In 1932 Persia changed her name to Iran.)

Israel is in her “regathering” period, a length of time predetermined by God. It’s also called “The Time of God’s Patience.”(1)

So, for pure fun, how much time would you expect God to have predetermined for this period of time between Israel becoming a nation again and the start of the Tribulation?

Using God’s numbers as a guide, my guess is that it’s likely to be 70 years, God’s number for completion.

Seventy years from 1948 puts us at 2018. For the record, let me repeat, this is not a prediction, merely an observation or a guess based on God’s use of numbers in the past.

But you could just as well theorize that God might count 70 years from Israel’s takeover of Mount Moriah and the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem in 1967.

Or it could be anywhere in between. We don’t know for sure because the Rapture is a signless event. But Israel’s time clock is tick tick ticking. Keep your eyes on Israel!!

Any way you slice it, we’re definitely living in the last of the last days! How exciting that God has predetermined the day of our great titillating departure, and when it arrives, millions will be missing because we’ll have disappeared in the twinkling of an eye! Exactly as predetermined on God’s perfect schedule!

Until that day, use us, Lord!

Shalom!
Bill Perkins, Founder & Executive Director

1) https://compass.org/store/products/Article%3A-God%27s-Patience-in-the-Last-Days.html

© 2017 Compass Int’l, Inc.

Bill and Susie Perkins founded Compass International, Inc. in 1993 as a non-profit, nondenominational ministry. For information on Compass’ Steeling the Mind Bible Conferences, Good Morning Lord! Bible studies, books, DVDs and Biblelands Cruises, go to compass.org

LIKE us on Facebook: facebook.com/compassbible and FOLLOW us on Twitter: @compass7 and Instagram: @compassbible

There was a time when no  
one could go to heaven.   

Believers can go to heaven because of what Jesus did on the cross. His sacrifice/shed blood makes it possible. But it wasn't always like that.

Prior to Jesus dying on the cross, Old Testament Believers could NOT go to heaven when they died. This was because their sins were not yet paid for by the Messiah. They had to wait, they had to first be cleansed, made perfect.

When Old Testament Believers died, they went to a place in the center of the earth. It had two parts, "Paradise" and Hades. Here the Old Testament Believers waited on the Messiah to redeem them with His sacrificial shed blood.

Once the Messiah died on the cross, Believers then COULD go to heaven when they died because they were no longer forbidden to enter heaven as they were "cleansed by the blood of the Lamb."

We derive this information from the verses about the Rich Man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31. This glimpse into what is called

the "Bottomless Pit" in Revelation 9:1-2 is not a parable but rather an actual event. And a bit eerie at that!

If you're not familiar with the story, take a moment to give it a quick read.

Before the cross, those who died who were saved by faith by trusting in a future Messiah went to "Paradise." Scripture says they were in "comfort." That's good because some of them had to be there for thousands of years waiting on the Messiah!

Those who were not saved by faith went to the other side of the "Bottomless Pit" -- "Hades" -- where they were in "agony," "torment," and "flame." Not good! At the end of the age they will all be judged and cast into hell with the devil and his angels. Hell will make Hades look like a weenie roast.

After the cross

Today when Believers die they go straight to heaven as their sins have been permanently paid for by Jesus' shed blood some 2000 years ago--totally escaping the torturous flames of both Hades and Hell.

"I ... prefer rather to be absent from the body
             and to be at home with the Lord." 2 Cor. 5:8        

But there was another incredible time period--just after Jesus died on the cross and before He ascended to heaven. He had to redeem those in Paradise waiting to go to heaven!

Therefore He "descended" to the good side of the Bottomless Pit, into Paradise, and took all those Old Testament Believers with Him to heaven.

"Now this expression, 'He ascended,' what does it 
             mean except that He also had descended into the
             lower parts of the earth..." Eph. 4:9

Wow, think about it, all the Old Testament Saints from Adam and Eve to Isaiah to Daniel... all of them, were in one huge room where every direction was up. Some had been waiting there for almost 4000 years!

And then Jesus finally arrives! That earth-shattering shout of exultation by so many excited Believers would have shaken the earth's foundations! Jesus had come to redeem that which was His.

And as if God wanted to prove He has a sense of humor, some of those traveling from Paradise in the center of the earth to heaven above the earth stopped off on the earth's surface!!

The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep [died] were raised; and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many. Matt. 27:52-53

Amazingly, some of the OT Saints stopped on earth as they passed through the crust. Can you imagine that? Some could have been dead only a few days. Some could have died 3000 years earlier. Yet there they were, walking around the earth, talking to people. Imagine THAT conversation!

Jew #1: "Hey Zechariah, I thought you died!"

Jew #2: "Yeah, I did die, but had to wait for the shed blood of Jesus to cover my sins before I could go to heaven. And you won't believe who's going to heaven... and who isn't!"

Ok, I speculated a little bit with that last line. But it just boggles my mind that some Jews living at the time of Christ saw people who had died hundreds or thousands of years before and were waiting on the Messiah in Paradise!

And, as if this study couldn't get any stranger, the Bottomless Pit will also play a role in the future Tribulation period. Apparently all the demons locked up from the flood, the really really bad ones, will be released back into the earth. (Rev 9:2)

Two thoughts on those demons....

First, Hades would not be a good place to be, even though it was not yet the eternal hell in which they will eventually reside. In addition to dealing with the horrific hot flames without water, those poor people will also have to deal with those grotesque demons torturing them night and day.

Second, if you miss the Rapture, your worst nightmare begins and never ends. You might as well be in hell. It will be so painful that you'll think it would be better to be crushed by rocks and/or die!

"and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, 'Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb'"; Rev. 6:16

"And in those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, and death flees from them." Rev 9:6  

For those who willingly oppose God and reject His mercy, there is no hope. But His love is SO great that scripture tells us that He is not willing that any should perish. Yea!

"The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance." 2 Pet 3:9

And, gratefully, He has no pleasure in the death of lost sinners.

"For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies," declares the Lord GOD." Ezek 18:32

What a great privilege and comfort to be able to turn to Him now and know that we can look forward with excitement and not terror. Our future is better than anything we can imagine!

That's exciting! Heaven will be better than anything we can conceive in our brain. I can think of a lot of A-Plus situations that heaven might be like, but it's better than anything I can imagine!

What a privilege to live on this earth knowing that truth!

Shalom!

Bill Perkins

“Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness;”
Is. 5:20

The United States has enemies who wish to take us down.
It’s easy to see our sworn enemies outside our borders, like North Korea and Iran, and take appropriate defensive action. But it’s harder to see our enemies our borders. Yet they exist and are actually more dangerous if not acknowledged.

In the 1930s during the Great Depression, the Communist Party in America gained a foothold. They continued to grow until they reached 85,000 members by the early 1950s.

In the spring of 1954, Senator Joseph McCarthy held hearings on unAmerican activities exposing the Communist threat. These hearings were broadcast live on television and shocked America.

Due to what was learned in the hearings, President Eisenhower expanded his loyalty-security program through which he identified and fired hundreds of federal workers who had infiltrated our government. Congress responded by passing a law that was designed to outlaw the American Communist Party.

Despite revisionist history that has dubbed McCarthy as being on a witch hunt or causing an unnecessary “red scare,” the truth is Communism was a growing threat from within our borders, and McCarthy exposed it for what it was. Growth of Communism was shut off and the Communists had to find another way to reach their goal of defeating America.

In 1958, W. Cleon Skousen, an ex-FBI agent, wrote a book entitled The Naked Communist. Having seen what was going on in America from the inside, he wrote brazenly about what the Communists were up to.

In the book he soberly lists 45 goals the Communists wanted to achieve in order to take over America. This list was read into the Congressional Record in 1963.(1) Reading the entire list will make you want to cry, so I’m listing only five zingers:

17. Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers' associations. Put the party line in textbooks.

41. Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents. Attribute prejudices, mental blocks and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents.

11. Promote the U.N. as the only hope for mankind. If its charter is rewritten, demand that it be set up as a one-world government with its own independent armed forces.

21. Gain control of key positions in radio, TV, and motion pictures.

26. Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as "normal, natural, healthy."

It would be difficult to argue they’ve not achieved these goals.

Russian Communist Vladimir Lenin famously said, “Give me just one generation of youth and I’ll transform the whole world.”

Needless to say, the Communists have stealthily invaded this nation without firing a shot. Everything America has stood for in its first 200 years was being dismantled piece by piece until the Lord allowed Donald Trump to be elected.

The liberal-controlled media (CNN-Communist News Network, NBC, CBS, ABC, et al.) has been on a rampage to do anything and everything to keep the lid on where they have been taking our country.

When Obama was elected president, glowing reports and sweeping accolades for the new president flooded the liberal media airwaves. What do you think would have happened if a group of people led by George Bush had started a multi-million dollar fund to undermine Obama’s presidency and to fight him every step of the way? They would have been arrested. Yet that is exactly what is happening with Obama.(7)

How long the Lord will allow President Trump to fend off his foes is anybody’s guess. Regardless, a LOT of damage has already been done through the years—under both Democrat and Republican administrations.

For instance, public education has been totally decimated. Are you aware that today, literally one out of every five high school graduates can't even read?!(8) And yet we spend more per student than any nation in the world.(9) Where is the outcry?

In 1994 at a Steeling the Mind Bible Conference in Vail, Colorado, we had a two-hour presentation on the sheer evils of a new education program being rolled into public school systems nationwide. Called Outcome-based Education, or OBE, it was in-your-face evidence that progressives had come out of the closet using OBE as their perfect Trojan horse for social engineering.

National pride, gun control and Christian views on creation and miracles were being openly ridiculed while the environment, socialism/globalism and homosexuality were lauded. Curricula were made easier to pass and “absolutes” were abandoned.

The result was that we graduated dumber kids who were more likely to use illegal drugs and become more promiscuous.(4)

Due to people and groups who saw through the maze and protested its curriculum and true goals, OBE was replaced by Goals 2000. Same song, different verse. As Goals 2000 was exposed, it was eventually replaced by No Child Left Behind, which dumbed down curricula so that everyone passed. After 10 years of schools treading water, making virtually no improvements, Mr. Obama picked up the education baton in 2009 and called it “Common Core.”

Common Core actually had some pure education teaching fixes, but the assault on Christian values continued. Between 2010 and 2015, Obama directed $7 billion to turn around 5,000 failing schools. The only problem was there was no accountability with the money. Imagine sending out $7 billion to liberal educators without supervision! So there’s no surprise that it was a colossal failure.

Andy Samrick, an education policy expert with the American Enterprise Institute said of Obama’s investment:

“(Obama’s $7 billion investment) is the greatest failure in the U.S. Department of Education’s 30+ year history.”

But what Obama didn’t accomplish with education, he did through secular social engineering of our kids.

Why Do We Have Public Schools?
The purpose of education should be to train students in communication, writing, speaking, research, problem-solving and critical-thinking. It’s not just knowing the answers to questions on a test. It should teach them how to live, work and think. And for Christians, education is worthless if God is not the central part of it.

And do realize that education is not religiously neutral. The publishers of school books teach from either a secular or biblical worldview. There’s no middle ground. Students learn to view the world from either a secular or biblical lens. Obama’s legacy is that now public schools brazenly indoctrinate students with a philosophy that is virtually opposite of scripture.

Matt Walsh recently blogged about what schools are teaching to 11 year olds:

A concerned parent sent me a school newspaper for Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School in Falls Church, Virginia. Among the other hard hitting pieces of journalism targeted at children, ages 11-13, is an article on “transgender rights.”

The article explains how Obama “improved the lives of transgender people by fighting the discrimination against them,” but all of that is now in jeopardy because of President Trump.

The next article delves into the intricacies and wonders of various forms of gender identity, including “transgenderism,” “non-binary,” “bigender,” “agender,” “demigender,” “genderfluid,” and “genderflux.” I’m obviously more innocent and naive than the typical middle schooler these days, so I’d never even heard of some of these.(2)

I doubt few adults understand all that, much less an 11 year old. When they kicked God out of the schools, they lost their rudder. Public school, the largest time-influence of our kids, is unabashedly and enthusiastically teaching that the world is not about God, but about man.

“For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator,” Rom. 1:25

James Dobson of Focus on the Family has taken the gloves off concerning sending kids to public schools. He recently said on his radio program:

“Christian parents should pull their children out of public schools, now, to protect them from spiritual damage, extreme indoctrination, and other serious problems.” (10)

God says parents should teach their kids about God, Who He is, what His rules are and what He expects. And they are to teach His spiritual truths all day long.

“You shall teach them (God’s Word) diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.” Deut 6:7

If we are commanded to teach our children God’s Word from the time we get up to the time we go to sleep, that would include the eight or so hours during the middle of the day while they are at school. But instead of teaching God’s truth, central planners mold them into functionally illiterate graduates that are unable to think critically, much less know their purpose in life.

And without understanding God’s purpose, depression sets in. So not surprisingly, teen suicide has doubled in the last ten years.(6) But depression is also coming from the amount of drugs taken—illegal and legal.

Unbelievably, one of every five boys have been diagnosed with ADHD, resulting in one in ten boys being prescribed the psychiatric drug Ritalin or Adderall, which are known to cause depression.(11) In all, 8.4 million kids are taking prescription drugs. And the elephant in the room is that ALL mass shootings at schools have one thing in common…the shooters were all taking psychiatric prescription drugs.(4)

The Columbine School mass murderers, Harris and Kebold, had brains full of serotonin, a chemical that causes violence and aggression. It came from Harris taking Zoloft and Luvox. Kebold’s records are officially sealed, but witnesses have testified publicly that he took Paxil and Zoloft.(4)

You would think the fact that 22 international drug regulatory agencies warn that these antidepressant drugs can cause violence, mania, psychosis, suicide and homicide would be enough to convince doctors to NOT give those drugs to kids. Apparently not.(4)

ADHD and other so-called “mental disorders” are only diagnosed by a checklist of behaviors. There’re no scientific or genetic tests, brain scans or X-Ray that verifies mental disorders as disease requiring dangerous psychiatric drugs to “treat” them.(3)

Yet parents of 8.4 million kids throw caution to the wind when all they would have to do is ask to see the lab test, brain scan, blood test or X-Ray that proves the child has a mental disorder that requires drug “treatment.”(3)

“Any recommendation for more mental health ‘treatment,’ which inevitably means putting more people and more kids on these psychiatric drugs, is not only negligent, but considering the possible repercussions, criminal.” CCHR International

Who Should Teach Your Child?
A Christian parent should want his child to be taught by a teacher with a biblical worldview. Then the students can be taught to compare everything to what God says, in order to learn what God wants.

So what Christian parent would send their kid in to an environment that literally mocks Christianity and God’s Word? Especially when God’s instructions to parents are clear:

“Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it.”  Proverbs 22:6

Since children are born sinners they need to be “trained” to know what is good and evil. And who should define what is good and evil? Obviously the Lord Who created us. And He gave us all we need to know in His Word—wisdom comes from God.

“The fear (reverence) of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”   Prov. 9:10

“… if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” James 1:5

So it’s no surprise that when God was kicked out of public schools in 1963, Satan filled the void and things have been progressively going downhill since. Students cannot publicly acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, while at the same time students can discuss Allah, Confucius, Karl Marx and a host of other godless people. So it’s safe to say that Satan has compromised our public schools.

But too many parents refuse to acknowledge the facts. Or they simply say they can’t afford to send their kids to a Christian school. Which, quite frankly, is admitting that money is their god.

“Therefore, COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPARATE,” says the Lord. “AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN;” 2 Cor. 6:17

Another reason we hear is that parents send their kids to public school so they can be “salt and light.” Really? Do you really want to send your kids into a Satanic battle they will most likely lose? For every one kid who survives there are dozens who buy the lie and lose their faith.

Some People Don’t Want To Hear These Facts
In the 24 years of doing Steeling the Mind Conferences, we’ve never had an outburst from an audience member that interrupted a speaker’s presentation. Until this year. Halfway though Russ Miller’s presentation last month at Steeling Noah’s Ark, one person did just that. She screamed out, “That’s not true!”

Unfortunately, what Russ was saying in his presentation entitled “Inside The Public School Nightmare” was, in fact, true. He was methodically going down a long list of facts about public schools today; things most parents either don’t know or willfully ignore for a variety of reasons.

Apparently, hearing all the cold hard facts at one time was too much for this lady. After a brief exchange back and forth with the lady, Russ continued to document his long list.

By the time he finished, pretty much the entire room understood the gravity of the public school situation. There is no excuse for any Christian parent to allow their child or children to go into Satan’s playground.

If you’re blessed to have children, the Bible says don’t yoke them with unbelievers.

“Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, the fruit of the womb is a reward.” Psa. 127:3

“Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?” 2 Cor. 6:14

“See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.” Col.2:8

The bottom line is this:
If God’s Word is not allowed to define what sin is, then on what basis can anything be weighed or examined? You can call it what you want, but if it’s not God’s basis, then it’s Satan’s. There is no gray area or middle ground. You either use God’s measuring stick, or you’re using Satan’s.

The entire Steeling The Mind Conference, including the presentation on public schools that upset that lady so much, is available on DVD for $29, or you can download and watch it for $4.95 each or all conference downloads for $19.95. Click here to see the titles and/or order. See also Curtis Bower's presentation on "The Communist Agenda in the U.S." here.

References:

(1) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1561529/posts

(2) http://www.theblaze.com/contributions/matt-walsh-christian-parents-your-kids-arent-equipped-to-be-public-school-missionaries/

(3) https://www.cchrint.org/issues/childmentaldisorders/

(4) http://psychiatricfraud.org/2011/04/the-real-lesson-of-columbine-psychiatric-drugs-induce-violence/

(5) http://www.wnd.com/2013/04/radical-increase-in-kids-prescribed-ritalin/

(6) http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/03/health/kids-suicide-deaths-increase/index.html

(7) http://nypost.com/2017/02/11/how-obama-is-scheming-to-sabotage-trumps-presidency/

(8) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/06/illiteracy-rate_n_3880355.html

(9) https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-education-spending-tops-global-list-study-shows/

(10) https://www.thenewamerican.com/culture/education/item/25675-christians-urged-to-pull-children-from-public-schools

(11) http://ritalinsideeffects.net

Uri Bezmenov, a KGB agent who defected in the late 1960s, said in 1984 that Russia knew American academia was a big supporter of communism.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/sep/13/37-percent-of-americans-cant-name-any-of-the-right/

If you have the opportunity to witness to someone and God convicts them of their sin and need for a savior, what do you tell them to do to become a Christian?

It's not. There is no place in the Bible that non-believers are instructed to ask Jesus into their heart to save them.

And no place in the Bible says that if you do ask Jesus into your heart you will be saved. But, unfortunately, this non-Biblical tactic has grown to be the norm.

That's a shocker to a lot of people. So what does the Bible say? Let's look at some verses.

The Philippian jailer asked Paul, "What must I do to be saved?"

Paul answered, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved." (Acts 16:30-31)

The key word in Paul's answer is "believe."

In the original Greek, the word "believe" (pisteuo) means to have faith in / to trust in." It's in the aorist tense in the Greek which means it doesn't require future action, just a single decision.

The late Dr. Lewis Sperry Chafer said in his book, "Salvation: God's Marvelous Work of Grace, (p.33) "This one word 'believe' represents all a sinner can do and all a sinner must do to be saved."

Chafer's statement is Biblically consistent. Consider:

"...whoever believes in Him..." John 3:16

"He who believes in the Son..." John 3:36

"... he who hears My word and believes..." John 5:24

"...he who believes in Me shall never thirst." John 6:35

"...everyone who ... believes in Him, ..." John 6:40

"...he who believes has eternal life." John 6:47

"...unless you believe..." John 8:24

"...he who believes in Me..." John 11:25

"...everyone who ... believes in Me..." John 11:26

"... that (by) believing you may have life..." John 20:31

You don't have to pray a prayer or ask Jesus into your heart to be saved. You just have to believe that you are a sinner, incapable of saving yourself, and that God sent His only fathered Son to the earth to shed his blood, die for your sins and be resurrected, defeating death. You are, by faith alone, trusting God and His written Word to be true.

   "Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved... that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures" 1Cor. 15:1-4

The "gospel" or "good news" that you must "believe" centers on Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who died for our sins and rose again. The gospel does not include "praying for Jesus to come into your heart."

It is, of course, possible that someone "walked the aisle" or prayed the infamous "sinner's prayer" and did understand the gospel-- thereby being saved. But it was their belief in the gospel that saved them, not their walking the aisle, praying a prayer or asking Jesus into their heart.

And it is just as possible that there are many who have a false salvation security based on praying a prayer for Jesus to come into their heart without understanding the gospel!

But what about the verses about God living in us?

    "...Which is Christ in you..." Col 1:27

    "...Christ lives in me..." Gal 2:20

    "And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts..." Gal. 4:6

Yes, every Believer has Jesus living in their heart.

 
But how did He get there? God came into our hearts at salvation, the exact moment we, by faith, believed the gospel. We don't ask Him to come in, He comes in because we believe.

     "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name," John 1:12

     "In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation - having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise," Eph. 1:13

First we believe, then God sends His spirit into our hearts.

To tell someone to "ask Jesus into your heart" is blatantly skipping the scripturally necessary "believing in" / "trusting in" the gospel.

Dennis Rosker said it best in his book "Seven Reasons Not To Ask Jesus Into Your Heart." He stated, "We have confused the means of salvation with the results of salvation."

But what about Rev 3:20?

     "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and he with Me." Rev. 3:20

Notably absent from this verse are the words "ask," "Jesus," and "your heart."

If this verse is written to Believers, the context is about Jesus desiring to be number one in the lives of the believers as they had confused earthly success with spiritual maturity. Jesus desired the Laodiceans to make Him not only Savior, but also be predominate in their lives.

Many have misunderstood the phrase "I will come into him" to mean "come into their heart."

Michael Cocoris discusses the Greek words used in Rev 3:20 in his book, "Evangelism, A Biblical Approach." He says "Christ will come 'in to' (two different Greek words), not 'into' (one Greek word). The verse is saying that Christ will come in the church to the person, not that Christ will come into the person."

Cocoris later adds, "Christ is speaking of fellowship, not salvation."

Jesus wants a moment by moment fellowship with Believers.

     "... taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ," 2 Cor. 10:5

However, if this verse is written to non-Believers, as John MacArthur contends, the term "standing at the door" is not the door of your heart, but rather the door of the Laodicean Church. MacArthur states in his Commentary on the Book of Revelation, page 140:

     "The door on which Christ is knocking is not the door to a single human heart, but to the Laodicean Church."

MacArthur believes these people held to their own form of Godliness but were denying the power of the Holy Spirit (2Tim 3:5).

Therefore, regardless of whether Rev 3:20 was addressing Believers or non-Believers, it is not a verse instructing us that we need to ask Jesus into our hearts to be saved. It's just not there.

Two quotes from Charles Ryrie from his book, "So Great Salvation."

     "...it seems to me that those who believe in the inerrancy of the Bible ought to be especially concerned with accuracy in communicating the truth."

     "Just as words were the means God used to record the Gospel in the Scriptures, so words are the means we use to explain the Gospel to others. Therefore, a correct choice of words is important, even essential, in stating the Gospel well."

There may be someone reading this who prayed a prayer and your faith of salvation is in the fact you prayed the prayer. Or you may have walked to the front of a meeting and your faith is in the fact you walked forward. 

If there is any doubt that you are a Christian, simply believe by faith in the true gospel of salvation -- that God sent His Son Jesus to die for your personal sins, and rose from the dead defeating death so you can have eternal life with God.

Salvation has zero to do with what you did in the past--or will do in the future--and everything to do with what Jesus did on the cross 2000 years ago. When you believe you are forever assured of eternal life with Jesus. Because once He comes into your life, He's there forever. PTL!

Bill Perkins is the founder and Executive Director of Compass International, Inc.
© Copyright 1993-2014, Compass International Inc. www.compass.org / 800-977-2177

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Most Bible prophecy teachers teach that the United States is not in Bible prophecy. I disagree. I believe the United States is mentioned specifically, scores of times, and is described in great detail.

I know I will receive a lot of mail on this, so my only request is that before you tell me that I am wrong, first tell me who this nation could possibly be... other than the U.S.!

The words "United States" or "America" are not in scripture. But often buried within scriptural text is a parallel subject revelation or dual fulfillment.

 Obvious examples of this double reference are in Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28. In Isaiah 14:4, the text begins with references to the "king of Babylon," but gradually changes into comments about Satan:

"How you have fallen from heaven" Is 14:12.

The same is true with Ezekiel 28 where verse 11 speaks of the "king of Tyre," but the following verse moves into specific traits and characteristics of Satan: "you were in the garden of God."  It's from these two chapters that many of Satan's characteristics are revealed, yet we had to dig a little first before we could uncover the scriptural jewels buried therein.

"It is the glory of God to conceal a matter..."   Prov 25:2

If we are living in the final decades, years or days of the Church Age, the United States, still the #1 power in the world, should logically be in the Bible somewhere. Applying the above principle of "Double Reference," or "DuelFulfillment," there are numerous verses in the Bible that may give us some insight into what ultimately happens to the United States in the future.

Below is a list of the characteristics of an end-time, latter-day nation. I'll challenge you to find another country, other than the United States, that fully fits this description!

Who Is This Nation?

The Bible calls this unnamed nation, "Babylon," and sometimes refers to it as the "Daughter of Babylon." These characteristics of Babylon are taken from verses in Jeremiah 50, 51, Isaiah 18, 47 and Revelation 17, 18. These scriptures record a fascinating description of a nation that has much wisdom, wealth and knowledge, thinks it is secure and invincible, but is suddenly totally destroyed.

Bordered By Many Waters

 "O you who dwell by many waters," Jer 51:13

 "The sea has come up over Babylon; She has been engulfed with its tumultuous waves." Jer 51:42

This is a nation who is bordered by "many waters." Later you will see that it also imports primarily by ships. It is important to note that Babylon in Iraq has two relatively small ports on only one ocean. In comparison, the U.S. is virtually surrounded by water. It has no less than 15 major ports, on three oceans, 5 Great Lakes and the Mississippi River.

Has A Mother Nation

"Your mother will be greatly ashamed, she who gave you birth will be humiliated. Behold, she will be the (youngest) of the nations" Jer 50:12

This nation has a mother nation . . . like the U.S. has a mother nation - Great Britain. And this nation is the youngest of the world's superpowers at the end of the Church Age.

Militarily Strong

"How the hammer of the whole earth...has been cut off and broken!" Jeremiah 50:23

He says, "You are My war-club, My weapon of war;" Jer 51:20

This nation is the military hammer of the earth. We have bases

 

Has Good And Bad

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9

The above verse may be one of the most misunderstood verses in the Bible, even for relatively solid and well-versed Believers!

At first glance, this verse seems pretty simple. "If" we confess our sins, He (Jesus) will forgive our sins and cleanse us.

MOST churches today teach this verse means that we must confess our sins, on-going, to be forgiven. That we must continually "clean the slate." An often heard reference to this verse is, "It's the Christian's 'Bar of Soap.'"

But, thankfully, this is not true. We can't scrub ourselves clean. Here's why not...

For this verse to mean that we have to continually confess our sins to be forgiven, as the popular interpretation implies, means that the finished work of the cross is not finished. That Jesus didn't pay it all, and that we have an ongoing part in our personal salvation. 

And what if we don't confess a sin? Do we lose our salvation? What if we forgot a sin? What if we didn't know we had sinned?  

Three Key Words

Under closer scrutiny of the verse we see there are three key words that prove it could not mean that we must continually confess our sins. 

The verse begins with the word, "If..." This would mean that for your sin to be forgiven, it is dependent on something that you do, or do not do. It would imply a false works doctrine.... salvation based on what we do, or do not do. 

But that's not scriptural, anything to do with salvation by works contradicts other scriptures like:

"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works..."     Eph. 2:8, 9

"He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit"    Titus 3:5

The second key word is "forgive." For that verse to mean that you are not forgiven until you confess each sin is opposite what the Bible teaches... that ALL your sin was taken out of the way 2000 years ago:

"having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us and which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross" Col. 2:14

The third key word is "cleanse." Does ongoing confession make you clean? Not according to other verses discussing being cleansed in the past tense:

  "... those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.'  Acts 26:18

"By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”  Heb. 10:10 

When you were saved, God the Holy Spirit came into your life FOREVER, never to leave (Heb 13:5). Therefore you were fully and completely cleansed FOREVER at salvation and it's unnecessary to be ever cleansed again.

Did Paul Forget?

Paul, our Church Age apostle, never mentioned ongoing confession of our sins except to one another for accountability (James 5:16). If ongoing confession was required before God forgave each of our sins, did Paul just forget to mention it in all his letters? No, he said just the opposite:

 "But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life." Rom. 6:22

Jesus only mentions "confessing" when He was speaking to the Jews who were under the law in the context of salvation (Matt 10:32). 

It is also interesting to note that John wrote 1 John in 95 AD, about 50 years after the first New Testament books were originally penned. Would this be the first mention of ongoing confession for the forgiveness of sin if it were THAT important!?    

John did say in the verse before, 1 John 1:8, that if we say we don't have sin, we are a liar. So even if we could continually confess sin for forgiveness, the moment we confess it, we are still the same dirty rotten fleshly person we were before we confessed! Nothing would be changed!!  

Self-sanctification?

Some people teach that you have "positional" sanctification at the moment of conversion but have to work for your "progressive" sanctification. This is not true - any concept of self-sanctification is from the pit of hell. All it does is yoke people with the lie that Jesus didn't do enough on the cross and they have to do something to be acceptable to God.

The concept of ongoing confession of sin to procure forgiveness is simply a bad doctrine holdover from the Catholic Church... just as A-millennial and anti-Jewish doctrines were initially embraced by Luther and others in the early Protestant movements.

Then What IS the meaning of 1 John 1:9?

If 1 John 1:9 doesn't mean we have to continually confess our sins to be forgiven, what the heck does it mean?

In his book, Forgiven Forever, Hector MacLeod explains in eye-opening fashion that 1 John was written in response to the Gnostic claims of the time. And he shows that the context is actually dealing with one time confession for individual salvation.

Yes, make no mistake about it, to be saved we ARE to confess to the Lord that we are a sinner, confessing that we know we can only escape the horrors of hell via the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross at Calvary.   

And we are certainly to acknowledge and repent of each and every sin by which we are convicted by the Holy Spirit living inside us. But that is because we are already forgiven, not to earn forgiveness! Acknowledgement of sin is the natural process of spiritual maturity -- growing in knowledge, faith and the grace of our Lord.

Ongoing confession of sin to the Lord, for forgiveness, is not required... actually, we are called "foolish" for even thinking that way!

Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Gal. 3:3

I will go as far to say that there is nothing one can do, or not do, to make themselves more, or less cleansed, than that which Jesus accomplished on the cross!

Is that not just incredible! Everything that can be done, has been done by our Lord. When He said "It is finished" it was totally finished! Wow wow wow, that is just incredible!

Through the years while Hector was alive, we bought his book, Forgiven Forever, by the caseload. God has used his book to make known the true grace of God to countless individuals.

The most common remark we hear is that reading it brought them such a peaceful release! 

       "And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension..."    Phil. 4:7

Before Hector died at age 93, he graciously gave the rights of the book to Compass in order to keep it in circulation. We have reprinted it and also have it available both in paperback and in a free eBook format.  You can download it from the compass.org store.

Paperback $9.95.
e-Book FREE! 

Click here to order Forgiven Forever--

And reading it may very well just change your life!!!  

Bill Perkins is the founder and Executive Director of Compass International, Inc.
© Copyright 1993-2014, Compass International Inc. www.compass.org / 800-977-2177

The above article may be forwarded in its entirety (including credits) without permission.

 

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God gave us Bible prophecy to prove He is God because no one can predict the future with 100% accuracy except God. Nostradamus had about 5% of his quite vague prophecies come true. But the Bible has never missed one iota, even predicting names of people hundreds of years in advance. It's interesting that over 25% of scripture is regarding short- or long-term prophecies. So it's hard to read much in the Bible that doesn't touch on Bible prophecy.

Bill Perkins is the founder and Executive Director of Compass International, Inc.
© Copyright 1993-2014, Compass International Inc. www.compass.org / 800-977-2177

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To sign up for our FREE Monthly Compass eNews with updates on future Bible conferences, Bible trips, specials on DVD Bible studies and an eye-opening look at a hot topic, Click Here

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As prophesied, the Lord Jesus is coming again. First in the sky for Rapture, and again seven years later to defeat Satan and rule as King of the Earth from Jerusalem. The simplest way to distinguish between scriptures about the Rapture and the Second Coming of Christ, is to determine if the verse in question is referring to the Lord coming “for” His saints (I Thes 4:16), or “with” His saints (I Thes 3:13). Here is a list (not exhaustive) of the differences in the two events:

Bill Perkins is the founder and Executive Director of Compass International, Inc.
© Copyright 1993-2014, Compass International Inc. www.compass.org / 800-977-2177

The above article may be forwarded in its entirety (including credits) without permission.

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The Big Boom AKA - The Great and Terrible Day of the Lord

Jesus promised His disciples that even though He had to depart this earth, He would "come again" (John 14:3). An angel confirmed this truth to His disciples as Jesus left the earth some 2000 years ago from the Mount of Olives.

"They also said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come (again) in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven." Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem,..." Acts 1:11-12

The prophetic hope of Jesus returning to Jerusalem as King of the Earth has comforted myriads of Believers through the years.

And return He will. Following 7 years of horrific seal and bowl judgments on the earth, Jesus physically returns to earth with a landing of seismic proportions on the Mount of Olives, completing His wrathful objectives.

2nd Coming / Day of the Lord Connection
This Second Coming coincides with the much-prophesied conclusion of the "Day of the Lord." It's Jesus' booming climactic conclusion to His "bowls of wrath" judgments that He had been unleashing on a sinful earth.

The Bible talks a lot about the "Day of the Lord" in very descriptive language. Here are a few verses to consider:

"Behold, the day of the LORD is coming, cruel, with fury and burning anger, to make the land a desolation; and He will exterminate its sinners from it." Is. 13:9

"...For the day of the LORD is near, and it will come as destruction from the Almighty." Joel 1:15

"He will shatter kings in the day of His wrath" Ps. 110:5

"...In the day of His burning anger." Is. 13:13

Jesus' Second Coming is in two distinct parts: First to the Jews in the desert and then in the final battle with Satan.

First Jesus Returns to the Jews in the Desert
Jesus first returns to reveal His crucifixion scars to the Jews who refused to accept Him as their Messiah 2000 years ago.

These Jews will have been living in the desert for 3 1/2 years. This is because halfway through the Tribulation, those Jews who were attentive to the Bible's warnings left all their worldly possessions to flee when they saw the Abomination of Desolation standing in the rebuilt Jewish Temple.

"Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house. Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak." Mat 24:15

They that made it out alive ultimately gathered in the wilderness where they were protected from the last 3 1/2 years of Satan's unholy rule on earth.

"Then the woman (Israel) fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God, so that there she would be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days (3 1/2 years)." Rev. 12:6

Isaiah 2 says the place to which the Jews will flee will humble them as they live in caverns, tombs and rocks. When Caves in Petra, Jordan the Abomination of Desolation stood in the Temple, those who dropped everything and made a beeline out of town were part of the 1/3 of the Jews to survive that day. Those that went back to grab anything worldly were captured and killed.

We think Petra is the most likely place the Jews will gather. (See articles on Petra HERE)

But at the end of the 3 1/2 years, the Jews hear the Antichrist is coming with the armies of the world to wipe them out. The 3 1/2 years they spent learning to depend on the Lord must have been good for them because they cry out to the Lord and He answers their prayers. He comes to them and they brokenheartedly see the scarred hands, side and feet from His crucifixion.

"And one will say to him, 'What are these wounds between your arms?' Then He will say, 'Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.'" Zech. 13:6

This is the nation of Israel's "Come to Jesus" moment.

"I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn. Zech. 12:10

Next Comes The Final Battle After reacquainting Himself with the surviving Jews, Jesus then departs to wipe out the Antichrist's world army of nations who had joined forces and gathered in the Jezreel Valley.

"And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory." Matt. 24:30

Often incorrectly referred to as the "Battle of Armageddon"

Armageddon, seen above from Mt. Carmel. Note the Israeli air strips that will undoubtedly be used.

(the battle takes place elsewhere, the armies only "gather" at Armageddon), Jesus wipes out the armies of the world who were marching to kill the remaining Jews in Petra. But not much of a fight, God always wins.

"And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army." Rev. 19:19

Jesus then heads to the Mount of Olives, to the same place He departed the earth some 2000 years before. When His feet touch the mountain, what happens is amazing!

"In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south." Zech. 14:4

When Jesus' feet touch the Mount of Olives, the whole world will shake! Imagine this if you can:

First, the Mount of Olives not only collapses, it also splits in half, moving north and south, leaving a large flat valley in its place.

The Big Boom-Mountains Disappear Worldwide
But that's not all! Splitting the Mount of Olives sets off the largest earthquake ever...a worldwide boom!

"And there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder; and there was a great earthquake, such as there had not been since man came to be upon the earth, so great an earthquake was it, and so mighty." Rev. 16:18

"For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will." Matt. 24:21

This earthquake is so huge it affects the topography of the entire planet causing the remarkable collapse of ALL mountains worldwide (with the lone exception of Mt. Moriah).

"... the mountains also will be thrown down, the steep pathways will collapse and every wall will fall to the ground. Ezek. 38:20

"... and the mountains were not found." Rev 16:20

"Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, And the earth will be shaken from its place At the fury of the LORD of hosts In the day of His burning anger." Is. 13:13

A Dark Day
All of these earthshaking events cause a lot of smoke and dust to cover the entire world.

"The sun will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. Joel 2:31

"...It will be a day of clouds, a time of doom for the nations." Ezek. 30:3

"Alas, you who are longing for the day of the LORD, for what purpose will the day of the LORD be to you? It will be a day of darkness and not light;" Amos 5:18

"But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken." Matt. 24:29

"Will not the day of the LORD be darkness instead of light, even gloom with no brightness in it? Amos 5:20

"Before them the earth quakes, the heavens tremble, the sun and the moon grow dark and the stars lose their brightness." Joel 2:10

In addition to the mountains falling causing darkness, the massive worldwide earthquake causes all the islands in the world to disappear! "And every island fled away," Rev. 16:20

Obviously all this worldwide shaking will cause the oceans to go crazy, scaring the bejeebees out of people watching all of this take place.

"There will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken." Luke 21:25-26

All this worldwide phenomena are hard to imagine, but do keep in mind that this IS the conclusion to the horrible tribulation judgment on the world....a judgment that Believers won't have to endure because God will have previously removed them via the Rapture.

Mount Moriah Raised
As the dust settles and the waves calm, Mt. Moriah will be raised to be the highest mountain on earth.

"Now it will come about that in the last days the mountain of the house of the LORD will be established as the chief of the mountains, and will be raised above the hills; and all the nations will stream to it." Is. 2:2

"All the land will be changed into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem; but Jerusalem will rise and remain on its site (foundation)..." Zech. 14:10

"You have not gone up into the breaches, nor did you build the wall around the house of Israel to stand in the battle on the day of the LORD." Ezek. 13:5

All the mountains fall, all the islands disappear, Mt. Moriah is raised to be the highest mountain and the world will know Jesus has defeated Satan and is now reigning as King of Kings. But there's even more to this story!

Moriah Gushes Godly Water
From the raised Mount Moriah, gushing from the southern end of the Temple Mount, comes a perpetual river. With the Mount of Olives and Mount Zion flattened to the east and west of the raised Mount Moriah, the water flows both west to the Mediterranean Sea and east to the Dead Sea.

"And in that day living waters will flow out of Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea and the other half toward the western sea; it will be in summer as well as in winter." Zech, 14:8

This "Holy Water" from God's special place on earth will cause the Dead Sea to come alive! Currently nothing can live in the Dead Sea, but with God's special water flowing into it, it comes to life as a fisherman's paradise!

"Then he said to me, "These waters go out toward the eastern region and go down into the Arabah (Arabah = the desert plain from the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea); then they go toward the sea, being made to flow into the sea, and the waters of the sea become fresh. It will come about that every living creature which swarms in every place where the river goes, will live. And there will be very many fish, for these waters go there and the others become fresh; so everything will live where the river goes. And it will come about that fishermen will stand beside it; from Engedi to Eneglaim there will be a place for the spreading of nets. Their fish will be according to their kinds, like the fish of the Great Sea, very many." Ezek. 47:8-10

"...and a spring will go out from the house of the LORD to water the valley of Shittim." (Jordan River) Joel 3:18

"By the river on its bank, on one side and on the other, will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither and their fruit will not fail. They will bear every month because their water flows from the sanctuary, and their fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing." Ezek. 47:12

The Judgment of the Nations
With Jesus now rightly ruling as King of Kings, He judges the nations of the world from His throne that overlooks the newly created valley that is now adjacent to Mt. Moriah, where the Mount of Olives once stood.

Called the Valley of Jehoshaphat and the Valley of Decision, Jesus doles out judgment, especially to those who fought against Israel. Several verses talk about this:

"Hasten and come, all you surrounding nations, and gather yourselves there. Bring down, O LORD, Your mighty ones. Let the nations be aroused and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat, for there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations." Joel 3:11-12

"For the day of the LORD draws near on all the nations. As you have done, it will be done to you. Your dealings will return on your own head." Obad. 15

"...when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats;" Matt. 25:31-32

"He will judge among the nations, He will fill them with corpses, He will shatter the chief men over a broad country." Ps. 110:6

"Hasten and come, all you surrounding nations, and gather yourselves there. Bring down, O LORD, Your mighty ones. Let the nations be aroused and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat, for there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations." Joel 3:11-12

"Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision" ("decision" = God's verdict). Joel 3:14

"For behold, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat ("Jehoshaphat" = "Yahweh has judged"). Then I will enter into judgment with them there on behalf of My people and My inheritance, Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations; And they have divided up My land." Joel 3:1-2

Those who are allowed to live into the Millennium will be required to come to Jerusalem once a year to pay homage to Jesus on His throne. "Then it will come about that any who are left of all the nations that went against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Booths." Zech 14:16

Jesus Reigns for 1000 Years

"And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, ..." Rev. 20:2-3

With the world's mountains flattened, the weather will be more like it was prior to the flood. This means Jesus will reign without having to deal with harmful weather like tornadoes, hurricanes, tsunamis, floods and lightning strikes.

Best of all, imagine a world with Jesus righteously ruling as King, Satan is bound and everyone uses the Bible as the rule of law. Pinch me!

PTL! This is truly something for which to look forward! "Surely it is near."

"Blow a trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm on My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming; Surely it is near," Joel 2:1

BP

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