Date 11/10/14

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11/10/14

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TRACKING BIBLE PROPHECY 

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Map: The countries that recognize Palestine as a state

Israeli ministers approve applying Israel law to West Bank settlers

Israel reportedly set to take 3,000 acres of Palestinian village land near Jerusalem

'Abbas to blame for J'lem violence'

Analysis: MKs at center of Temple Mount tensions

PM vows no tolerance for rioters 'who call for Israel's destruction'

Netanyahu: We won't tolerate Hamas or ISIS flags at protests in Israel

Hamas forces cancellation of Arafat rally in Gaza

Netanyahu: World must not cave to Iran's demands

Report: US ready to renew diplomatic ties with Iran

Obama says 'big gap' remains in Iran nuclear negotiations

US racing against time, Congress on Iran nuke deal

Opposition group claims new info showing Iran still working toward nukes

Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi 'hit in air strike'

Pentagon officials skeptical over Iraqi claims of wounded Islamic State leader

Syrian air force raids kill 21, wound at least 100 in north: monitor

Explosions Rock Afghan Capital After Months of Calm

In Ukraine, Shelling and Convoys of Armed Trucks Threaten Cease-Fire

Ferguson anxiety grows ahead of grand jury decision

The flying of unauthorized drones at stadiums prompts safety concerns

Mars hit by once-in-8-million years comet dust shower

Comet Alters Mars' Atmosphere; Causes Meteor Shower

5.5 magnitude earthquake hits near General Luna, Philippines

5.2 magnitude earthquake hits near the Mid-Indian Ridge

5.0 magnitude earthquake hits near Hofn, Iceland

5.0 magnitude earthquake hits near the Fiji Islands

Ubinas volcano in Argentina erupts to 23,000ft

Fuego volcano in Guatemala erupts to 15,000ft

Sinabung volcano in Indonesia erupts to 14,000ft

Winter storm could dump 18 inches on Wisconsin

Tropical Threat to India Late Week

McDonald's mulling embrace of Simplot's bruise-reducing Innate GMO potato

Medicinal Marijuana Dispensaries Popping Up Around The Country

Russian couple registers 'first same-sex marriage'

Gay couple to have 3 babies by 3 mums

Researchers say 'the new AIDS' (aka "kissing bug disease") is infiltrating the U.S at the southern border

White House Discusses the Use of Robots in Fight Against Ebola

Israel gives Palestinians Ebola screening equipment

PROPHECY UPDATE NEWSLETTER

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IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER... A Prayer to Frustrate the Conspiracy Against

Israel  Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei

outlines plan to 'eliminate' Israel Nearing Midnight: Dual Prophetic Application Daily Jot: The "I"s have it, or not...really Daily Devotion: My Determined Purpose Featured Article: Is "The Rapture" a Biblical

concept, or a fictional plot device?    

A Prayer to Frustrate the Conspiracy Against Israel - Jim Nash - http://watchmansview.com/Commentary_-_A_Prayer_to_Frustrate_the_Conspiracy_Aganist_Israel.html   "Do not keep silent, O God!Do not hold Your peace,And do not be still, O God!For behold, Your enemies make a tumult;And those who hate You have lifted up their head.They have taken crafty counsel against Your people,And consulted together against Your sheltered ones.They have said, "Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation,That the name of Israel may be remembered no more." ~ Psalm 83:1-4

 Do the headlines below from just the last several days sound like these verses in Psalm 83?...most of the Psalm 83 confederacy is currently active in the pursuit of the destruction of Israel, as is seen below in current news, these things are occurring before our very eyes, in the fulfillment of Bible prophecy: Terror Alert Raised to Second Highest Level Across Israel Police around Israel were ordered on Sunday to operate on its second highest alert level after a 22-year-old Palestinian was shot and killed by police Friday night and the ensuing riots in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the Galilee...on Saturday night, Palestinian rioters began the strike, carrying out violent attacks across Israel...http://www.breakingisraelnews.com/24022/terror-alert-raised-second-highest-level-across-israel/#eCQl3hiICdZWafIW.97  Top EU Diplomat Calls to Divide Jerusalem Federica Mogherini, the European Union's new foreign affairs chief, said "We need a Palestinian state - that is the ultimate goal and this is the position of all the European Union," - the top EU diplomat called for dividing Jerusalem..."The message is not for the people who live here, the message is to the rest of the world," she said. "It is not a Palestinian-Israeli situation, it is a global issue."... http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/187187#.VF-2-b7v89V  ..."And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people" Zechariah 12:3 Half of Arabs Say Jerusalem Clashes Mean War A new poll released on Thursday and conducted from October 15-28 among the Arab population in eastern Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and Gaza reveals half anticipate the current tensions in Jerusalem will lead to a war with Israel...http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/187179#.VF6O9MnYc0k  Jordanians denounce peace with Israel, vow 'jihad to liberate Al-Aksa' "Death to Israel," crowds chanted in several cities, with activists demanding that Israel's embassy in Amman be closed...Several

thousand protesters took to the streets of Jordanian cities on Friday, calling on the government to scrap its peace deal with Israel following escalating violence at the Al-Aksa mosque in Jerusalem..."Al-Aksa needs liberation and all of the people of Jordan are ready to wage jihad (holy war) to liberate our sacred sites," demonstrators chanted in Amman...http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Jordanians-denounce-peace-with-Israel-vow-jihad-to-liberate-Al-Aksa-381122 Hamas: 'Popular army' formed for 'liberation of al-Aksa' Hamas claims 2,500 Palestinians have already been recruited to contingent allegedly preparing for future confrontations with Israel. ...http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Hamas-announces-creation-of-popular-army-for-liberation-of-al-Aksa-381138  Sinai: Terrorist presence becomes full-fledged insurgency There is now a working relationship between the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, and a rejuvenated, enlarged Ansar al-Maqdis that has incorporated other local jihadist groups. There are reports from Syria that former Egyptian officers with jihadist sympathies, who had fled Egypt and now serve as a mainstay for ISIS intelligence, are involved.  In other words, this is now a full-fledged insurgency, in all likelihood operating from bases in Gaza close to the border with Egypt, and staffed increasingly by Egyptians and Gazans.http://english.alarabiya.net/en/views/news/middle-east/2014/10/31/Sinai-Terrorist-presence-becomes-full-fledged-insurgency.html  Islamic State says it will set up Islamic Caliphate in Sinai, "first step towards the invasion of Jerusalem"  The Islamic State (ISIS) has issued a statement saying that an Islamic Caliphate will be established in the Sinai, calling it the "first step towards the invasion of Jerusalem". The statement threatens Egyptian security forces, which were suffered an attack on October 24. ISIS urged jihadists in the region to "destroy police checkpoints and stations, launch RPGs at their gatherings and show the world that the Rule of God must be imposed" ...http://pamelageller.com/2014/11/islamic-state-says-it-will-set-up-islamic-caliphate-in-sinai-first-step-towards-the-invasion-of-jerusalem.html/  Israel Minister: If Hezbollah fires rockets at Israel, Lebanon will be razed Lebanon's Shiite head Hassan Nasrallah claimed that his organization's rockets can hit anywhere in Israel and threatened to target the country's

sea ports and main airport in the next conflict...TTransportation Minister Yisrael Katz warned Tuesday that Israel was prepared to completely eviscerate Lebanon in response to any cross-border missile attack by Hezbollah..."If such a scenario does materialize, we will raze Lebanon to the ground! We will return it to the Stone Age and bury [Nasrallah] under the rocks." ..http://www.timesofisrael.com/minister-if-hezbollah-fires-rockets-at-israel-lebanon-will-be-razed/#ixzz3I9EtiE25   ...and the Psalm 83 prayer continues... "For they have consulted together with one consent; They form a confederacy against You: The tents of Edom [Palestinians and S. Jordanians] and the Ishmaelites [Saudis]; Moab [Palestinians & central Jordanians] and the Hagrites [Egyptians]; Gebal [Hezbollah & N. Lebanese], Ammon [Palestinians & N. Jordanians], and Amalek [Arabs of Sinai]; Philistia [Hamas of Gaza] with the inhabitants of Tyre [Hezbollah an S. Lebanese]; Assyria [Syria & N. Iraqis] also has joined with them; They have helped the children of Lot [Moabites and Ammonites, thus the modern day Palestinians will be the principal power engaged in the confederacy against Israel. The others come to assist them]." ~ Psalm 83:5-8 And while the Psalm 83 confederacy gathers against and surrounds Israel, the Ezekiel 38, 39  coalition of Islamic nations, lead by Russia, continues to not only take prophetic form, but their conflicts and distain for Israel continue to grow.  Again, these articles are just from the last several days...as you know, three of the main warmongers of Ezekiel 38,39 are Russia, Iran and Turkey... "On that day it shall come to pass that thoughts will arise in your mind, and you will make an evil plan...You will come up against My people Israel like a cloud, to cover the land"  Ezekiel 38:10,16 Iran's Khamenei: Israel "Has No Cure But to be Annihilated" Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called for Israel's destruction, stating that the "barbaric" Zionists "has no cure but to be annihilated."...In a rant posted on Twitter Saturday night, the religious leader called on Palestinians in Judea and Samaria to arm themselves and rise up against Israel. ...http://www.breakingisraelnews.com/24015/irans-khamenei-israel-cure-annihilated/#c3i3zHsM761v1Mec.97 

 No Love for Israel Among Turks, Poll Shows Israel is the most disliked country in Turkish public opinion...Israel fared worst in the poll, garnering negative responses from 86 percent of those polled.  Only 2 percent had anything good to say about the Jewish homeland...http://www.breakingisraelnews.com/24009/love-israel-among-turks-poll-shows/#XvPA0j1T1SPHMqRt.97  Czar Putin Wants a Russian Empire The truth is that Vladimir Putin is looking to reclaim Russia's old empire...Putin considers himself a modern-day Czar, and he's intent on reassembling the territories that were historically part of the Russian Empire...http://www.wallstreetdaily.com/2014/10/30/putin-russian-empire/ ...Czar "Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh" has his sights on Israel - make no mistake about it...the recently discovered natural gas and oil fields of Tamar and Leviathan gives Israel an unprecedented degree of energy independence as-well-as a lucrative export market to its Arab neighbors. And, they threaten to challenge Russian energy giant Gazprom's dominance of the European gas market...Ezekiel 38 tells us that God will 'put a hook' in Gog's jaw to 'plunder and loot' Israel. Israel's natural gas fields and future oil discoveries are likely the 'hook' that draws the Russia lead confederacy into a (not too distant) future war with Israel?  ...the Psalm 83 prayer continues... Deal with them as with Midian [Numbers 31 describes the Midian War - Moses commanded one thousand males from each of the twelve tribes of Israel to destroy the cities and the warriors of Midian. The "false prophet" Balaam was killed, along with the five Midianite kings] As with Sisera [Sisera was commander of the Canaanite army of King Jabin of Hazor, in Judges 4-5. After being defeated by the Israelite tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali, Sisera was killed by Jael, who hammered a tent peg into his temple] As with Jabin at the Brook Kishon [Jabin was king of Canaan, worshipers of Baal - Elijah had the prophets of Baal slaughtered at the brook Kishon] Who perished at En Dor [Jabin and Sisera, and the army under them, perished at this place which is mentioned along with Taanach and

Megiddo in Joshua 17:11, which are the places where the battle was fought between Jabin and Israel] Who became as refuse on the earth. [they became as dung for the earth; being unburied, they lay and rotted on the earth, and became dung for it; see Jeremiah 8:2, or were trodden under foot, as dung upon the earth] Make their nobles like Oreb [Oreb was one of the chieftains of the Midianite host which invaded Israel, and was defeated and driven back by Gideon] and like Zeeb ["They captured Oreb and Zeeb, the two princes of Midian; they killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb and Zeeb at the winepress of Zeeb, while they were pursuing the Midianites. They brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon across the Jordan" Judges 7:25], Yes, all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna [Zebah and Zalmunna were the two kings who led the Midianites who invaded the land of Israel, and were routed by Gideon (Judges 8).  The kings were taken alive, and confessed that they had personally taken part in the killing of Gideon's brothers - they were put to death]Who said, "Let us take for ourselvesThe pastures of God for a possession." ~ Psalm 83:9-12 ...the Psalm 83 prayer concludes... O my God, make them like the whirling dust,Like the chaff before the wind!As the fire burns the woods,And as the flame sets the mountains on fire,So pursue them with Your tempest,And frighten them with Your storm.Fill their faces with shame,That they may seek Your name, O Lord.Let them be confounded and dismayed forever;Yes, let them be put to shame and perish,That they may know that You, whose name alone is the Lord,Are the Most High over all the earth. ~ Psalm 83:13-18 ...and the conclusion of the Gog Magog coalition?... "...when Gog comes against the land of Israel," says the Lord God, "that My fury will show in My face. For in My jealousy and in the fire of My wrath I have spoken...And I will bring him to judgment with pestilence and bloodshed; I will rain down on him, on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, flooding rain, great hailstones, fire, and

brimstone. Thus I will magnify Myself and sanctify Myself, and I will be known in the eyes of many nations. Then they shall know that I am the Lord."' ~ Ezekiel 38:18,19,22,23 We are at the door-step of the fulfillment of these very significant prophetic events! "Do not keep silent, O God!Do not hold Your peace,And do not be still, O God!" "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May those who love you be secure. May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels." Psalm 122:6-7 May PM Benjamin Netanyahu and his Cabinet members be like "the sons of Issachar who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do"... I Chronicles 12:32 ...and as the U.S., Israel's #1 ally continues to throw Israel under the bus, and placates to their #1 enemy: Obama sent letter to Iran's Khamenei; Israel kept in the darkU.S. President Barack Obama sent a secret letter to Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, last month, in which he wrote that the two nations have shared interests in fighting the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria...The White House did not inform either Israel or America's Gulf State allies, like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, about the letter...http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/1.625144  ...Israel's BIGGEST and true ally has the following promise: "The Lord also will roar from Zion,And utter His voice from Jerusalem;The heavens and earth will shake;But the Lord will be a shelter for His people,And the strength of the children of Israel." Joel 3:16 

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei

outlines plan to 'eliminate' Israel - Antonia Molloy - http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/irans-supreme-leader-ayatollah-khamenei-outlines-plan-to-eliminate-israel-9850472.html   Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has outlined a nine-step plan to "eliminate" Israel. The Supreme Leader of Iran's official Twitter account has posted a set of answers to what are described as the "key questions", saying that Israel is guilty of a host of "crimes". The first question asked is: "Why should the Zionist regime be eliminated?" To this, the response is given: "During its 66 years of life so far, the fake Zionist regime has tried to realize its goals by means of infanticide, homicide, violence and iron fist while boasts [sic] about it blatantly". However the statement adds that "the elimination of Israel does not mean the massacre of the Jewish people in this region". 

The statement proposes a referendum in which "all the original people of Palestine including Muslims, Christians and Jews" could vote, but from which "Jewish immigrants" would be excluded. It says the theoretical resultant government would then decide upon whether the latter group could remain in the country. But it goes on to say that if such a referendum cannot be achieved then "powerful confrontation and resolute and armed resistance" is the only solution, as compromise is not possible. The comments come just days after it was reported that Barack Obama wrote to Khamenei to point out Iran and the United States' shared interest in fighting Isis militants. The US President reportedly said co-operation was dependent upon Iran reaching a deal on its nuclear weapon program. In July Khamenei described Israel as a "rabid dog" for its bombardment of Gaza. He criticized the US and Europe or what he claimed were their efforts to limit the military capacity of Palestinian fighters as the conflict between Israel and Hamas raged on.  

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Nearing Midnight: Dual Prophetic Application - Terry James - http://www.raptureready.com/rap16.html   Most have heard the saying: "What goes around comes around."  This has, for example, been the philosophizing mantra for those on the losing end of sporting events and political contests. The notice is given to let the winning side know they shouldn't gloat. They might soon be the losers rather than the winners in a subsequent contest, so they shouldn't be too boastful lest they suffer obloquy equal to that which they are dishing out to their defeated foes.  Another application of this saying is to give a stern heads-up that if you treat someone badly, the same thing will come around to you in the

same manner.  In Bible prophecy, this saying might also well be applicable-but with a different nuance of meaning. What goes around comes around can be said of some specific, recurring prophecies I would like for us to consider. For our purposes in this commentary, I want to mention one particular area in the matter of Bible prophecy that has stirred controversy on a number of occasions.  Some who are adamantly-even angrily-against the notion of the pre-trib rapture have often thrown fiery darts my way. The darts are laced with reasons that the pre-trib view cannot be correct. The dart throwers usually add that I'm leading someone to Hell by telling them about a pretribulation rapture.  These angry flame-throwers' accusations-saying that we who hold that God's Word put forth that the Church will be taken out of this rebellious world before God's wrath must fall-utilize Scripture in ways that confuse the reader. This confusion, however, is the fault of the under-studied reader-student-never the fault of God's Holy, Inerrant Word.  (I've never figured out what, exactly, teaching the pre-trib rapture could have to do with "leading" someone to Hell, but the charge is often there, nonetheless. And, they sometimes include that I, too, am going to Hell for teaching false doctrine.)  The example of this "confusion" I will address is Jesus' words given in the Olivet Discourse, about the time He terms "great tribulation" (KJV). The following is the Lord expounding on this prophecy.  "When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand :) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. (Matthew 24:15-21)   This is one of the primary cases in Bible prophecy in which the principle of dual reference is employed. Dual reference, as I define it, is when a prophecy has an immediate--and sometimes a later--future application.  Those flame-throwers I mentioned very often use the above prophecy to

point out that we "pre-tribbers" are totally mistaken in our dispensational view of things. This prophecy, they say, was fulfilled in AD 70 when Roman Emperor Vespasian sent his son, General Titus, to destroy Jerusalem and the Jewish temple. It does not, they proclaim, indicate that there will be a time at the midpoint of the Tribulation when the forces of Antichrist will attack the city and sanctuary and make the Jews flee for their lives. We are full of prunes, they charge, because this is a prophecy long ago fulfilled.  Jesus did indeed predict and describe a time that would come within thirty something years when the Jews would have to flee for their lives. We don't deny that in any way whatsoever. However, the dual-reference principle employed by the Holy Spirit-guided writers of the Bible-in this case, His disciple, Matthew--to look down through the ages and dispensations to prophetically offer an end-time fulfillment of Jesus' words through this account.  The prophecy was fulfilled in 70 AD. The second application of this dual-reference prophecy will also be fulfilled in the middle of the seven-year era we know as Daniel's seventieth week, the last of the prophesied seventy weeks of Israel's playing out its divine destiny (Daniel 9:24). Each week within the seventy weeks equals seven years in prophetic terms, for a total of 490 years. When Jesus was crucified, the 490-year prophecy for Israel's destiny to be fulfilled was interrupted at the sixty-ninth week (at the 483rd year). The seventieth week will begin to complete the last seven years of the 490 years when Antichrist confirms the covenant with Israel and her enemies.  Daniel the prophet foretold this end-time application of this midpoint-of-the-Tribulation assault by Antichrist as recorded in the following passage:  And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. (Daniel 9: 27)  The principle of dual reference is easily discernable by the consideration of history. Just a couple of instances come to mind where this principle can be ascertained.  John wrote as recorded in Revelation 13:16-18 that there would be a mark on the hand or forehead as part of an economic system of buying and selling that will, during Antichrist's regime, enslave most if not all the people of the world. Such a system was in place at the very time

John was writing the Revelation while imprisoned on Patmos.  The ancient Roman Empire economic model was to stamp the hand and the forehead of people interacting within the marketplaces of commerce. When the shoppers had their hands full, the mark plainly showed on their foreheads that they were approved for transacting business. When they exchanged coinage with the merchants, the mark was visible on the hand as the exchange of coinage for goods was made.  The Holy Spirit obviously inspired John to note that what goes around comes around. The revived Roman Empire of Daniel chapters 2, 9, and other prophetic places in God's Word will have characteristics of the ancient form of that would-be world order. The principle of dual reference can be sensed in such historical detail.  The final thing I would like to mention in regard to this principle that flows throughout Scripture is the matter that has long been a point of interest. Jesus said that the gospel will be preached into the whole world before the end comes-meaning the time just before His Second Advent (Revelation 19:11). There are arguments amongst the great academicians-the seminary scholars-and even among laypersons about the meaning of the Lord's prophecy. That foretelling is as follows:  And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. (Matthew 24:14)   The word "kingdom" in this prophecy constitutes, in my view, a matter the more erudite among us have squeezed into an overly examined term. These seemingly want to define the term "kingdom" very narrowly so as to exclude the Church Age or Age of Grace.  I don't believe this is the case. I see here the principle of dual reference at work yet again.  We of the pre-trib camp sometimes mention that the gospel has literally been preached to the whole world. Thus, in that electronic means from short-wave radio to the most sophisticated satellite technologies have been beamed to every place on the globe, the gospel being part of the information disseminated.  We say that, therefore, Jesus' words have been fulfilled. The academic purists say that this isn't what Jesus meant, and use Greek and Hebrew to dazzle us to prove we are wrong.  However, it is clear to a plain ol' layperson such as myself: This is yet

another case of something akin to dual reference. The prophecy, in my opinion, is for this dispensation-the Church Age. It is also for the time of Tribulation-Daniel's seventieth week.  We have the satellite technologies and other means. The Tribulation-era people will have an even more sophisticated mode of getting the Gospel. It is God's supernatural technology that will reach every nook and cranny of that devastated world.  And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. (Revelation 14:6-7)  --Terry

Daily Jot: The "I"s have it, or not...really - Bill Wilson - www.dailyjot.com   The occupant of the Oval Office said on the day after his policies and administration were rejected overwhelmingly by the American people, "So, to everyone who voted, I want you to know that I hear you.  To the two-thirds of voters who chose not to participate in the process yesterday, I hear you, too." He must have meant that those who didn't vote spoke louder than those who did. To him, it appears that those who did not vote were the clearer majority, who actually did not drive to a polling place to cast a vote against him vicariously by voting out his representatives in Congress. In a 75 minute news conference the day after the election, the "president" used the word "I" or derivatives of it, and "me," some 340 times. Here are some excerpts from his remarks: "So the fact is I still believe in what I said when I was first elected six years ago last night...I'm the guy who's elected by everybody, not just from a particular state or a particular district.  And they want me to push hard to close some of these divisions, break through some of the gridlock, and get stuff done.  So the most important thing I can do is just get stuff done, and help Congress get some things done...The key is to find areas where the

agenda that I've put forward, one that I believe will help strengthen the middle class and create more ladders of opportunity into the middle class.. "...Republicans disagree. They're not going to support those ideas.  But I'm going to keep on arguing for them because I think they're the right thing for the country to do. ....if there are ideas that the Republicans have that I have confidence will make things better for ordinary Americans, the fact that the Republicans suggesting it as opposed to a Democrat, that will be irrelevant to me....we're going to take whatever lawful actions that I can take...I've shown a lot of patience and have tried to work on a bipartisan basis as much as possible, and I'm going to keep on doing so.  But in the meantime, let's figure out what we can do lawfully through executive actions to improve the functioning of the existing system."  The "president" doesn't get it. His policies were rejected. We the People don't want anymore "I" the "president." He clearly said that if the Republican leadership does not go along with him, he will issue executive orders to advance his agenda because he's the guy who is elected by "everybody." In an October 17, 2013 White House statement regarding the budget shutdown, the "president" said, "You don't like a particular policy or a particular president? Then argue for your position. Go out there and win an election." We did, but to him, it makes no difference. Ephesians 5:6 says, "Let no man deceive you with vain words." Indeed, his words are empty, but only if we hold accountable those whom we elected.

Daily Devotion: My Determined Purpose - Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org   Don't let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould, but let God re-mould your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good, meets all his demands and moves towards the goal of true maturity. -Romans 12:2  With the world the way it is today, with things getting darker and darker and going from bad to worse, it seems to me the only way to live these days is as a completely sold-out Christian-not as a fence-sitter trying to

blend in, but as someone who says, "I want to walk with God and live a real Christian life." Paul said that his determined purpose in life was to know Christ (see Philippians 3:10-14). What is your determined purpose in life? When you get up in the morning, what do you live for? What are your goals? What are your priorities? If you don't have a goal, you're in serious trouble because, as it has been said, if you aim at nothing, you're bound to hit it. Can you say with Paul, "My determined purpose in life is to know Him"? I hope so. Think of the way that God used Paul. He had led countless people to faith, established churches out on the frontiers of his world, and wrote letters that we regard today as the very inspired Word of God. Yet Paul realized he had so much to learn and so far to go. It's hard for us to think that someone like Paul would face the struggles and temptations we all face. But indeed he did. How much more should we be saying that we need to change radically in this coming year? We need to become more like Christ in this coming year-and don't let anyone pull the wool over your eyes . . . all of us have a long, long way to go.            

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Is "The Rapture" a Biblical concept, or a fictional plot device? - Joel C. Rosenberg - http://flashtrafficblog.wordpress.com/2014/10/05/hollywood-tackles-the-end-times-with-left-behind-film-but-is-the-rapture-a-biblical-concept-or-a-fictional-plot-device/   A few weeks ago, Hollywood tried to tackle one of the most intriguing and controversial topics in Biblical eschatology: "The Rapture." A new motion picture - Left Behind - starring Nicolas Cage and based on the best-selling novel series by Dr. Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins was released on more than 1,700 screens nationwide. It depicts the sudden and cataclysmic disappearance of Christ-followers in the last days of human history. I have not seen the film, and likely won't for several months at least given my schedule here in Israel, so I cannot review or comment on it. But I do want to discuss the concept upon which the novels and the film are based, and several related questions. Among them: *What exactly is "The Rapture"?*Is "The Rapture" a Biblical concept, or merely a fictional plot device?*What does the term mean?*What are the implications of "The Rapture"? 

While the Bible does not indicate precisely when the Rapture will happen, the Holy Scriptures do teach that all true followers of Jesus Christ will be removed from the earth prior to the beginning of the Tribulation. Because God has not chosen believers to suffer the wrath of the Tribulation, people who have received Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord prior to the Rapture will thus be rescued from the worst of the persecution, wars, natural disasters, and judgments that the Book of Revelation, the book of Daniel, and other Scriptures explain will occur during the seven years leading up to the Day of the Lord. People who are not born-again believers in Christ at the moment of the Rapture will remain on the earth. If a person honestly and genuinely repents of his or her sins and receives Christ as his or her personal Savior and Lord at any point after the Rapture - including during the Tribulation - the Bible teaches that person will without a doubt be forgiven of all sin, be regenerated by the Holy Spirit of God, and be saved from ultimate judgment. This is God's grace and mercy, and it will be available even after the Rapture, though the Bible indicates that such new believers will still have to endure the terrors that will occur on the earth during that time. Indeed, many will face martyrdom. Only those who are believers before the Rapture will be saved both spiritually and physically from the wrath to come. While we cannot preclude the possibility that the U.S. could implode before the Rapture happens, the Bible tells believers to comfort one another with the certain knowledge that as bad as events get on earth, people who trust Christ before the Rapture will be spared from the worst that the prophecies tell us is coming. In this article, I will look specifically at the implications for America if the Rapture were to happen in the near future. First, however, we need to define our terms. What Does the Word Rapture Mean? The most famous passage describing what theologians refer to as the Rapture is found in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. The apostle Paul writes: But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice

of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words. While the word rapture does not appear in modern English translations of the Bible, the concept is rooted in Scripture. The word itself comes from the Vulgate, the Latin translation of the Bible. In 1 Thessalonians 4:17 in the Vulgate, the Greek word harpazō is translated rapturo or raeptius, which means "to seize, carry off by force; to seize on, claim for one's self eagerly; or to snatch out or away."[i] Most English translations of the Bible-including the King James Version, the New King James Version, the New American Standard Bible, and the New International Version-have, therefore, translated the word harpazō as "caught up." But English-speaking Bible scholars who studied the Latin Vulgate decided the word rapture was a useful and suitable term to express the scriptural concept of believers being suddenly removed from the world. If "you happened to pick up a copy of the Latin Vulgate at a garage sale, produced by Jerome in the early 400s, you would indeed find the word Rapture," Bible scholars Mark Hitchcock and Thomas Ice have noted. "The Vulgate was the main Bible of the medieval Western church until the Reformation. It continues to this day as the primary Latin translation of the Roman Catholic church. . . . It should not be surprising to anyone that an English word in regular use today was developed from the Latin. That word, of course, is rapture."[ii] How Does the Bible Describe the Rapture? In 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 we find significant and important clues about the Rapture. Among them: *God does not want believers to be ignorant or "uninformed" about the last days or the Rapture like people who "have no hope" (v. 13). *Rather, the Lord wants believers to be aware, ready, and expectant for "those who have fallen asleep in Jesus" (born-again believers who have physically died) to be resurrected in the last days-indeed, "the dead in Christ will rise first" (vv. 14, 16). *The Lord also wants believers who are still alive in the last days to be aware, ready, and expectant for the fact that we will be united with the Lord Jesus Christ and with resurrected believers during the Rapture (vv. 15-16). 

*During the Rapture, the Lord Jesus Christ will descend from heaven with a shout, with the archangel of God and the sound of the trumpet of God (v. 16). *During the Rapture, as the Lord descends from heaven, believers will be caught up or snatched up from earth to meet the Lord in the air (v. 17). *Unlike the Second Coming, Christ does not come all the way down to earth during the Rapture. He only comes down partway to meet us and take us to heaven, where we will remain with him until we join him at the Second Coming. The key, the Scriptures tell us, is that "we shall always be with the Lord." Christ will never leave nor forsake us. To the contrary, we will always be at his side and worshiping him for who he is and what he has done for us (v. 17). *The Rapture should be a comfort to believers because it will be a supreme act of God's grace (unmerited favor) and his love and mercy as he rescues them out of the traumas of the age from the even-more-horrific traumas to come during the Tribulation (v. 18). We learn more important details about the Rapture in the apostle Paul's next chapter to the church in Thessalonica. Consider these verses from 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11: Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. While they are saying, "Peace and safety!" then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night. But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him. Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing. Notably, in this passage we learn that: *The Lord isn't going to tell us the specific time when the Rapture will occur (v. 1). The day of the Lord's coming for us (different in this context

from the final Day of the Lord, his judgment after seven years of wars and traumas) will be "just like a thief in the night"-that is, it will come at a time when unbelievers will be surprised because they are not paying attention (v. 2). *When unbelievers are saying, "Peace and safety!" then the Rapture will occur, and destruction will follow-and all this will come upon the world "suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape" (v. 3). *In describing these "labor pains," the apostle Paul echoes the words of the Lord Jesus when he explained in Matthew 24 and Luke 21 that the world will be experiencing "birth pangs" in the last days (v. 3). *Thus, while we don't know exactly when or how the Rapture will occur, it seems to come not specifically during a time of intense "contraction" (major wars, terrorist attacks, etc.), but during a time of "release," a time when things seem to the non-Christian world to be relatively more peaceful and safe than they had previously been (v. 3). *This means the Rapture cannot take place during the Tribulation, because no one in their right mind could possibly describe any moment during that seven-year period of apocalyptic wars and natural disasters and persecution and divine judgment as a time of "peace and safety" (v. 3). *Believers are not supposed to be caught off guard by the Rapture but are to remain "alert and sober" (vv. 4-8). *The truth of the Rapture is meant to encourage believers. The apostle Paul, after all, tells us that because we know the Rapture will occur and the true church will be rescued and removed from the world before the Tribulation begins and the Antichrist emerges and conquers the world, we are to "encourage one another and build up one another" (v. 11). Do Other Scriptures Shed Light on the Rapture? Do other New Testament passages shed more light on the Rapture? Yes, they do. The apostle John gives us additional details in his Gospel account, and the apostle Paul provides more information in his first letter to the church in Corinth as well as in the first chapter of 1 Thessalonians. We also see evidence of the Rapture in the book of Revelation. In John 14:1-6, the Lord Jesus, in a conversation with his disciples, said:

 "Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way where I am going." Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me." Here, Christ promised to leave earth to prepare heaven for our arrival. Then he promised to come back from heaven to get us and take us to heaven. Therefore, we are not to worry or let our hearts be troubled, because he will eventually come and rescue his church from the troubles of this world. In 1 Corinthians 15:51-52, the apostle Paul writes, "Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed." When Paul says "we will not all sleep," he means not all believers will physically die. We will "all be changed"-that is, all believers will be spiritually transformed. Some will die physically but will be resurrected from the dead and given new, immortal bodies. Others will not die physically but will be "changed" during the Rapture and given new, immortal bodies. In 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10, the apostle Paul explains that believers will be rescued from the coming wrath of the Tribulation, explaining that we serve "a living and true God" and that we currently "wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come." The book of Revelation gives us interesting clues about the Rapture as well. In Revelation 3:10, the Lord Jesus reinforces his promise to remove those who are faithful to him from the wrath of the Tribulation when he says, "Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth." Notably, the word church or churches is mentioned eighteen times in the first three chapters of Revelation. The apostle John is being told by

the Lord to give his messages to a range of different types of church congregations, some who are walking very faithfully with the Lord, but most of whom (five out of seven) are being told to repent or face judgment. Then a striking turning point occurs. Suddenly, as chapter 4 begins, the apostle John is no longer focused on the churches. Rather, he is caught up to heaven and sees events unfolding from the perspective of heaven. "After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, 'Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.' Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and One sitting on the throne" (4:1-2). The word wrath is mentioned eleven times in the book of Revelation to describe the events during the Tribulation. One of the main reasons for the Rapture, the apostle Paul tells us, is to remove the church from the wrath to come during the Tribulation. "For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thessalonians 5:9). Remarkably, beginning in Revelation chapter 4, neither the word church nor churches is used during any of the descriptions of Tribulation events in the next eighteen chapters. Only in the final chapter of the book of Revelation, when all the events of the End Times have been described, does the Lord turn his attention back to the existing churches on earth and say, "I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches" (Revelation 22:16). The fact that churches are referred to so frequently at the beginning of the book and then not again until the last chapter is because the church-the institution as we have known her for the past twenty centuries-is not a factor during the events of the Tribulation. People are still coming to faith in Christ, but they are not operating as the church during that time. Rather, the church has been removed, snatched away, caught up, or raptured prior to the Tribulation. Examples in the Bible of People Who Were Raptured One of the things that has intrigued me in the study of the Bible and prophecy-specifically the concept of the Rapture-is that the Lord has given us two examples of people who were raptured in the Old Testament. In a sense, they are examples or "prophetic pictures" of what is coming for all believers at a certain moment in the not-too-distant future. In the book of Genesis, we learn about a righteous servant of the Lord named Enoch. The Bible tells us that "Enoch walked with God; and he

was not, for God took him" (Genesis 5:24). In other words, Enoch obeyed the word of the Lord while living his physical life on earth, and then the Lord decided that rather than requiring Enoch to die physically before going to heaven, he would simply snatch Enoch away while he was still physically alive. The book of Hebrews confirms this interpretation. "By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; and he was not found because God took him up; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God" (Hebrews 11:5). Think about that for a moment. The Lord was so pleased with Enoch that he made him the first example of a person raptured from the earth. Enoch, however, was not the last. In the book of 2 Kings, we read about the Hebrew prophet Elijah. The Lord was so pleased with Elijah that he sent a chariot of fire to whisk the prophet away to heaven while he was still alive and walking alongside his young protégé, Elisha. "As they were going along and talking, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire and horses of fire which separated the two of them, and Elijah went up by a whirlwind to heaven. Elisha saw it and cried out, 'My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and its horsemen!' And he saw Elijah no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces. He also took up the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and returned and stood by the bank of the Jordan" (2 Kings 2:11-13). The text goes on to tell us that fifty Israelites then proceeded to search for the living Elijah-or at least his dead body-for three full days, but they were unable to find him. Why? Because Elijah had not simply been moved to another location by the Lord. Elijah had not physically died. He had become the second person in the Bible to be raptured. The Lord Jesus himself gives us the picture of another type of rapture. While the circumstances are not precisely the same as what the apostle Paul describes in 1 Thessalonians, they do shed some light on what the Rapture will be like. Christ, of course, was crucified, killed, and buried. Then he was raised from the dead on the third day, according to the Scriptures. After that, he spent time with the believers on earth. During that time, he had a real body, but it was a body that had been dramatically changed. For example, the Lord Jesus spoke, walked, ate, cooked, and traveled with those he loved. He had real flesh and blood, as he demonstrated to Doubting Thomas in John chapter 20. But he also appeared, disappeared, and walked through walls. In Acts 1, Christ beautifully and amazingly demonstrated this type of rapture: And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And as they

were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. 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 in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven." Acts 1:9-11 Can you imagine that? One moment Jesus was talking to his disciples on the Mount of Olives. The next moment he was floating up to heaven through the clouds. Someday soon, believers will experience something very similar. Not every Christian has studied these Scriptures about the Rapture, or understands them, or believes them. Nevertheless, the Bible teaches that every single person who has received the free gift of forgiveness and salvation through faith in Jesus Christ-and who is physically alive when the Lord decides the moment has come-will be caught up from the earth to meet Jesus in the air. What a glorious thing that will be. I hope it happens in my lifetime. I am really looking forward to it, as are my wife and children. We are eager to see the Lord Jesus face-to-face. We are excited about his return and amazed by these promises he has made us. If the Lord had called the church to go through the Tribulation, then we would endure it willingly and for his glory. We would do so knowing that the Holy Spirit would give each of us the strength, the courage, the boldness, and the words to witness for Jesus Christ in the darkest hours of human history. After all, the Lord Jesus tells us what he told the apostle Paul: "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9). At the end of Matthew 28, Christ said, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth." Then He commanded us, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you." And he promised, "I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (vv. 18-20). So we may be assured of his grace, mercy, love, and presence through all circumstances. But the Lord didn't call believers to endure the Tribulation. Instead, he promised to remove the church before the wrath comes. For this we are grateful, and we want more believers to know and understand and be encouraged by these powerful promises. Are You Ready? 

The question is not whether the Rapture will occur. The question is whether you will be spiritually ready to meet Jesus Christ face-to-face when it happens and be caught up in the air with him and all believers, or whether you will not be ready and have to remain on earth to face the wrath of the Tribulation. If you're not 100 percent certain at this point in your life that your sins are forgiven, that your soul is saved, and that you will go to heaven whether you face natural death or the Rapture, then may I encourage you to read the following verses and receive Jesus Christ right now as your personal Savior and Lord? *In John 3:3, the Lord Jesus told a religious leader who came to him seeking spiritual guidance, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." One's physical birth into a religious family, Jesus was saying, is not enough. Nor is being a very religious person. Nor even a religious leader. Something else has to happen on the inside. Thus, as you read the New Testament, it becomes clear that born again is a biblical term referring to a person who 1) is fully convinced that faith in Jesus Christ's death on the cross and resurrection from the dead is the only way to be forgiven of his sins and adopted into God's family; and 2) has consciously, willfully, and purposefully asked God through prayer to wash his sins away and save him through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. *In John 1:12, we learn that "as many as received Him [Jesus Christ], to them He gave the right to become children of God." *Jesus said in John 3:16 that "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." *In Romans 10:9-10, the apostle Paul explains how to be born again: "If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation." *Then, in 2 Corinthians 5:17-18, Paul tells us the result of being born again: "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation." *In Revelation 3:20, Christ encourages you to make this decision immediately and not to refuse him or shut him out of your life any

longer. "Behold, I [Jesus] 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." Would you like to make that decision? You can receive Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord right now. Here is a suggested prayer that has been helpful to many people all over the world-including my father and me-in becoming followers of Christ and in sharing the gospel with others. The key is not so much the precise words as the attitude of your heart. Lord Jesus, thank you for loving me. Thank you for having a wonderful plan and purpose for my life. I need you today-I need you to forgive me for all of my sins. Thank you for dying on the cross to pay the penalty for my sins. Thank you for rising again from the dead and proving that you are the Way, the Truth, and the Life and the only way to get to heaven. I open the door of my heart and my life right now. I receive you as my Savior and Lord. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Please change my life. Please fill me with your Holy Spirit. Please take control of my life and make me the kind of person you want me to be so I can serve you and please you forever. Thank you so much. I love you, and I want to follow you. Amen. If you just prayed with sincere faith in Christ's death and resurrection, then congratulations! You've just been adopted into God's family. Welcome! Let me give you a quick snapshot of seven wonderful things that have just happened. 1. You have a new spiritual life. The apostle Paul put it this way in 2 Corinthians 5:17: "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come." 2. You have made everyone in heaven happy. According to the words of Jesus in Luke 15:10, there is great rejoicing in heaven because you have become a follower of the living God. "I tell you," Jesus said, "there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." 3. You are going to heaven when you die or when the Rapture happens. According to the words of Jesus in John 3:16, you now have eternal life. You will not go to hell and perish eternally when you die physically. Rather, you will go to heaven and live forever with God and with all those who have been adopted into his family through faith in Jesus Christ. In fact, the New Testament was written precisely to show people how to find eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ. As we read in 1 John 5:13, "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." God wants you to know beyond the shadow of a doubt that you are now forever safe in his family. Take confidence in his promises. 4. You have the Holy Spirit living within you. According to the words of the apostle Paul in Ephesians 1:13-14, your salvation has been sealed and secured forever by God's Holy Spirit, who now lives within you. "In Him [Jesus Christ], 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, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory." 5. You have access to a supernatural source of peace. According to Philippians 4:7, you now have access to a supernatural peace with God and internal peace of mind, regardless of whatever external circumstances come your way. "The peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." 6. You have access to a supernatural source of hope. According to the words of Hebrews 6:18-19, all followers of Jesus Christ are encouraged to "take hold of the hope set before us" and to view "this hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast." 7. You have access to God's supernatural wisdom. According to James 1:5, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him." Now, I strongly encourage you to find some people who also love Jesus and are his faithful followers and tell them what you have just done. Allow them to rejoice with you, and ask them to help you find a good, solid, Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church congregation where you can begin attending. Start asking the Lord for an older, wiser follower of Christ to begin discipling you-that is, to begin teaching you the Scriptures, answering your questions, praying with you, and encouraging you to actually put into practice in your life all that the Lord teaches us in the Bible. I would also encourage you to choose three people who are not born again and tell them what you've just discovered about God's love and forgiveness and why you chose to receive Christ into your life and become his follower. Answer their questions as best you can. Perhaps give them a copy of this book to help them understand why you've made this decision. Better yet, find out if they have a Bible, and if they don't, offer to go to a bookstore and help them pick one out to begin studying and reading on their own. Now is not the time to keep the

miracle that has just happened in your life to yourself-go tell people! And don't stop at three. Tell as many as will listen. Tell them lovingly and gently. Don't force it down their throats, of course. But don't be shy, either. They need to know these truths and make a choice one way or the other, just like you did. [Note: This article is adapted from a chapter in my non-fiction book, Implosion: Can America Recover From Its Economic & Spiritual Challenges In Time?] [i] See definition of harpazō in Strong's Concordance, available online at http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G726&t=KJV. [ii] Mark Hitchcock and Thomas Ice, The Truth Behind Left Behind, (Sisters, OR: Multnomah Publishers, 2004), pp. 22-23.

 

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