Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled

   (John 14:1-6 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.)

   These verses from John chapter fourteen are my favorite verses in all of the Bible. I suppose they became my favorite because when I was about ten years old, I assumed the duty of reciting a passage from the Bible over the intercom at my elementary school. It was tradition in my school to have prayer and Bible reading before the lunch hour. But of course, that was way back in 1962, before our brilliant politicians learned that it was unconstitutional, and that the Bible could be a bad influence on kids. (sic)

   Anyway, I memorized those six verses by heart so that I could recite them in the principle's office, as he personally held the microphone in front of me. You talk about being intimidated. Our principal was a huge man. He was well over 6 feet tall, and had a deep roaring voice. He was known as a firm disciplinarian in my school, and I always heard stories of his huge paddle with holes and tacks in it. I even heard that he had one electric paddle, but I don't know, because I made sure I didn't do anything to find out. I guess that was the evil influence that the bible had on me, ya know!

    These verses had a calming and assuring message of comfort for me. They told me as a young boy that Jesus loved me, and that he was building a magnificent new home for me, and that He personally would come and get me one day and take me to it, and that I would live with him forever. But, as a young lad, I didn't realize the political and religious logistics of the events that led Jesus to make this John 14 announcement to his disciples.

   (John 13:1 Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.)

   In the previous chapter, Jesus, realizing that his time on earth was short, (before the feast of the Passover) assembled his disciples together in the upper room, and began to share things about the coming week. He washed their feet, in a demonstration of humility and love, and predicted his betrayal by Judas. Then in John 13:33, Jesus announces that He must go away, and that where he is going they cannot follow. Naturally, the loving disciples became concerned that Jesus was going away, and wondered aloud why they could not go with him. But in verse 36, Jesus tells Peter, that they can all follow him afterwards. Later on in scripture, we would learn that this "following after Jesus, later," had to do with the resurrection. Jesus was the first-fruits of the resurrection, and we all in like manner, and in our own order do indeed follow him.

    Even as he was in the upper room, observing the Last Supper, and the Passover with his Disciples, Jesus knew what events were impending before him. He knew that the Chief priests and the Pharisees were plotting his arrest and his death. He had known it for weeks. For that reason, he had stayed away from Jerusalem, and had taken refuge in Ephraim. But finally, at just the right time, (Palm Sunday, before Passover) Jesus decides to go down into Jerusalem! (Luke 18:31-34  Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again. And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.)

    Even Jesus had his disparaging moments. While in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus was sorrowful in his soul, as he prayed to the Father about the coming night of torture, and the crucifixion that would lay ahead of him the next day. (John 12:27   Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.) Yet, with the weight of the whole world on his shoulders alone, Jesus willingly complied with the purposes of his Father. 

   It is hard for us mortal humans to imagine that Jesus might have experienced a troubled soul, or even needed to pray about something, but he surely did. As Jesus prepared to face the torrent of Hell's wrath, he submitted himself not to his own will, but to that of his Father, and thus enacted out a picture of the prayer that he taught us to pray. (Mark 14:36 Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wiltThy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.)

    In a way, Jesus was setting an example and preparing his servants for the coming night, or that day of darkness that shall engulf the whole world known as the Tribulation. Jesus alluded to that "time of trouble" in his Olivet Discourse. (Matthew 24:21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.) I have often stated before that when God chooses anybody for a purpose or a mission in this world, that you can rest assured that Satan will likewise "choose them". But Satan singles them out for the purpose of obstructing their divine mission. As Jesus contemplated the Cross that lay before him, he was surely antagonized by the forces of Hell. Satan must have believed that the Crucifixion of Christ was a banner victory for him, but as it turns out in the plan of God, the Cross was a great victory. And Jesus behavior and accomplished actions on that dark day stand out as a beacon for all mankind.

   Still, for those of us are left in this world, one particular generation in the Latter Days will be confronted by the impending days that Jesus spoke of as he left this world 2000 years ago. A time of great Tribulation is coming, (a time far worse that WWII, or any other era of history) one day soon! The writer of Hebrews puts succinctly. (Hebrews 10:23-25 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised; And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.) So in these Last Days, when it seems that the forces of Hell are gaining the upper hand on every side, and Bible Prophecy is playing out right before our very eyes, let us be sober, faithful, continue watching, comfort one another, and take heart in the comforting words of our Lord as we see that day of darkness and gloominess approaching.

John 14:27-30 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I. And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe.

America's Own Holocaust

America’s Own Holocaust

   The term "Holocaust," originally from the Greek word "holokauston" which means "sacrifice by fire," refers to the Nazi's persecution and planned slaughter of the Jewish people. Many of the Holocaust victims were gassed to death, and their bodies cremated in huge furnaces. The Hebrew word "Shoah," which means "devastation, ruin, or waste," is the term most Israeli's use in referring to the atrocities committed in Nazi Germany. The Holocaust, or Shoah was the systematic, bureaucratic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of approximately six million Jews by the Nazi regime and its collaborators. The Holocaust began in 1933 when Adolf Hitler came to power in Germany and ended in 1945 when the Nazis were defeated by the Allied powers.

   The Nazis, who came to power in Germany in January 1933, believed that Germans were "racially superior" and that the Jews, deemed "inferior," were an alien threat to the so-called German racial community. In 1933, the Jewish population of Europe stood at over nine million. Most European Jews lived in countries that Nazi Germany would occupy or influence during World War II. By 1945, the Germans and their collaborators killed nearly two out of every three European Jews as part of the "Final Solution," the Nazi policy to murder the Jews of Europe. Of the nine million Jews who had resided in Europe before the Holocaust, approximately two-thirds perished. In particular, over one million Jewish children were killed in the Holocaust, as were approximately two million Jewish women and three million Jewish men.

 

   The world in 1945 stood aghast at the horrible sights that were revealed by Allied soldiers when the Nazi concentration camps were photographed. Even General Eisenhower reviewed the scenes and remarked that the media must present pictures of the horrible scenes, else the world would one day claim that the Holocaust never truly happened. Alas, it has indeed come to pass in our time, in spite of the well documented records of the Nazi atrocities that many discount the reality of the Holocaust. Ironically, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is foremost among those who suggest that the Holocaust is an overblown myth.

   I well remember the first time that I learned of the Holocaust, and proceeded to inspect the sobering photographs of that awful series of events. It was unfathomable to me that anybody could commit such an atrocity. My naive mind back then in my youthful days could not conceive of the terrible inhumane ways that human beings could treat other human beings. As a young American Christian, I was appalled that such an evil force existed in our world. Albeit, it did make me proud of my nation and its military forces for endeavoring to end the diabolical evil of Nazism and bring an end to the Holocaust. Like me, there were many other people around the world that were totally aghast at that disgusting and shameful episode as it was perpetrated by such a depraved society that was wholly deceived by a masterful demon possessed man and his hellish ideology. 

    But, when I think today of the 20th century Holocaust, and consider the millions of victims that befell Adolph Hitler and his demons, I can't help but think about the secret Holocaust that is going on today right here in America. It is known as abortion. It, like the Final Solution of Hitler, is a systematic state-sponsored solution to another problem, "unwanted fetuses, or babies." Instead of Jews, today; our society of pop culture ideology has adopted the notion that self-pleasure and self-aggrandizement is more important than the rights of the unborn. Therefore, they (the unborn) must be eliminated. 

   There are over 1.5 million unborn babies (4000/day) submitted to the ovens of abortion in the United States every year. That statistic reveals that there have been about 50 million unborns put to death in America's concentration camps since 1973, when America became the chief sponsor of its own Holocaust. That is a whole lot of state-sanctioned murders. I shudder over these numbers when I compare this carnage to the Nazi atrocities, because America is engaged in a sin that is just as devious as the Nazi death machine of the 1940's. And then when I consider the fact that America is supposed to be a nation that was founded upon Christian principles and a firm belief in a Creator God that has endowed each individual with inalienable rights, (such as the right to life) I must conclude that America today is a nation in decline because God is not mocked, and his judgment is sure and swift. Just as surely as Hitler and Nazi Germany were judged for their atrocities against Jews, America will be judged for its attacks on the cradle of its unborn.

    About 93% of all abortions in America occur for social and cultural reasons (i.e. the child is unwanted or inconvenient). On average, today's women give at least 3 reasons for choosing to have an abortion: 3/4 say that having a baby would interfere with work, school or other responsibilities; about 3/4 say they cannot afford a child; and 1/2 say they do not want to be a single parent or are having problems with their husband or partner, or that they just ant to enjoy casual sex with multiple partners. It shouldn't be lost on any reader that the holocaust of abortion came into the American psyche of moral acceptance after the sexual revolution of the 1960's. The younger American generations have been taught by social engineers of the liberal left that the Bible is all wrong about sex, and that free love, free sex, homosexual and lesbian lifestyles are simply expressions that are fair play for them. Express your self, you only live once.....make love, not war, are the philosophies expressed by these lovers of the self. But never in their vain philosophies do they consider the rights of the ones they wish to do away with! This philosophy is pictured in the writings of Timothy: 

(II Timothy 3:2-3 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,)

   Planned Parenthood is the largest provider of abortions in the US. In 2009, Planned Parenthood performed 332,278 abortions, from which it derived millions of dollars in profits. Planned Parenthood has an entire website devoted to sexualizing America's youth while happily lifting the restraints of God, parents or marriage. They tout it as being ""values-free". In reality, it simply espouses those values which will help ensure that abortion remains an extremely lucrative business. Planned Parenthood is the largest provider of reproductive health services in the United States, which include contraceptives and abortions. Planned Parenthood has received federal funding since 1970, when former President Richard Nixon signed into law the Family Planning Services and Population Research Act, amending the Public Health Service Act. Title X of that law provides funding for family planning services, including contraception and family planning information. Planned Parenthood receives about a third of its money in government grants and contracts. 

 

    And of course, the Federal government made abortion a legal option for a sex craved nation in 1973 through its infamous Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision, thereby guaranteeing America's lustful unrestrained de-Christianized youth to fully explore their free-sex lifestyles, and totally disregard the sanctity of marriage and the value and the gift of children and a family. Alas, the end result of that whole experience will probably lead to bureaucratic state-sponsored same-sex marriages, won't it?

   Perilous times is surely coming for America. Our national sins are just as grievous to the Lord as was Nazi Germany's. And just as surely as God brought about retribution to those who wrought death and persecution to the Jews in the Holocaust, God will more harshly judge America for our own Holocaust because we were a nation that had known better.

 

Luke 12:48 For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.

Russia Issues Warning to Israel; Attack on Iran is an Attack on Moscow

    Russia has warned Israel and the West that an attack on Tehran would be considered an attack on Moscow. This threat signifies a red alert for the prospect of the scenario prophesied for Magog in Ezekiel 38. Russia, throughout the ongoing Iranian crisis has been playing precisely the prophesied role that it would play in the Last Days. Ezekiel 38 portrays Russia (Magog) as being a “guard” unto her ally clients in the Middle East quagmire. (Ezekiel 38:7Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a “guard” unto them.) A guard in this scenario is describing a defender and protecting overseer. This is exactly the geo-political strategy Russia is utilizing with Iran, and that strategy involves countering the US-Western strategy of manipulating the Arab-Palestinian issue for political and economic power. The Ezekiel 38 scenario that has already begun playing out in the nuclear crisis with Iran, begs the important answer to the questions of the prophetic role that will soon be played by Syria, and the Arab League that is described in the Psalms 83 diplomatic war on Israel, and the Burden of Damascus event revealed in Isaiah 17 and Jeremiah 49. No matter how one interprets these ancient prophecies, the mere fact that Russia is showing its hand reveals that the Tribulation era is near.

 

    Ezekiel 38:1-8 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords: Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet: Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee. Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them. After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.)

    One has to analyze the "time for the Magog" invasion. Some scholars place it in a pre-trib scenario. That is certainly possible. But, I personally believe the Magog invasion is a Tribulation era war, along with the Chinese invasion from the East against the powers of the Antichrist. Ezekiel 38 shows that Magog has certain allies, among them being Libya, Ethiopia, Gomer, Togarmah, and of course Persia, which is Iran. This listing suspiciously does not mention Russia's other longstanding Mideast client proxy, although lately via Iran, and that is Syria. That begs the question, why isn’t it listed here in this assault?  I believe it is because there is another major war, involving the existing terror machines that operate out of Syria, before the Magog coalition war theatre. That interim war will involve the Antichrist, or more likely the rising Ten Kings of the global government, usurpation of Syria from the Iran Axis. Of course, Iran, with a nodding approval of Russia and China uses asymmetrical style warfare against Israel and the West via the multi-networked morass of terror machines out of Damascus. Damascus is merely a pawn in the hands of Iran, and soon the Western/Arab League will seek to eliminate the terror elements located there via the scheme of the Democracy utopia being pushed currently by the US-EU.

    I would also highlight the fact that Russia (and China) has aided and abetted the Iranian nuclear program for one reason, and that is to bring pressure to bear in the Global Government discussions over disarmament and non-proliferation, when it is widely believed that Israel is a rogue non-member state that possesses nuclear weapons. Whereas Russia was unable to supply and facilitate their former Soviet clients in the Arab world sufficiently enough for them to defeat Israel in a conventional war scenario, they now are playing the nuclear nutshell game with the US over a solution to the Israeli nuke problem. The eventual Antichrist will have to overcome this dilemna, but that a dynamic resolution to the war-on-terror. Remember, the Antichrist will eventually guarantee peace and safety to all the parties of the Middle East, through the Global government empowerment.

    The mere fact that Russia is sending such a diplomatic signal should serve as a wakeup call to Christians. The last days birth pains surrounding the dynamic of the rebirth of Israel have intensified, and are coming more frequently these days. Look up Christians, your redemption draweth nigh. Beware world, for the King of the Jews is returning!