Author: Andy

The Secret of the Kingdom

Luke 17:20 Being asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The Kingdom of God doesn’t come with observation;

21 neither will they say, ‘Look, here!’ or, ‘Look, there!’ for behold, the Kingdom of God is within you.”

Jesus spoke often of the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven. Whether or not these are one and the same is another matter. For the purposes of this essay, I’ll treat them as one as, if these two terms do refer to different Kingdoms or different aspects of the same Kingdom, the same principles apply either way.

The sharpest among you have surely made the leap already.

How many times did Jesus say “the Kingdom of God is at hand.”? I’ll answer for you – once. He said “the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand” three times. The words “at hand” means close to us in time and/or space. What if there is another meaning?

Consider a teacher instructing an apt student. The teacher tries to convey an important albeit abstract concept. He can see the student consistently overlooks the one important aspect that would make everything crystal clear.” He says “You are almost there.”. In other words, the solution to this problem is at hand. Such is the Kingdom of God.

2 Corinthians 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:

4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)

5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

6 And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.

King James Version (KJV)

Wait. What?! Look at verses 3 and 4 in the World English Bible (WEB)

2 Corinthians 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we don’t wage war according to the flesh;

4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty before God to the throwing down of strongholds,

Verse 4a says “for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh” (or carnal in the KJV). The word for flesh and carnal share the same root in the Greek. Let me ask you… if something is not of the flesh, then of what is it? Of course, scripture often compares the flesh with the spirit, but here, let’s consider verse 5…

2 Corinthians 10:5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

Hmmmm – imaginations and knowledge, bringing into captivity every thought. There you have it. Humans think in pictures and… words. Let’s take this one step further.

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

The word of God is sharper than any twoedged sword. Where else is the word of God compared to a sword?

Ephesians 6:17b …the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

This verse is near the end of the great passage revealing the true nature of our warfare.

Ephesians 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

Notice how every aspect of the armour of God is directly related to words. This is a spiritual truth. This is why prayer is powerful, why we are exhorted to renew our minds, and why Jesus said “the Kingdom of God is within you”. Ask yourself… “within you” where? In your feet? In your belly? No! In your “heart” – a figure of speech indicating the very center of your being. In other words, your mind.

What a revolutionary statement! No other creature formed on earth can rival man’s ability to communicate with words. We exist on a higher plain, just as spiritual beings exist on a plain higher than ours. I am not so sure it started out that way. Adam communed with God on a personal level. From the scriptural accounts one can ascertain their relationship was not like our own at all. While born again believers have regained the potential to operate in the spiritual realm, we are not quite complete… yet.

1 Corinthians 13:9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.

10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.

11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

Some use this passage to justify their contention believers can no longer operate the nine manifestations of the spirit. Personally, I find this ironic considering this passage follows on the heels of the most detailed treatment of the manifestations of the spirit and instruction and exhortation on speaking in tongues, interpretation of tongues, and prophecy – three of the nine manifestations. Why bother with this at all and then say “oh, yeah, use this while you can because when I pen my last epistle, all of this is done because then the new testament scriptures will be complete”. Do note, neither Paul, nor any of the early church fathers said this… ever.

The Apostle Paul, however, did indicate when “that perfect will come” will be a reality, and he was not alone. Of course I speak of the return of Christ. He is perfect and he certainly will come. At that time:

1 Corinthians 15:51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

We shall all be changed. Isn’t that wonderful? And, oh gee look, this passage comes soon after that one I wrote of before! Go figure. In the same epistle even. Huh. Context! By this I mean, rather than taking a few verses out here and there, do consider the whole – where and how it fits. Surely there are some asides in these epistles and elsewhere but overall it is our job to rightly divide and discern how these things apply.

2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV) Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

The WEB presents this in a different light

2 Timothy 2:15 (WEB) Give diligence to present yourself approved by God, a workman who doesn’t need to be ashamed, properly handling the Word of Truth.

This is one reason why it can be helpful to compare different versions. I do this quickly and easily using the free software Theophilos, but one can also use online tools such as the Blue Letter Bible. To be fair the BLB is actually a stronger tool as it allows the student to instantly seek out the meanings of the words used – such as “study vs give diligence” above. The results of such studies are not always conclusive but they more often than not offer far more insight than simply reading one version or even comparing two or more.

Talk about asides. 🙂

So what is the Secret of the Kingdom? Jesus told us in the verse at the beginning of this post. Beyond that, the Kingdom of God is accessed by us mere humans by the utterly simple means of accepting Jesus, the Messiah, as Lord and Savior.

2 Corinthians 11:3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

Romans 10:8a But what saith it?

Romans 10:8b The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;

Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Romans 10:11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

Romans 10:12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.

13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Romans 10:14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

In part one of this post, I took to task those who scoff at “mere words”. The “mere words” they love to scoff at are God’s words i.e. His WORD. These same scoffers will then use words to justify their claims and even more words to deceive and control anyone within earshot. Controllers overwhelmingly control via words. It is only when those words are ignored do they then apply force.

Words are the substance of human society and iteration. They set us above all other earthly creatures. In Genesis, God destroyed the tower of Babel and confused man’s language. Why?

Genesis 11:6 And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.

God knows the power of words. Read Genesis from the beginning. The phrase “And God said…” occurs numerous times in the “creation” account. (Pop quiz: How many times does Genesis says God created? The answer may surprise you.) Consider just some of those things God said about words.

Psalms 12:6 The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.

Proverbs 15:26 The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the LORD: but the words of the pure are pleasant words.

Isaiah 45:22 Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.

23 I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.

Micah 2:7 O thou that art named the house of Jacob, is the spirit of the LORD straitened? are these his doings? do not my words do good to him that walketh uprightly?

Luke 9:26 For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels.

1 Peter 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

1 Peter 1:25 But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword

Thus I urge you to take the words and Word of God to heart. The day will come when you will either be glad you did or woe your decision to ignore them.

Just Words… Again

How many people today snort in contempt when someone mentions God’s Word? How many roll their eyes when God is mentioned? Are you one of them? For those who believe – how much do you believe? My own confession may surprise you. I’d have to say – it depends. Depends on what? How much I believe depends on how certain I am what is held forth as God’s Word truly is just that – God’s Word. It depends on my understanding. While I don’t have to understand something to believe it, I tend to believe more strongly in those things I understand best. Don’t we all?

No matter how much, or little, stock you put in God’s Word, as you understand it, let’s say we consider the concept of words in general. As a writer, I know words can be powerful. They can also be as wimpy as that 98 lb weakling on the beach. Then again, you need not be a writer to understand this. We’ve all been hurt by words. Many times words can cause pain far worse than a beat down. Ironically, much of the pain depends on the source. Keep this in mind…

If you would, stop for a moment and consider the events of your day. Pay particular attention to those things you see. Single out the “news” items. Let’s dump the news items concerning actual, physical violence for now. Instead let us zero in on, oh say, government doings, shall we? What do you see?

Depending on the day, chances are you are seeing some sort of legal action. You might be viewing reports on what law enforcement is or is not doing. Congress is sure to be up to one thing or another, as is our state legislatures and governors. You might notice none of them, with the exception of law enforcement, carries weapons. We’ll get to the law enforcement bit in a moment.

First let’s consider the lawmakers. By now you know where I’m going with this. Whether they are current involved in actual legislative action or they are jockeying for one agenda or another, they are using words. Laws are words. Political platforms are words. Don’t all legal actions boil down to what the words really mean? Ask any lawyer, the heart of any law is comprised of the definitions included.

Moving on to law enforcement, of course weapons are typically used. That said, the true force of law is not in weaponry but in the words. Without words, there are no laws to be enforced. Indeed, without our the words of our Constitution, we have no basis to even define laws. Warrants are words empowering those enforcing the law to search, to seize, to arrest. Summons call citizens and non-citizens to courts of law where their fate is determined on the words presented.

Beyond the realm of legislatures, laws, and courts, now consider some other stories vying for your attention. Is it fair to say words, in one way or another, influenced or are even directly involved in these acts? Violence does not happen in a vacuum. Even accidents often are the result of someone ignoring the rules of the road expressed in words.

In fact, the deeper you dig the more you will discover the roots of nearly all human activity are either expressed in or the direct result of… words.

Our nation was founded upon our Constitution – words. Our forefathers’ beliefs were based on what they learned in their youth, be it from the scriptures, from the classics, or from their elders. All words. Our laws take form in words. From the highest offices of the land to the most secret places in the darkest depths, the most damning and damaging weapons used against us are words.

So… and I’m speaking to you unbelievers and neer believers – go ahead – scoff at God’s Word. For those of you to envision an angry, vengeful god, take note, you are so very, very wrong.

Mark 10:17 And as he was going forth into the way, there ran one to him, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?

18 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good save one, even God.

19 Thou knowest the commandments, Do not kill, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor thy father and mother.

What did Jesus tell this fellow? Did he laugh in his face? Deride him? No. He told him simply to heed the commandments he’d been taught from his youth. You know what they are but I’ll post them here as a reminder.

Exodus 20:3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

4 Thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image, nor any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.

7 Thou shalt not take the name of Jehovah thy God in vain; for Jehovah will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

12 Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long in the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee.

13 Thou shalt not kill.

14 Thou shalt not commit adultery.

15 Thou shalt not steal.

16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor’s.

Note Jesus listed only seven of the ten. Which ones did he omit? Have no other Gods, do not make idols, and remember the sabbath. Those first two were likely a given considering the man was asking one he addressed as “good master”, in other words, a respected rabbi and not some priest representing any false god. As for remembering the sabbath, I don’t know why he didn’t include it.

None of these omissions detract from my point – only one of the above even hints at possible vengeance and that one merely states “Jehovah will not hold him guiltless”. More importantly, what do these commandments actually require?

For the most part that we treat others decently. How awful! What terrible god would require such things? (Do I need a sarcasm tag here?) So many have and will point out all the killing and such detailed in the scriptures. Two of these are among the most brutal.

In Judges, there is the story of a Levite who takes a concubine. Scripture says she “played the harlot”. Many verses later, the man literally cuts her into twelve pieces and “sent her throughout all the borders of Israel”. Ouch. Again, this man was a Levite or one of God’s priests class.

The second passage results in Israel’s first king, Saul, losing his kingdom.

1 Samuel 15:28 And Samuel said unto him, Jehovah hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbor of thine, that is better than thou.

Why? What did he do? What commandment did he fail at keeping?

 And Samuel said unto Saul, Jehovah sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of Jehovah.

2 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, I have marked that which Amalek did to Israel, how he set himself against him in the way, when he came up out of Egypt.

3 Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.

That’s right. God commanded King Saul to totally obliterate Amalek – everyone and every thing, even the babies. And Saul did just that… almost. Where did he fail?

1 Samuel 15:9 But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but everything that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.

You read right. Saul spared the Amalek King Agag, and the best livestock. In other words he showed mercy (and a bit of greed) and lost his Kingdom because of it. As brutal as this seems, our Heavenly Father’s logic turned out to be absolutely infallible. Go figure. Because the Amalek line was allowed to continue, this tribe caused no end of trouble for Israel. It was an Amalekite who eventually killed Saul. So much for mercy.

Moving on to the main point, the scriptures overwhelmingly encourage and exhort us to be good and do good. This is particularly true of the New Testament. If we were to heed God’s words in these pages, this world would indeed be a peaceful and joyous planet.

To you they may just be “words” to me they are words of life. Just words? You tell me. Out of all the words in all the places in the world today – what words are better than those found between the the covers of the Holy Bible? If our understanding of the significance of words ended there, we could all lead very blessed lives. But what if there’s more… much more? Well there is. Stay tuned for part two – the Secret of the Kingdom.

The End Times, The Church, and The Seven Mountains

The Seven Mountains is a Lance Wallnau thing. Since he brought all this up on The Lance Wallnau Show on RAV, I’ll offer some random thoughts on his commentary.

If I understood Lance correctly, he was saying the return of Christ has more to do with the Church (or the Body of Christ) than what this government or that media outlet or some technology does. Moreover he emphasized how important it is for Christians to spread out and take territory on each of these mountains. In part he issued a caveat about depending leaders in the Church or in politics to be the tip of the spear.

The example of Church leadership was one I found fascinating as I nodded my head in agreement. He spoke of pastors of small and large churches whose whole focus was on growing their church rather than preparing parishioners to spread out into the world.

Now I don’t see this in every church, in fact, one church my wife and I were involved in, “The Vineyard”, was taking steps to take more territory. The focus of this particular group was Ukraine and, more specifically Ukrainian orphans. This was nearly 20 years ago, long before Ukraine was in the daily world headlines. While I had and have some problems with their efforts, I participated and supported them. It’s not that they were “wrong” but my question was about the outreach in our own community, or the lack of thereof.

Overall, I think it would be worthwhile to study those churches that have grown rather than shrunk to see what we can learn about them. Then one can determine what efforts are worth attempting to duplicate. To me, the key to growth would logically be tied to outreach. And that brings us right back to the gist of what Lance was saying.

Much of what Wallnau was saying dovetails into some of my recent posts. Okay, so you might have to actually think about all this a bit. What have I been saying? Grow where you are planted. I guarantee you, wherever you are in life, you are on one of those seven mountains. Grow how? Grow as a Christian and grow as a professional. Better yet, grow as a Christian professional. I don’t care if you are management in a Fortune 500 company or waiting tables – you are there for a reason. What you make of it is up to you.

Where I struggle with Lance’s ideas is where he seemed to say what God does will be dependent on what the Church does. To me this suggests the Church, not God is in control – or at least we have have the wheel. There is some precedence for this line of thinking for example:

It is often stated by some scholars that if Jews had accepted Christ as their Messiah the earthly kingdom would have been established then. If this had indeed happened, then what of this current age? It seems it would be skipped. So, along with this same line of thought, could the return of Christ Jesus be tied to what the Church does? Lance seems to think so. I’m not so sure.

Lance himself quoted Jesus who stated before his return the gospel must be published to all nations. This suggests to me at least one specific criteria. Jesus also said only our Heavenly Father knows the exact day and time when he, Jesus, will return. This makes me think that God does indeed has a punch list of specific criteria and He’s keeping most of it to Himself. Who am I to argue? Should this be true then the idea of an open-ended period of time for everything that must happen to come about is unlikely. In short, I do not think God Almighty is going to wait on us to make things happen. However there is another aspect to all this that seems to support my contention that the time and date for Jesus’ return is set and thus a “done deal”. What is that?

God already has people on all seven mountains. The Church has never operated in a vacuum. Sure, there have always been certain Christians or groups that keep mostly to themselves, but most of us, wards and all, live and work in the real world. By all means, each of us should do our best to live God’s Will to the fullest but I do believe we all fulfill His purpose even when we fail. If my life is any example, I can point to it and say for certain: we can do better. I know I surely can. The good news is I am doing better, most every day. What about you?

I cannot say because I have no idea who you are or what your place is in this world. Maybe your reading this on your break before heading back to finish mopping that floor. Or maybe your preparing to enter the boardroom and take your place at the head of the table. Chances are, you are somewhere between those two extremes. None of that matters. What does matter is what you choose to do in the next minute and every next minute after. No doubt whatever you do will have some effect on the world. Don’t count yourself out by thinking that clean floor won’t make any impact. For all you know, it could create a far greater ripple than that multi-billion dollar decision of the executive that just stepped around the wet spot. We won’t know until we’ve “leveled up”.

Meanwhile, well, let me ask you… what can The Church do in today’s world? Yes, it is a loaded question. It hints that “The Church” is a unified entity that can act in concert. Putting it that way, the fallacy is glaringly easy to see. The Church is the body of Christ.

1 Corinthians 12:12 For as the body is one, and has many members, and all the members of the body, being many, are one body; so also is Christ.

13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether bond or free; and were all given to drink into one Spirit.

14 For the body is not one member, but many.

This last verse is the wrench in the works of the “unified entity” concept. Surely if each of us perfectly served Christ, well, that would be something, but as members, we are all flawed – each and every one of us. The good news is, God knows all this. He’s got a handle on it so we need not worry about what anyone else is doing. Each of us only needs to focus on our walk. That doesn’t mean we cannot or should not lose sight of The Church, The Body of Christ, as a whole. Scripture says a lot about edifying, building up, the body. We have each other for a reason. The danger is for us to look to one individual, other than Jesus himself, to lead. The Catholic Church has their Pope. No matter what one might think of the current Pope, I think we can all agree he is vastly different than those who preceded him. My understanding is Catholics are taught not to question the Pope. I’d have a hard time reconciling the doctrine of Pope Francis with say, Pope John Paul II. Both served in my lifetime. From my non-Catholic perspective their doctrinal views counter each other significantly. Since in Popes are never supposed to be in error, how can one reconcile the two? This difference in the Catholic Church seems to have a parallel in some of our nation’s SCOTUS decisions. The current court says previous courts had certain things all wrong. This is not the first period in history where SCOTUS has overruled previous Supreme Court rulings. So what does all this have to do with The Church and the end times?

Just this: as believers in Christ, members of the Body of Christ, The Church, we should expect to hold our brethren in Christ accountable when circumstances arise. But our primary focus should be our own walk. We need to live our lives, keep those beams out of our own eyes, rather than watching to see whom we can accuse. The adversary is the accuser. We are not.

Now maybe you are a modern day Apostle Paul, such is not for me to say. You are what you are and you belong where God has placed you. I’ve no doubt Paul never once thought his letters to the churches would one day be canonized and published for billions of believers to live by. He humbled himself to serve as best he could as a man who once persecuted the Church. Certainly he knew he was a man of great influence, how could he not? But I suspect he lived each day with a heart and mind of how he could best serve his Lord Jesus and his Heavenly Father.

If there was ever an example we could learn from, a model to follow after, this would top the list. Paul’s example was simple. Walk in love. Walk in the spirit. Put on the whole armor of God. Having done all… stand.

Review of Sound of Freedom

Unless you’ve been lost at sea or something, the movie Sound of Freedom is causing quite a stir these days. All I needed to know is the globalist shills, i.e. the mainstream media is agin it. I knew I’d have to see it sometime. So what made me shell out nearly $20, drive to the nearest town big enough to have a movie theater, and blow half a day? Well, a couple of things. (I SO want to put a “THE” in front but this article doesn’t seem to be in the title.)

Not in any order but first off, my wife told me an associate had seen the movie locally. She said it was good and worth watching. Okay, so much for that but not much. I tend to ask a couple of questions of anyone who recommends any movie to me. For instance… what other movies would you recommend? This I learned back in the good ol’ days of video stores. Too often a clerk at the store would rave about a movie. I’d rent it only to find out it sucked – big time. So… what other movies do you like? Keep naming until you hit on something I recognize. If you say “Natural Born Killers”, I’m gone. On the other hand, if you list “Shawshank Redemption”, then I’m interested. I’ll pay even more heed if you agree it should have won the Academy Award over Shindler’s List. Now don’t get me wrong, I like both movies but I thought Shawshank was more deserving. Either way, it’s not a deal killer.

Then there’s the media. Calling the movie a “Q-anon conspiracy” or the like, and “filled with Hollywood tropes” gets my attention. Again, I stand by my contention that “Q-anon” was a federally sponsored psyop so such linkage suggests someone wants to ward off the sheep herd. As for “filled with Hollywood tropes”, uh, what does that mean… exactly? For me it is an empty phrase that offers no significant information.

What really got me was Disney. You know, the mega-corporation whose main bidness is marketing to kids. Word is they had the rights to the story and sat on it. Then they sold it to Angel Studios. Huh. Now, we’ve been there before but I’ll say it again. If your branding with an eye on youngsters (not in the creepy Joe Biden way) then wouldn’t it make more sense to spend more time and effort championing kids? Instead they seem more intent on wooing the pedo crowd. I’m surprised they sold those rights instead of sitting on them forever. I see the hand of God here.

So, Sound of Freedom. In short, I went, I saw, I liked. It was not what I expected at all. The crowd watching was thin on this Thursday afternoon. Most of the audience was older. Everyone was quiet. There is a special message at the end of the movie signified by a countdown timer. It was only a couple of minutes. Bluntly put, I would have ignored it but I wanted to see the casting credits to confirm one of the actors was whom I thought played the part. (It was.) Funny thing, we all stayed. Every one of us. It was interesting. I won’t offer a spoiler here. Nor will I go into detail about the movie.

I will tell you this much, it is based on a true story. How much of this is true? Well the facts stated at the end of the movie are likely accurate and this is enough for me to ignore any literary license. Pedophiles exist. Children are taken and sold, traded, and prostituted as sex slaves. As one character put it “You can sell cocaine once. You can sell a child ten times a day, every day, for ten years.” (I’ll call this a paraphrase but I think it is reasonably true to the actual words.)

What this movie is not is – it is not a documentary. It is a story, well-told and riveting. If it were total and complete fiction, it would still be a good movie. It is not political. If you happen to belong to a political party or activist group that glorifies pedophilia then you will likely scream at me about now. Have at it. Don’t expect me to visit you in hell. (Check out Matthew 18:6)

My reasons for seeing this movie are mostly above but there is one more reason I wanted to see this in an actual movie theater instead of my usual “I’ll wait for it to come out on disk.” – I wanted to financial support this movie – to make a small but clear statement to the globalists. You can’t have our children.

Now there was a surprise, and a pleasant one at that. I’ve learned there you can see the movie, in a theater, even if you are strapped for cash. The link is below to get free tickets or if you can and so desire, buy tickets for someone else.

Sound of Freedom Tickets

If you missed the trailer…

As a nation, as a people, we should be ashamed that this sort of activity is not only going on right under our very noses but we are turning deaf ears and blinding our eyes to such atrocities. Kudos to those who have stood up to school boards and so-called “educators” coming after our children. Now we need to stand up for those children who have been forced into a world not of their choosing – who are trapped by evil adults who care only for their own perverse pleasures. God will deliver them but WE need to do our part.

Happy Independence Day 2023!

The true name of our July 4th borders on irony today. “Independence Day”, yeah, right. Our nation has become the exact opposite of independent. We are dependent on foreign oil. Our government is dependent on foreign cash to keep spending. More and more citizens are dependent on that spending to live their lives. Worse, those of us who are fiercely determined to remain independent are criticized, ostracized, and often targeted for legal and possibly lethal actions. Call me “Debbie Downer” but I’m calling it as I see it. Is it all really that bad? Well… yes. Yes it is. However down is not out. I do not believe we are done yet.

If you’ve been paying attention, you know I’ve long emphasized how our nation can be restored. Scoff if you will, but until and unless we turn to God Almighty, repent and ask for deliverance then all our hopes and dreams are likely to fade away. Can God save us? What!? Are you serious? If God cannot save us, He wouldn’t be worth worshiping now would He? Of course He can. WILL God save us? Now that is a question I cannot answer. What I can say is… salvation, at least as it pertains to our nation, is secondary. Primary is your salvation and the salvation of all of us called by God. The whole idea of sacrificing yourself to save the person next to you is somewhat silly, eternally speaking.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life.

Our Lord and Savior Jesus the Messiah was already sacrificed for us. Offering Jesus innocent (sinless) blood for our sins was the whole idea.

Ephesians 5:2 and walk in love, even as Christ also loved you, and gave himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for an odor of a sweet smell.

Hebrews 10:12 but he, when he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;

Jesus had his purpose, we have ours.

Romans 8:28 And we know that to them that love God all things work together for good, even to them that are called according to his purpose.

29 For whom he foreknew, he also foreordained to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren:

30 and whom he foreordained, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

We were called “to be conformed to the image of his Son”, to be a living sacrifice…

Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service.

This is the essence of our duty to God. Thus, getting right with God should be first for each of us – not just once but continuously – every day. For me, this means several times a day because, well, I’m a slow learner, I suppose. I’m still a work in progress and I don’t see myself completed before Christ returns or my time on this earth expires. It’s not for lack of trying. But wait! There’s more…

While the idea is often attractive, I’m not a hermit. To that end, my actions among others also need to be in line with how God would have me act. Included in this is a duty to speak the truth when appropriate. By this I don’t mean to refrain from lying, but to speak words that exhort and comfort others, words that bless those around me, and to promote godly thoughts and ideas. Now this latter may cause shudders among some of you. We’ve all been around a “bible thumper” at one time or another. This is not at all what I mean.

Certainly there are times when it is appropriate to open up a bible and share what we know. There are also times when we need to take a stand as Christians. But there are also times when our words and actions simply demonstrate our beliefs. Here’s one example:

One day, a few years ago, I was heading to the office when I realized I needed water for my coffee machine. Our town water isn’t fit for drinking so bottled water is a must. I stopped by the store to grab some. At the checkout there was an older gentleman and his wife ahead of me with several items on the belt. As one might expect, there was only the one cashier. It was no big deal. I was the boss as well as the only worker so even if I was late, it made no difference. However the fellow ahead of me took one look and told the cashier to scan my bottle so I could be on my way. He wouldn’t accept payment and simply told me to have a blessed day. If you haven’t guessed, he made my day by that simple act. His simple kindness boldly stated his Christian walk.

Beyond these things is yet one more (at least) consideration. If you are a citizen of this United States for America, you have been blessed with one of the greatest gifts Almighty God has ever bestowed upon a nation – our Constitutional Republic. Our nation is comprised of self-governing citizens. True, a cadre of usurpers have seized power they’ve no right nor authority to claim but their hold is tenuous. Really. It is. Our founding document, our Constitution remains the law of the land and the rights enumerated within are deemed unalienable. Once we, as citizens, recognize this, we can take back what is rightfully and legally ours. It’s that simple and with God backing us up, who will stop us?

Romans 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?

32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not also with him freely give us all things?

Today we recognize that day in 1776 when our forefathers signed the document declaring our independence from King George and England. Our Constitution had yet to be written, much less ratified, but this day they took a huge step towards receiving this wondrous gift from God Almighty. The road ahead was to be long, hard, and bloody. I cannot say what our road ahead has in store for us. I do not believe further bloodshed is necessary but this does not mean the usurpers will give up without resistance. Nor will the road be easy but, as our forefathers did, we need to decide to move forward and claim the liberty that we and our loved ones have been granted.

God bless and Happy Independence Day!

Sunday, June 25, 2023 Where Have I Been Since April?

Yeah, yeah, I know, it’s been over two months since I last posted. Short and sweet – I got to the point where I wasn’t finishing any of the posts I started. I’d get an idea for a topic, get started and then I floundered. Finally I gave it all a rest.

Was God telling me I needed a break? I don’t know. At least He wasn’t saying it in so many words. What I can say is recently I’ve felt the strong urge to get back in the game. It’s not that I have any “inspiring” posts demanding to be published. Fact is, I saw an interview of Eric Metaxas by Lance Wallnau – twice. Okay, so the second time I cut it short because I knew I’d seen it but not before Eric says God is calling the Church to be The Church. I tried to link it but I’m getting crap. Try going to RAV – Real America’s Voice to find it. I’m sure it’s there but it is a bit of a pain to get to which is why I’m posting a link myself. (Are you getting that Steve Bannon? How about making it easier to access your channel’s content? Contact me for details.) I don’t know what’s going on with Rumble. Usually they are pretty reliable as a source IF they have the video. Not so much this time. I get a 31 second “wait for it” and then nothing. Oi.

Anyway, Eric got me thinking, especially when the topic is put to to me a second time. Biblically speaking, something repeated is something confirmed. Remember the next time you roll your eyes thinking “I’ve heard all that before.”. Could it be God is telling you something – trying hard to get your attention? I can’t tell you how many times I had to remind my own kids of the simplest things.

So Eric is saying God is calling the Church to be THE CHURCH (my emphasis). Okay. Great. I am not the Church. I am a lowly member of the Body sooo… no dice. I’m not getting out of it that easily.

1 Corinthians 1:26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:

27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;

28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:

29 That no flesh should glory in his presence.

Oh, yeah, THAT. The word “base” above is only used this once in scripture. It means:

a man of base birth, a man of no name or reputation

Well, heck, that’s me if it is anybody. Nor does this passage help me avoid God’s call.

1 Corinthians 12:13 For in one Spirit were we all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether bond or free; and were all made to drink of one Spirit.

14 For the body is not one member, but many.

15 If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; it is not therefore not of the body.

16 And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; it is not therefore not of the body.

17 If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?

18 But now hath God set the members each one of them in the body, even as it pleased him.

19 And if they were all one member, where were the body?

20 But now they are many members, but one body.

It might not take you long to figure out I’m not one to join a church. I’ve attended many over the years, most of them regularly but I’ve never aspired to become a “member” of any of them. The big reason is I cannot in good conscience affirm their trinity. Those few assemblies that did not require acceptance of this doctrine never had formal memberships. That said, I am most certainly a member of the body which does not require an application nor does it provide a membership card or even a secret decoder ring. This last is the one thing I’ve always wanted.

The bottom line is I am convinced I need to keep writing and posting. I cannot stay silent while those working for the adversary are pounding every pulpit they can usurp with all sorts of nonsense. Citizens and Christians are being attacked on every front. We cannot and should not hide from this but, rather, having done all, to stand, wearing the full armor of God.

Ephesians 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might.

11 Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

12 For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

13 Wherefore take up the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand.

14 Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,

15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

16 withal taking up the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one.

17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

18 with all prayer and supplication praying at all seasons in the Spirit, and watching thereunto in all perseverance and supplication for all the saints,

This is “the evil day”. Our battle is spiritual, NOT physical. God can and will deliver us but it is up to Him as to how He will accomplish this. For my part I will do all I can with whatever means He provides me. How about you?

Mitch McConnell on His Way Out?

This from The Gateway Pundit:

RUMBLINGS: Senate Republicans Preparing for Mitch McConnell to Retire  Following Fall at Former Trump Hotel

It gets deeper “multiple sources confirm that Senators John Barrasso of Wyoming, John Cornyn of Texas and John Thune of South Dakota are actively reaching out to fellow Republican senators in efforts to prepare for an anticipated leadership vote ”

Now consider these sterling choices presented to take McConnell’s place. What do they all have in common? They are all card-carrying RINOs. This is not to say who might actually replaced Beloved Leader should we be forced to take the reins of the Senate Minority from his cold dead hands, but each stands a far better chance of seizing that brass ring than any of those Senators who more closely serve the People, i.e. constutionalists.

This alone should be evidence enough for the need to abolish political parties from our ranks. We don’t need no stinking parties. We need solid citizens tapped to serve for a limited time before returning to private life. The day of the professoinal politican should be over. Of course this is unlikely to happen. However there is yet another scenario equally as farfetched: that scenario where all will continue as it always has.

In the first place, the status quo is not at all what it was 20 years ago. In fact it has changed from year to year. Things keep getting worse. The debt ceiling gets higher, the more money we spend. Liberty shrinks with every passing Congress. The globalists gain ground every day. The only real viable outcome on the road we’ve taken is the complete crumbling of our nation. Indeed it is happening before our eyes.

Would a Rand Paul or a Ted Cruz at the helm save us? No, but it would be a start. Unless we change course to a godly heading, there is no hope in sight.

May our Heavenly Father Bless you and keep you in the matchless name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

FIB’ers Infiltrating Christian Churches – Yawn.

This was a big headline on The Gateway Pundit:

“They’ve Already Infiltrated the Church and Wanted to Go Even Futher. I Wonder If This Is Just the Beginning” – FBN Host Sean Duffy Admits to Attending Latin Mass, Slams Chris Wray for His Criminal Assault on Christians

I’m sorry but so what? PLEASE don’t tell me you are really surprised by this Sean? Sorry, but WAY back when I was just a young man, I went to this annual camping event sponsored by a Christian ministry. It was attended by thousands of believers. I remember the head of the ministry, standing on state, berating the feds for snooping. He said something like “I know the FBI is here looking for guns and stuff. You won’t find any.” I don’t know what else he said but it wasn’t much. Of course we were shocked – this was over 40 years ago. I doubt if it was anything out of the ordinary even then for feds. Hoover, among others, sported a long history of trashing our Constitution.

So, no, I’m not shocked nor am I surprised. The fact is most Christian services are open to the public so there’s no need to sneak in. Expect to be welcomed in. No doubt someone might even take you aside and tell you about our “secret” plans to take over the world. We even have a name for it. We call it evangelism. We want to win the world to Christ one person at a time.

On the darker side of this picture is FIB director Chris Wray’s memo to agents warning of “dangerous ‘radical traditionalist Catholic ideology’”. Now look, I don’t agree with a significant amount of “Catholic ideology”. I just don’t. Depending on how you look at it, it may even be “dangerous”, but what is that “danger” anyway? Well… some of it could turn someone off from wanting to accept Christ. (I hear Catholics view communion as literally eating Christ’s body and drinking his blood – if this is true I find it a bit creepy myself, if not downright pagan.) Fact is, some of the most vehement anti-Christians I’ve met were raised Catholic. Then again, I’ve met plenty of others who have turned away from the Christian faith from other demoninations, a good number of them were the children of preachers.

Obviously there are other places to look for the real dangers to society rather than Christian churches and I’m not referring to school board meetings either. In fact, considering what I’ve gathered from January 6, et al, the FIBs are a greater danger to our nation than just about any other organization, at least those organizations they are “investigating”. The question is are they really investigating or are they recruiting? Either option is not likely to bear much fruit.

As Christians, we’ve got much bigger fish to fry and not just on Fridays. We need to hold fast to God’s matchless word and hold it forth. We need to bring “every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5 WEB)

We need to turn to God, confess and repent our sins, and ask Him to restore our nation. We really don’t have time to wring our hands wondering what the government is doing. Instead, let us pray that the time they spend among us bears good fruit and brings them to Christ.

May our Heavenly Father bless you and keep you in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Dershowitz Says Trump Will Be Convicted

For the most part, I’ve always admired Alan Dershowitz – a world-renowned defense attorney who seems to be one of the more forthright of his species. For the life of me, I simply cannot understand why he leans of far left. Other than that, the man has an incredible legal mind. I saw this headline on The Gateway Pundit this morning:

Alan Dershowitz Says Trump “Probably Will be Convicted” – But Verdict will be Overturned on Appeal

I always say “Great minds think alike, but greater minds think like mine!”. Yes, I am joking. That said, I don’t have to see the video to follow his reasoning. Trump will be tried in enemy territory. As far as I’m concerned he’d get a fairer shake in Beijing.

Sure there was some speculation the Grand Jury the indicted him waffled a bit. At this point I wonder if that was wishful thinking. Of course it is possible that not everyone in Manhattan has it in for the former president, but, much like DC Biden’s grip on Manhattan was fairly strong – he got 84% of the vote. While it was not quite the overwhelming 92% in DC but solid still. While it is possible at least some of those voters have since been disillusioned, I doubt if they’ve lost their bloodlust for Trump.

For no particular reason, my mind was flooded with thoughts of Trump in prison. How would that work? Would he still get Secret Service protection or would he be at the mercy of the guards and other prisoners? Other illustrious prisoners have survived, even thrived in prison. Charles Colson and G. Gordon Liddy of Watergate fame come to mind. I read of Colson’s account and only heard of Liddy’s but my understanding is they fared well. By some accounts, Liddy ended up all but owning his prison.

What about Trump? Today’s environment is far different then it was 50 years ago. I’m only guessing but it seems today’s prisons will reflect society as a whole and thus be more polarized than ever before. To that end, there will be some in the population who would just as soon kill Donald Trump as look at him. Would he be exposed to such prisoners? One would like to think this could not happen but before January 6, I never thought citizens could be subject to the horrors revealed inside the DC Gulag. From what I’ve read, the political prisoners there have reason to fear the guards at least as much as other prisoners.

So, yeah, I wonder if former President Trump could actually die in prison. This, for the questionable “crime” of mislabeling entries in an accounting journal – something I’m sure he never did personally. I doubt very much if he even gave it much thought. If it was something as truly reprehensible as the prosecutors would have America believe, why wasn’t there vehement protests by his small army of accountants and lawyers?

Ironically, I firmly believe these charges are entirely Trumped Up. They give new meaning to the phrase. This, as well as the other allegations by other prosecutors is perhaps the saddest commentary on our nation. Here we have a man who has risen far above so many others, amassing tremendous wealth, then setting it aside to serve this nation in our highest office. Despite the dung and mud thrown in his face almost continuously since the day he announced his intention to run for office, he has again and again shown decency and integrity. Surely his rough manner and refusal to filter his opinions detract from his accomplishments but in every case brought against him thus far, and there have been many more of those than against any President in our history, he has been proven innocent of all charges brought against him by his foes.

If those who have usurped authority and assumed power in this nation can move against such a strong and wealthy individual as Donald J. Trump, what chance does any common citizen have? To quote G. Gordon Liddy “I have found the quality of the legal services accorded to the poor to be disgraceful. ” The link is to his whole commentary, it is well worth reading in its entirety.

There is much talk about a “two-tiered” justice system these days. While, well meaning, I contend this is incorrect. There must be at least three tiers and counting. First there is the upper tier, reserved for the privileged few in the lofty clouds of power, Then there is a second tier comprised of those, not in the clouds, but with enough resources to afford top legal counsel. Finally there is the tier of the common citizen like you or me. IF we can afford any legal counsel at all, we can only choose from the dregs left by those who can afford decent representation. Even this analogy puts public defenders on equal ground with low rent legal representation. From what I’ve been able to ascertain, the public defender system is a crap shoot at best. One may draw an excellent lawyer or a new hire, fresh from barely passing the bar. Meanwhile, a citizen who doesn’t qualify for a PD may be stuck with some poor sap who can barely afford to pay his sister-in-law minimum wage, if at all, for some part-time help. So maybe add still another tier to our legal system?

If you want gain some real insight into our current legal system, take a close look at how our J6 Political Prisoners have been treated. Keep in mind, the Federal prosecutors are by law to charge any detainee with the highest crime they can reasonably expect to convict on. Most of these prisoners were originally charged with misdemeanors. It was only after someone raised a stink about it that at least some were additionally charged with felonies. Even so, many have languished for more than two years awaiting their constitutionally guaranteed “speedy trial”. Meanwhile, in NY, CA and elsewhere, alleged robbers, rapists, murderers and others are regularly released without bail. Yes, they are subject to different justice systems but you can bet even those alleged criminals would be screaming foul or even have their charges dropped if they were held for so long without bail – citing their United States Constitutional Rights.

While it seems unlikely former President Trump could spend even one day in jail, the potential is there and it is frightening. No, I really don’t think he would be murdered while behind bars. What I find discomforting is what such a turn of events could mean for the rest of us. Certainly I won’t back down from voicing my opinions, mild as they may be, but at what point would mere failure to parrot the party line result in scrutiny or even a 3AM visit from unnamed “authorities”. Think on that.

May our Heavenly Father bless you and keep you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Mark Levin’s Democrat Rage

Sunday night – April 2, 2023 – Mark Levin dedicated his show to exposing the doings and goals of the Democrat party. In essence, he said the Democrats are out to destroy Donald Trump, the Republican Party, and our nation. I will add their agenda plays out more or less in that order. He is not wrong but he is not entirely correct either.

Levin is a very smart, sharp individual. He is well-spoken and passionate about liberty and our nation. He is one of the few commentators I still watch on a regular basis. For all that his perspective is far to narrow for my tastes. He correctly sees the rampage the Democrat party has gone on. He correctly understands to some degree the uniparty concept. I’m sure I am understating his understanding but in all fairness, he tends to understate destructive nature of the two-party system. Instead he seems to put too much hope in the Republican Party. Beyond that, Levin fails to see, or at least add the spiritual perspective of all this. Regular readers (IF I have any at all) might argue I spend far too much energy on the spiritual perspective.

Coming to my own defense, I do not think it is possible to focus too much on the spiritual aspects as long as I’m not seeing “spirits” everywhere. Spiritual influence? Yes. Spirits? No. What’s the difference? I suppose the easiest way to show what I’m talking about is to issue a challenge. Show me one aspect of humanity untouched by the adversary, the devil. I thought so. And that is exactly why I see the spiritual aspect of our world as too important to ignore. For too long we humans have tried to “go it alone” without God. It’s time to drop all pretense and run to God Almighty. Without God, we are doomed. The good news is, God is not going anywhere. Whether we believe in Him, accept Him, turn to Him or not – He WILL have His way. I’ll come back around to this in a bit.

Per Mark Levin and his Democrat diatribe, again, he’s not wrong. What he is failing to point out is what I see as the elephant in the room – the Republicans are not going to save us. Why? Simply because both parties have the same goal: acquiring power. There is only one practical way to gain power and that is by growing government. Levin’s sole aim is to restore power to the Republican party. I can tell you this much with the utmost confidence – they will never dismantle our government to any significant degree. Chances are, even if they had the will, they could never succeed. I can demonstrate my point in a single phrase: Social Security.

Love it or hate it, Social Security is not going anywhere. Ever. Bluntly put, I hate it. I always have. If I could I would pull the plug on it today, even if it meant giving up my own stake in it. Even I understand it would be simply wrong to stop payments to the millions of citizens who depend on SS for some or all of their living, so “pulling the plug” would entail certain concessions to ensure no one would be left destitute. Such is my point. At its black heart, Social Security was and is inherently evil. It forces citizens to become dependent on the government teat. Worse yet, it penalizes certain seniors who “make too much money” after they start drawing their benefits. This is not the only program our nation is stuck with but proves my point. The nation would be in an uproar if certain ingrained institutions are disrupted no matter how cancerous they are to us citizens. Cancerous? Social Security? Seriously?

Yes, it is cancerous and you know this. As a nation, our population is growing older and we are living longer, but not without health issues. So between Social Security and Medicare, the bills for these programs keep mounting. Add to that – or subtract from it rather – the idiocy of the politicians who keep raiding the funds collected from taxpayers to keep the system afloat. The greedy bastards cannot keep their grimy hands off the so-called trust fund set up to perpetuate the system. So now the money to pay Social Security obligations has to come from those currently working. If FICA taxes aren’t enough well, guess where the money will come from? That’s right, other taxes. And don’t think for a moment our illustrious politicians would even THINK of cutting any budgets. No. They’ll just borrow more money and/or raise taxes to cover any shortages. Cancer. Money-eating cancer.

Mark’s mistake then is he only addresses part of the problem and a small part at that. What?! The globalists via the Democrat Party usurping enough power to take over our nation is only a small part of the problem? You heard right. Fact is, if it wasn’t the Democrats, it would be the Republicans. Such is the nature of a two-party system. One party is always evil. Which one? Why, the party in power of course.

Trump’s presidency shed further light on the cockroaches in Washington. They scattered and then sniped the presidential agenda from safe havens. While Trump was able to get more done than anyone would imagine, he was hindered every step of they way be a majority consisting of both parties. Exhibit #1 – The Affordable Healthcare Act aka “Obamacare”. This wildly unpopular legislation should have been repealed outright as Trump promised to do. Instead he was forced to simply modify it even though he has a “majority” in both parties. Once he was outed from office for certain, many of his “allies” turned against him.

Again, Congress and the two-party system are merely symptoms of the larger, looming issue – the ungodliness of our nation. The politics of our nation is a reflection of the morality and ethics of our citizens. As a nation we look away from outright corruption everywhere. The corruption is so bad it no longer lurks in dark corners with the cockroaches. No, the emboldened deviants now stand tall, defying us to challenge them. How else can the Bidens walk freely among us, heads held high, instead of hiding in shame? They simply ignore the allegations and the evidence presented knowing full well they will not be charged. What about sexually aberrant politicians who dare run for re-election after being convicted of crimes and winning?

How can former President Trump be facing no less than 34 felony allegations – ostensibly leaked by a District Attorney, in and of itself a felony – of “crimes” other prosecutors passed on? Said allegations center around some so-called “hush money” supposedly paid to silence Stormy Daniels. While the entire affair is sordid itself, the question begged is why, then, did Congress establish a slush fund with taxpayer dollars to do likewise? In fact, our political system is rife with hush payments.

Face facts: our political system is rotten to the core because as a nation we, citizens, are rotten to the core. We’ve turned away from God and now we are facing the consequences. It is often said a people get the government they deserve. God help us.

Take a page from the Book of Jonah.

Jonah 1:1 Now the word of Yahweh came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,

2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach against it, for their wickedness has come up before me.” (WEB)

The citizens of Nineveh were not of the twelve tribes of Israel. They were not God’s chosen people. And yet, God went to great lengths to tell them to repent of their wickedness. They listened and they did repent.

Jonah 3:10 God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way. God repented of the evil which he said he would do to them, and he didn’t do it. (WEB)

As Christians, we stand as sons of God. Thus, while our nation seems to crumble before our eyes, we should be looking to God. He may or may not revive and restore our nation but He will never leave us nor forsake us. We can take comfort in that promise. Meanwhile, we fight the spiritual battle.

Ephesians 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might.

11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

12 For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world’s rulers of the darkness of this age, and against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

13 Therefore, put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand.

14 Stand therefore, having the utility belt of truth buckled around your waist, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,

15 and having fitted your feet with the preparation of the Gospel of peace;

16 above all, taking up the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one.

17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;

18 with all prayer and requests, praying at all times in the Spirit, and being watchful to this end in all perseverance and requests for all the saints: (WEB)

May our Heavenly Father bless you and keep you in the precious name of our Lord Christ Jesus.

Nashville Shooting – Short Version

Last Wednesday I started writing a post on the Nashville shooting. As of today, I’ve decided not to post anything other than this for the time being.

The crux of my post was this shooting is rife with spirituality and not the good kind. It was and is an attack on all Christianity perpetrated by the father of lies and his minions, both human and spirit.

May the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ bless you and keep you.

SQUIRREL! Trump Indictment vs. Shaman’s Release

Two news stories dated March 30, 2023 – one is ALL OVER THE NEWS and the other? Meh.

First up – The Donald

“Former President Donald Trump faces more than 30 counts related to business fraud in an indictment from a Manhattan grand jury, according to two sources familiar with the case.” CNN reported.

Then there’s this:

“QAnon Shaman” Jacob Chansley Released from Prison to Halfway House

This second article was buried on the second page of The Gateway Pundit. I only learned about this because my wife found it last night on Yahoo! News of all places.  Seriously?

Now one thing I like about The Gateway Pundit is they’ve run hard with coverage on the J6 Political prisoners. They are relentless. I commend them for this.

Granted we’ve known about Chansley’s promised early release for a couple days now, as we have about Trump potentially being indicted. Strange both travesties of justice should come to a head on the same day. The ONE news program I watched yesterday  on Real America’s Voice, never mentioned Chansley, not once. They were all about Trump.

Think about it. The J6video is released. Tucker Carlson broadcasts video clearly and totally vindicating Chansley. A few days later Shazaam! Whatdoyaknow? He is going to be released. It kinda reminds me of what happened to the Apostle Paul in Philippi.

Acts 16:35  But when it was day, the magistrates sent the sergeants, saying, “Let those men go.”
36  The jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, “The magistrates have sent to let you go; now therefore come out, and go in peace.”
37  But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us publicly, without a trial, men who are Romans, and have cast us into prison! Do they now release us secretly? No, most assuredly, but let them come themselves and bring us out!” (WEB)

The authorities had no qualms about publicly beating Paul and Silas before tossing them in prison. Then they decided to quietly release them.

I do hope this is not the end of Jason Chansley’s story. His maltreatment needs to be addressed, as does that of all the other J6 Political Prisoners. Treating this story as such, essentially sweeping it under the rug, is not acceptable.

As far as the proceedings concerning Trump is concerned, it is yet another sideshow in the American Main Event Circus come front and center. Everything about this is wrong. Worse, they are using the splash caused by this as a distraction from other dirty deeds.

Yet another page ripped from the globalists’ playbook.

Pounding the Panic Button – The Devil Is Closing In!

The funny thing is, I hardly watch any television at all these days. For newsy stuff, I still DVR Lance Wallnau’s Firewall – aired once weekly and I watch Mark Levin’s “Life, Liberty, and Levin” (or Mark’s Book Review as I’ve come to think of it lately) on Sunday. Other than that I’ll catch a few words on one of the news channels now and then but I rarely stay long. Most other news I read are headlines from websites. Now and then I’ll skim the article.

Despite my self-limited exposure, I’m getting a certain sense of panic in the air. Even Wallnau is saying some scary things, though his perspective is far more godly and his manner calm. I’ll get back to him in a moment. Sunday night, Levin was quite worked up about Russia, Ukraine, China and other players in that camp. He was not the first to mention the tail end of summit between Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin. Below is one report. This from The Spectator (UK)

It was perhaps the most intriguing moment of their Moscow summit. As Xi Jinping left the Kremlin last night, he stood face to face with Vladimir Putin and told the Russian leader, ‘Change is coming that hasn’t happened in 100 years and we are driving this change together’. The two men clasped hands, smiling. ‘I agree,’ Putin said, briefly bringing up his free hand to hold Xi’s arm. The Chinese leader then added, ‘Please take care, dear friend’.

Many are sounding the alarm and, yes, pounding panic buttons over these parting words. Then there’s Lance’s interview with Clay Clark. I had to dig a bit to find it but this is essentially what Clark said on Firewall:

“Also, we see a change in the nature of surveillance. Previously, surveillance was mainly above the skin,” Harari says. “Now it’s going under the skin. Governments want to know, not just where we go or who we meet. Above all, they want to know what is happening under our skin.”

This dude Harari is Yuval Noah Harari, an author closely tied to WEF chairman Klaus Schwab. I find it strangely intriguing that Harari, a Jew would be so closely aligned with the German Schwab. Both seem to be of the same mindset of another Jew, George Soros.

Harari is the guy quoted saying humans are “hackable” beings. Here is another quote:

“History began when humans invented gods, and will end when humans become gods.”

If this rings a bell, you might be thinking of Genesis where the serpent tells Eve “you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Gen 3:5c WEB)

Granted all of this is rather disturbing. Levin is talking about China and co. in there efforts to take over the planet, forming an evil axis with Russia, Iran, and a host of other bad actors. He’s not wrong. He also expressed concern about China’s latest inroads into South America. With Brazil now under their thumb, the globalists now have a strong hold on South America. Levin is not alone. Wallnau just returned from Guatemala where he is shoring efforts to strengthen Central America from globalist influence.

The problem is, that panic button won’t work. You can push it, pound in it, stomp it to pieces – it doesn’t matter. Why? Because panic or not, we will not stop what is happening. At least, not by human intervention. Oh, that doesn’t mean we cannot put a stop to the war in Ukraine. We sure could. Get the oil pumping here in the US, drive prices down. And I’ll agree with Levin on one point especially – we could and should strengthen our military. IMO, this should be done at the expense of social programs. We can start with halting all aid to foreign nations. (Yes, that IS a social program.) We also need to strengthen our economy so borrowing and printing more money is out. Cutting spending and taxes will revive our economy, along with the very act of rebooting oil production.

Meanwhile, use back channels to put Putin on notice, this war needs to end and find a way for him to bow out gracefully. If he loses or is publicly forced to back off, he will lose face in his own nation. Reason enough to dig in and put everything he has into victory.

I can hear you scoffing. “Yeah, like anything of that will ever happen!” My point exactly. It won’t happen. These are the last things the current administration would do, even with a knife to their throats.

Even if those things did happen, we still need to face the other side of the coin. The globalists are working towards their end on several levels. The evil axis’ BRICK agenda is one. BRICK is the attempt to replace the US dollar as the reserve currency with one backed by gold and controlled by the globalists – or more accurately – China. From there they are sure to transition to a fully digital currency. World-wide there is a race to establish a dominant digital currency, controlled by one government or another.

Meanwhile, they are building technologies to control humans by injections. Already, they created a world-wide panic to induce mandatory “vaccinations”. All right, so they killed more than the virus. I’m not so sure they consider that a feature rather than a bug. (A bug in a bug – HA! – get it?) I can’t say for you but all that evokes visions of the mark of the beast for me.

And now we are getting to the crux of the matter: world domination by a global government that dictates who can buy or sell according to whether they accept the mark of the beast. We all know where that scenario comes from. The question has never been “if” but rather “when”. How close are we?

Don’t ask me. I don’t know. This could be 100 or 1,000 years off or more, but I don’t think so. I also don’t think we’ll have time to debate the issue when it does come. “There it is – take it or die.” That will be our choice. Now scripture, the book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ, to be more precise does relate a series of events leading up to the mark. However once the first of that series of events begins, the rest will follow.

Again, that panic button is useless. Only God can intervene and, well, it looks like God will stand pat. So, is it useless to turn to Him? Not at all. Individually, we are not likely to affect global events. What if every Christian banded together praying fervently? It’s hard to say but we all know that is not likely to happen. I’m not sure what would happen if a significant number of Christians banded together praying fervently. Nor do I have a clue as to what a “significant number of Christians” would be. I’m all for giving it a shot. Call me.

Meanwhile, what I am very confident about is how God can work in each of our lives. Whatever is going on in the world, if each of us turns to Him and seeks His will in our lives, He will provide. My own take is to let God deal with the issues of our nation and the world. I will focus on serving my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and my Heavenly Father. Such is enough for me to handle.

May  our Heavenly Father bless you and keep you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Tribulation and the End Times Today

Over the past several months I’ve come across increasing references to the end times. At least one man, Lance Wallnau, says we are in the end times now. Is he correct? If not, I do not think he is far off. Then there’s tribulation. Will Christians today suffer from the prophesied tribulation or will we escape it via the Gathering Together – the Rapture? Ooooh! Good question!

When the topic turns to tribulation, it seems to send shivers down the spines of many a Christian. It’s scary, don’t you think? Could it be it is so scary because we are ignorant? Don’t get mad, ignorance is simply a lack of knowledge as opposed to stupidity – the inability to understand knowledge, or bullheadedness – the refusal to even look at new knowledge. When it comes to scripture, it is always preferable to seek knowledge and understanding. This is not to say, we can always understand everything in scripture. After over 40 years of reading, studying, and praying, I can honestly say there is a lot I still do not understand. Hopefully it is not because I am stupid or bullheaded (about scripture).

So… tribulation. I daresay when most of us hear this word, our thoughts immediately go to the “great tribulation”. That phrase “great tribulation” only occurs three times in the King James…

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.

22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.

Revelation 2:22 Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.

Revelation 7:14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

These three verses seem to indicate a definite period of time. What did Jesus say about it?

“such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.”

Well now, this tells me this is a very special period of time. We can also find what seems to be a reference to the same period in Mark.

Mark 13:24 But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light,

Take note, this verse talks about after “that tribulation”, again referring to a specific period of time.

Now let us consider the context of this verse:

Mark 13:14 But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains:

15 And let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house, neither enter therein, to take any thing out of his house:

16 And let him that is in the field not turn back again for to take up his garment.

17 But woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!

18 And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter.

19 For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be.

20 And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect’s sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days.

21 And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not:

22 For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.

23 But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things.

In this passage Jesus marks the beginning of the period “But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet”, at least it sure looks like the beginning act to me. Jesus also reiterates his statement in Matthew in verse 19: “For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be.”

Now I won’t delve into any debate as to whether these passages in Matthew and Mark are versions of something Jesus said once or whether Jesus essentially said the same thing twice and each disciple quoted a different occurrence. Neither view invalidates anything.

One thing is clear to me – Jesus spoke of a “great tribulation” that was to occur after the “abomination of the desolation spoken of by Daniel” and it ain’t pretty. I am also confident this great tribulation is again prophesied in the Revelation of Jesus Christ – the last book of our bible.

Now for the good news – we ain’t there yet. I’m still thinkin’ today’s Christians will be caught up in the Rapture by then. Now some who contend this rapture won’t happen until some time in the Revelation period also will call Christians like me cowardly for not wanting to live through all that. Or, for some reason, my belief in the Rapture is some sort of wrangling to avoid stressing out about it or something. I don’t fear the “great tribulation”. If I am correct about the Rapture and Jesus were to ask for volunteers to hang back on earth, I expect to raise my hand. I’m sure I’d regret such a decision more than once but if I can serve my Lord and Savior in such a manner, I am willing to do so.

All this speculation aside, my understanding for the time being is this great tribulation does not apply to us. We’ll be gone.

1 Thessalonians 1:10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

What is this “wrath to come” if not this period spoken of by Jesus? It and other verses state we are specifically saved from this wrath. Hallelujah! I’m all for that. (I stand by my previous statement but I’m not fool enough NOT to breathe a sigh of relief if Jesus doesn’t ask for volunteers.) So that means we’re clear of tribulation… right? Well, not exactly.

Nowhere in scripture are we promised that we will never experience tribulation. In fact, we are told we absolutely will see tribulation.

Romans 5:3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

Paul not only speaks of tribulations, plural, but says tribulation works patience. Now, according to the version of the bible you are reading, the word “tribulation” could be rendered “suffering” or “trouble”. Either one could easily apply. In other words, we are not out of the woods yet! In fact, the verse above offers a clue as to how such tribulations or sufferings or troubles can actually work in our favor.

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Here is says “all things work together for good”. Should “all” include troubles? Of course it should, if if you rather… why not? Imagine a life without troubles, never having to face a challenge. What would such a life be like? The word that comes to my mind is “complacent”, or maybe the phrase “fat and happy” evokes a more accurate picture.

There is a saying bandied about these days a quote attributed to G. Michael Hopf that fits well here:

“Hard times create strong men, strong men create good times, good times create weak men, and weak men create hard times.”

In fact, this principle is seen throughout scripture. We often see this as “cause and effect”, God blesses men who then turn away from God and God gets angry and punishes men. These now suffering men turn to God who then blesses them. It seems all we ever see is an angry God dispensing wrath. Is this really the way things are? I don’t think so.

Granted some passages in scripture seem entirely brutal. One of the examples I point to is the story of King Saul and the Amalekites. Saul was the first king of Israel. Saul was instructed to wipe them out entirely.

1 Samuel 15:1 Samuel said to Saul, Yahweh sent me to anoint you to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore listen you to the voice of the words of Yahweh.

2 Thus says Yahweh of Armies, I have marked that which Amalek did to Israel, how he set himself against him in the way, when he came up out of Egypt.

3 Now go and strike Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and don’t spare them; but kill both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and donkey. (WEB)

Saul did not listen.

1 Samuel 15:9 But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and wouldn’t utterly destroy them: but everything that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.

God did not take lightly the annihilation of the Amalekites. It wasn’t punishment. His intent was to spare Israel trouble in the future. Saul got greedy and saved out the best of the livestock for himself. He also showed compassion on the Amalekite king, Agag. His disobedience caused him his position. Why? Why was an act of compassion reason to remove Saul as king? Again, the word is disobedience.

1 Samuel 13:14 But now your kingdom shall not continue: Yahweh has sought him a man after his own heart, and Yahweh has appointed him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept that which Yahweh commanded you.

As a practical matter, God was not “angry” with the Amalekites. Certainly they rejected the One True God and sought to worship other gods, as did every nation on earth… including Israel. Time and time again Israel turned away from God unto false gods, even after God delivered them from the Egyptians by parting the Red Sea. Yet God forgave them again and again. He still forgives them. Consider what God says about Israel in the New Testament. This after Israel rejected the Messiah and still rejects him. While God in no way condones humans worshiping false gods, he has shown mercy time and time again on even those who reject him, as well as his only begotten son Jesus the Messiah. This, if nothing else, should demonstrate God’s mercy.

Why then tribulation? Or as so many non-believers have put it: “if there is a god, why is there so much pain and suffering in the world?”. If I may first point out… nothing happening in the world today is a mistake. While I am certain I do not understand these things entirely, I do believe I have some idea. First, let me ask you… what would fiction look like without conflict?

We all know the common tropes in fiction. Man is lonely, man finds girl, man loses girl, man wins girl back, and they live happily every after. Of course these days we are likely to see every possible variation of this theme but the basics remain the same. Every story centers around one or more conflicts. Also, the protagonist is flawed somehow and this causes problems. What would one of these stories look like with these issues?

Woman is lonely, woman finds man, they live happily ever after. Wow. That was a nail-biter. You get the idea. Now I’m not saying we experience tragedy in our lives just to spice things up, but just as conflict in fiction serves a purpose, tribulation and troubles in real life does likewise.

While I’m near this topic and before we dig in, I want to address something that often seems to make no sense and that is untimely and seemingly pointless deaths. To use a real-life example, there was a young couple who lived across the street from us years ago. They had a big house and a big family. We didn’t know them well but they seemed to be decent God-fearing people. One of their children contracted leukemia and died at age two. If ever a death seemed senseless, this one was a top contender. Instead of asking why this child died, might it not be better to wonder, what was this child spared? We don’t know. I’m sure that today, nearly thirty years later, the loss of this child still causes pangs for the parents and others close to this child. What we won’t know until we begin our journey in eternity is what the alternative might have been. I have no doubt both the parents and the child would have suffered more had he lived. So it is with all such tragedies. We don’t know what we don’t know.

Back to the topic of tribulations aside from the “Great Tribulation” mentioned above. We are told on no uncertain terms we will experience them. In the King James Version, the Greek word “thlipsis” is rendered “tribulation” 21 times and “affliction” 17 times. In other places it is rendered trouble (3x), anguish, persecution, burdened and “to be afflicted”. These last four renderings are once each.

The meaning is described as “pressing together, pressed or oppressed” and so forth. One can ascertain the sense is to feel pressure from outside. While I get the sense that the “Great Tribulation” will entail more than mere “pressure”. I’m still working out this aspect in a bible study on the “end times”, but my sense about this period sometime in the future is the intent is to get the attention of the remaining population as those who are never going to accept God are systematically removed. What about the rest of us?

Certainly you’ve come across some dramatic depiction where someone, usually a man but not always, finds himself in very deep doo doo. There he sits, alone and talking – seemingly to the air. His words are generally along the lines of “God, if you exist, I’m not a praying man but if you can hear me, I need your help.” Such is a prayer of desperation if I ever heard one! Let’s take a closer look.

First, the man directly addresses “God”. Does he even know whom his is talking to? The fact is the word “god” can refer to any number of beings real, or imagined. It is as non-specific as one can get. And yet this man expects “something” or “someone” being able hear him. Some talk about this mysterious being as “the man it the sky” or will scoff at the idea of something they cannot see, hear, or touch – preferring to believe in something tangible. Then, this “being” he speaks directly to is not supposed to be instantly insulted by questioning its existence. Hmph. After which he admits he’s a stranger. “You don’t know me but…” right before again talking to some mysterious being even while he admits he has no idea if anyone is on the other end. Finally, he asks for help in a situation where he has nowhere else to turn.

Yet we see this scenario played out again and again. No doubt it has happened on more than one occasion and, again with no doubt, God, Almighty God, Creator of the heavens and the earth, Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, has often answered with some sort of helping hand. That is all fine and good but it is not where I’m going with this.

Where I am going is, for some reason most people can accept the idea of a supreme being when we are at our wits end. It is not unnatural to reach out to God… as a last resort. In other words tribulation or trouble tend to drive people towards rather than away from God – at least those who might be inclined to turn to God. Those determined to reject him will do so anyway. For the rest of us, you know the old saying… you never miss something until you don’t have it.

Let’s face it, when our lives are surrounded by peace and comfort, we tend to let those things distract us. Even strong Christians are known to get “too busy” to focus on God or maybe we just let spiritual things slip from our minds. “Maybe later, for now I just want to enjoy the ocean breeze. God’s there too… right?” It’s not until the storm becomes threatening that we suddenly remember God.

For too long, our nation has settled in with the comforts of life. We’ve been blessed. We enjoy a high standard of living. At the same time, we’re stressed – as a nation we tend to be “aholics” – workaholics, alcoholics, sexaholics – you name it. Far too often we are too busy for our own families – much less godly things. It is beginning to show. Rather, we are neck deep in our sinful ways and they are devouring us. It’s not God doing this, it is God allowing us to experience the lives we chose when we turned our backs on him.

This is not to say the godly never experience tribulation. Again, we are promised tribulation (or warned if you will) in scripture. Nothing there even suggests it is avoidable. In fact, we are directly told we will likely get more tribulation if we stand faithful. However, that’s not the point.

The point is we all face trials and troubles, in other words tribulations. While we may well escape the “Great Tribulation”, it does not mean we should expect some fairy tale life of total bliss. Those choices we’ve made individually, taking full advantage of the blessings God has bestowed upon our nation while at the same time turning us away from the God who bestows these blessings are now coming back to bite us. Hard.

This nation is a mess not because God has turned his back on us but because we have turned away from HIM! As a nation we may already have passed the point of redemption. But it’s not all “bad” news.

God already knows what choices we will make and the result of those choices, including the troubles we get into. For each one of us and all of us he knows how things turn out. It’s all good. God said so.

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

All things means exactly that – ALL things – even those pesky tribulations. What we need to do, and by “we” I mean those of us Christians who are paying attention, is turn back to God, ask forgiveness for our sinful acts and turn to him once again.

As far as the “Great Tribulation” is concerned, I have no definitive understanding as of yet. Every time I am convinced there will be a rapture, I see things that make me wonder.

1 Corinthians 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

1 Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

What is meant by “the last trump”? Does this refer to the last trump in a certain event or THE last trump?

The main problem I have with reconciling revelation times is it appears salvation in the revelation period will revert to works rather than grace. What then signals the end of grace? For me the obvious marker would be the Rapture.

Whether or not certain Christians will endure the Great Tribulation may be the object of debate until either Christ raptures his body of believers or the world is embroiled in the Great Tribulation. Either way, we cannot escape tribulations nor should we desire to do so. In fact, considering those situations where we can expect even more tribulation, we should welcome, even embrace them. Consider the early apostles:

Acts 5:40 b …when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.

41 And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.

42 And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.

They were bold to speak the gospel and rejoiced that they were counted worth to suffer. Should we not be of the same mindset?

Tribulation is something we are not going to escape nor should we desire to. If the price for serving our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father is being despised and abused by the world, should we not embrace it?

1 Peter 4:12 Beloved, don’t be astonished at the fiery trial which has come upon you, to test you, as though a strange thing happened to you.

13 But because you are partakers of Christ’s sufferings, rejoice; that at the revelation of his glory also you may rejoice with exceeding joy.

14 If you are insulted for the name of Christ, blessed are you; because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. On their part he is blasphemed, but on your part he is glorified.

15 For let none of you suffer as a murderer, or a thief, or an evil doer, or as a meddler in other men’s matters.

16 But if one of you suffers for being a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God in this matter.

17 For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God. If it begins first with us, what will happen to those who don’t obey the Gospel of God?

18 “If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will happen to the ungodly and the sinner?”

19 Therefore let them also who suffer according to the will of God in doing good entrust their souls to him, as to a faithful Creator.

God bless you in the name of Jesus Christ.