God Is Enough

I'd like to start off by bringing you to a scene in our biblical past... the poor widow who gave everything and walked away with nothing.  Or so it would seem.  Picture this, men and women were giving of their wealth, of what they could afford to give without actually causing any kind of financial pinch.  They paraded their wealth before men and gave for all to see.  Then in walks this precious widow, ever faithful to God, who came with all she had and tossed it in the offering along with the wealth of those who had preceded her. 

I wonder, did she weigh her decision carefully before leaving her home on that particular day?  Were worry and fear on her face as she walked forward to offer the only money she had remaining?  What was she going to eat tonight?  How would she pay for any personal needs she may have in the coming days?  Jesus saw what she had done.  What was His reaction?  He called His disciples over!  Hey guys, get over here, look at this!  Jesus wanted to show them what a real act of faith looked like.  He explained to them that this woman had given more than anyone else because she had given of her poverty while the others gave of their wealth.

So what did this poor widow walk away with?  She walked away with peace of heart.  She walked away with the joy of knowing that she was obedient to God.  She walked away knowing that God would meet her needs no matter how dire her circumstances seemed to be.  She walked out the same way she walked in, with faith that God saw her as precious in His sight and that He would not abandon her in her hour of need.  I wonder what blessing she received from this act of faith.  I'll have to ask her when I see her. :)

How many of us have a faith like that?  Why are we so ready to freak out at the slightest problem or loss instead of having faith in God?  When will we learn that God is enough?

Jesus is our example of how to trust in our Father under persecution, financial distress, illness, etc...  In fact, there is one occasion where the Lord was eager to sidestep something that brought distress to His heart... His own torture and crucifixion.  He went before God three times to ask that the cup be taken from Him if possible.  Three times! 

What was this "cup" Jesus spoke of?  Was it the pain of crucifixion?  Yes, but it was so much more.  The cup is used in the bible to signify God's judgment, so what He was asking was that if it was possible for Him to do this without having to endure God's wrath (His anger, His judgment, His punishment) and without having to be isolated from God at that moment when all our sin would be heaped upon Him, then He would prefer an alternative, but if He had to endure all of what God had planned from the beginning, then He would be obedient to Him and submit to God's plan of salvation for mankind.  Jesus was so distressed that as his facial muscles clenched, it caused blood to drip from his pours.  Remember, Jesus had never experienced God's wrath because He was perfect in all His ways.  He had also never experienced isolation from God.  He had never known physical torture.  This was unexplored territory and it caused Him great distress.

What was the final verdict?  Jesus would have to continue on the path that God had set for Him and He would have to endure it all.  What was Jesus response?  Stop asking for deliverance and walk in obedience.  He walked away with the mindset that He was going to complete the work He came to do.

So now we come to us.  How has fear caused us to take our eyes off of our Creator and place them on the creation?  When Adam and Eve ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, what did they do when Jesus came walking in the garden?  They ran and hid.  Why?  Fear.  When the disciples were in the midst of a storm that threatened to upend the boat, they cried out to Jesus to save them before they all died.  What were they feeling?  Fear.  Even though they had the Son of God with them, they still felt fear because their eyes weren't on Him, but on the situation at hand.

We clutter our lives with a lot of hay and stubble.  We become comfortable with what we have and use it all to satisfy our fleshly desires.  Then, when something threatens to take any of it away, fear is right there to make us take our eyes off of Who and what are really important and instead focus on what we may lose.  Financial difficulties have a way of making people sort through their priorities and decide what's really important, but still the hay and stubble remain.  Why?  Because we're using this hay and stubble to satisfy our own desires instead of using what the Lord has blessed us with to bless others.  This hay and stubble are the very things that we're told by the world that we "need." 

Fear comes from not having.  I just lost my job... fear.  I took a cut in pay and now can't afford my car payment... fear.  My cable is going to be shut off... fear.  I've just been diagnosed with cancer... fear.  My unwed teenage daughter is pregnant.  What's going to happen to her future?... Fear.  So what is it that we don't have?  Faith.  We don't have faith.  We immediately look at the situation presented to us and we forget about seeking God's guidance and begin using our own intellect to resolve the issue and plan a way out, if possible. 

Sometimes we'll say, "Take this from me, Father!" without realizing that what we're experiencing is what God wants to use to bring us closer to Him, to shape us into who He wants us to be, to prune us so that we may produce fruit.

Faith is more than just believing.  Faith is more than just acknowledging that God has blessed you with all the wonderful things you have in your life.  Faith is also that thing you possess when the bills can't be paid or your child gets sick or your relationship with your spouse seems to be souring or when you find yourself in line at a food bank.  Faith isn't just for the time of plenty, but also for those times when everything seems to be going wrong.  Without faith, fear reigns.  We need to recognize that God is enough.  He was enough for John the Baptist, who spent years in the desert eating locust and honey and dressed in clothes woven from camel hair.  He was enough when the disciples left their livelyhood and families and friends and followed Jesus and eventually spread the word of God to the whole known world.  He was enough for Moses when he wandered through the desert after leaving Egypt or when he was ordered back to Egypt by God to deliver His people from bondage.  He was enough for Joseph when his brothers sold him into slavery. 

When fear creeps in, our reaction should be immediate: stop, pray, believe, and wait (and in some circumstances, rebuke!).  Then seek encouragement by opening up your bible.  Read the accounts of the lives of God's chosen and take heart, for you are one of His chosen as well and an heir to His throne.  Be encouraged as you read about all those who God delivered... those who were obedient to Him.  Joseph, Daniel, David, Abraham, Moses... there are so many stories of tragedy and hope, of betrayal and deliverance. 

When you are worried that you could lose everything, remember that God sometimes needs to reshape and remold you into a vessel through which He can work miracles in the lives of others.  Sometimes God needs to prune the branch severely in order for it to survive and produce much fruit.  Know that when the Lord allows such times in your life, He's not just concerned with the "now" but is also looking ahead when the pruning will produce 30, 60 or 100 times.  He's looking ahead when the vessel He's shaping (you) will be fit to be used to fulfill His purpose.

Everything we possess, from our house and car to the clothes on our back, are temporary.  Even these fleshly bodies are temporary.  So don't fear those who can kill the body but can't touch your soul or spirit, don't fear losing those things you've taken years to acquire, don't fear when everything around you seems to be in an upheaval.  Remember that God is eternal and He is our Provider.  He has already arranged the provision.  We just need to step forward in faith and accept what He has prepared for us for today. 

God knew you before the foundation of the earth was laid.  He saw every sin you would ever commit and He still chose YOU!  That's love!  And what does God say about love?  Perfect loves casts out fear. 

Take heart and don't fear... God is enough.

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Obama Blindsided By The New World Order

This blog was originally written May 11, 2013, when President Obama was still in office. I removed it from my list of published articles after he left office because I didn't think it was relevant, since he was no longer president, but I'm reactivating it just because of the times in which we're currently living and for the fact that, although he's no longer president, he's still actively operating in the background of politics. Please note that although this is my original article, I've added a few brief updates to bring it more in line with current issues we're facing today.

I had a dream, and in this dream, I had been invited to a two day function held by the world elites. I had absolutely no idea why I had been placed on the invitation list. In this dream, I was trying to find the proper clothes to wear before heading down to the banquet hall. Most of the clothes I had with me were dirty and lay strewn across the floor, but I managed to find something clean to put on. I thought it strange that the room I had been given was just a bedroom and not a hotel suite.

There must have been about 200 to 300 people in the banquet room, maybe more. President Obama was among them. Mixed in with the elite were about 25 – 50 people like me, who were just ordinary working class people. There was a podium in the main event room from which various individuals were taking turns giving speeches. Security was being taken seriously because the number of security personnel was off the chart.

The central theme of this event was focused around a woman, who, by her photo, appeared to be Hispanic or Latino, and who had immigrated to America. She had died and the discussion at all of the short high level meetings in the banquet hall was whether we, as a nation, should celebrate this woman's life. There were some people in the room who thought, as I did, that it made no sense because she had not made any significant contribution to our country and her story didn't demand such a nationwide response. I can't remember the exact details of why they felt it was imperative that they go forward with this plan quickly, but President Obama and the elites expressed their desire to use her death for their own political and personal benefit (sound familiar?). 

At this point in the dream, because some of us were questioning the motivation behind this push for a national celebration, we suddenly began to fear as if our lives were in danger; that the President could, at any moment, give the word and a sharpshooter would just take us out. We were bucking the system and not going along with the majority of people who were pushing this narrative, and that was making us targets.

While eating dinner, I felt the eyes of the elite trained on me, especially the ones who were sitting close to me. They were listening to my conversations and were looking at me like I was some kind of river rat who had been invited into their private world, and they weren't happy about it. I felt very awkward and out of place. Some of the elite were self-made millionaires/billionaires who came from nothing, so unlike the other elites who came from "old money," they didn't have a problem with me being there. There were also powerful celebrities at this banquet who were counted among the elite. Don't ask me who these celebrities were, because I don't remember. That's a piece of information I somehow didn't retain (or was forbidden by God to retain). 

The table at which we sat had a partition located directly in front of us. On the other side of this partition was the kitchen, ready to serve you whatever you wanted. All the food was served almost immediately, even though it was made to order. There was a really strange machine that guests would use to wash their hands after dinner. Everyone would queue up to use the same machine. There were special wireless glasses that you had to wear to use this hand washing machine. By tapping the frame of the glasses, a menu would appear on the lens where you could choose the water temp, the speed of the water flow, the amount of soap to dispense, etc... (Glasses like these weren't even invented at the time I had this dream. Now I call that prophetic...lol) When I got to the machine, I had no idea how to use it, so I had to call up the instructions on the machine's flat screen monitor, which gave me a brief 60-second tutorial on how to operate the glasses. Well, by the time I finished washing my hands and was handing the glasses off to the next person, the line was very long, so I was getting a lot of angry looks from people who were very upset by my lack of experience in using this handwashing machine, and because of how long they had to wait in line.

As the dream progressed, the discussion turned to a particular type of weapon that had been developed to be issued to all military branches and to all law enforcement agencies nationwide. It was a type of energy weapon. It was like a super powered taser, only it didn't shoot wires with barbs on the end, it actually shot a stream of electricity.

Suddenly we were notified that there was an emergency news broadcast. The whole banquet room got quiet very quickly. All the lights were dimmed and the monitors were brought up. As I sat alone at a white rectangular table, President Obama appeared and stood on my immediate left. Ignoring me, he clasped the edge of the table with both hands and leaned in to watch the news broadcast along with the rest of us. There was some sort of huge nationwide uprising. This was it! American citizens were standing against the NWO. The military and all law enforcement agencies had already been issued their new energy weapons. As they began targeting people, we all became aware that these weapons weren't made to just take you down, they were made to take you out! They began shooting armed and unarmed individuals, not incapacitating them for arrest, but actually killing them! 

At first the guests at the event the lethal response, but they soon became weary, as they began to comprehend the enormity of the situation and what it might mean to their own personal wealth, power, and safety.

There were some ground vehicles that could actually lift off and fly in the air. They were small one-man vehicles. They could fly on their own or be coupled together (like cars on a train). They were trying to escape the madness on the ground, but they soon found out that they were being followed by uniformed personnel in their own one-man vehicles. These uniformed individuals began shooting down the civilian vehicles left and right, causing civilians to fall to their death. (Could the different vehicles that I saw in the sky in this dream be in reference to various sized aircraft? Everything from single prop planes to private jets to commercial airlines? Could this mean that military aircraft will be shooting down planes? It's a possibility.)

President Obama's reaction was like someone who had been left out of the loop. I got the impression that although he knew the moment was coming, the exact timing of the event wasn't something of which he had any knowledge. He was learning about it in real time, just like us. He even seemed a little disappointed that we had been brought to this point. He seemed to have hoped that the response of the American people wouldn't have been so severe in order to accomplish NWO goals. He just turned from the monitors and resigned himself to the fact that the NWO was now in the process of exerting complete control over the nation. He didn't call DHS or DOD or anyone else to try to stop what was happening. He just let the scenario play itself out.

That was when the elite at the event started fearing for their own personal safety. Like... “Is there nothing that President Obama wouldn't do to get what he wants? Are we all expendable?” (Now, to be clear, I'm not pinning this event on Obama. I think he's just a figurehead in this dream. After all, he wasn't the one calling the shots at this point. To the NWO, he's just as expendable as the rest of us.)

Snipers began taking people out one by one at the event. Then I thought I had seen someone I knew. She walked right past me and went outside without even acknowledging me. I went outside to try to find her. I called her name and when I looked to my right, she was already in her vehicle. She just drove right past me ignoring me as if I wasn't even there.

That's when I realized that she wasn't who I thought she was. She was a decoy sent to get me outside. I immediately looked up and spotted a couple of snipers on top of a tall building on the far side of the property. I put two and two together and realized they wanted to take me out, so I immediately ran back inside and tried to put something between me and the expansive glass façade at the front of the building.

Then the dream flash forwarded. The shooting was over. I was now standing outside near the parking lot. There were some vehicles still left abandoned in the lot. I somehow knew that most of the guests had been killed by the snipers. Although I couldn't see their bodies, I instinctively knew they were dead. I also knew that some of them had survived and had fled on foot. I walked past a small row of cars and just kept walking... alone. There was no one else around.  Anyone who wasn't dead was gone, even the snipers.

That's when I woke up.

Here are a few things I took away from this dream at the time.

• It doesn't matter how rich or powerful you are; it doesn't matter if you're a famous influencer on social media; it doesn't matter how politically connected you are; it doesn't matter if you're a Hollywood celebrity; to those who want to take over the world, everyone is expendable. Even during the Tribulation, EVERYONE will be ordered to received the Mark of the Beast, no exceptions. Even those who thought themselves in control of everything will be forced by the Antichrist to take his mark or die.

• We all know that there are some troops and law enforcement officers who will not think twice about arresting, persecuting, torturing, and/or killing US citizens. The status of the individual doesn't matter. We've seen it in the past, it's happening now, and it will occur in the future. During the Tribulation, people will be ratted out, hunted down, and even killed by those who believe that they're doing a service to mankind and to the world. I'm sure they'll be rewards on the head of every born again believer at that time (whether the reward is in status or is financial). I'm reminded of an article years ago where they reported that the military leadership was instructed to ask troops if they were willing to fire on U.S. citizens if necessary. Those who said they refused were being quietly let go at the end of their tour of duty.

<<< UPDATE JULY 6, 2014 >>>

A while after this article was written, Google glass became a reality, so the technology in my dream has actually been invented! 

Many local police departments have now been militarized, giving police some of the same vehicles, body armor and equipment that's used by our military forces. This coincides with my vision of military and local law enforcement sharing the same military technology.

<<< UPDATE MARCH 22, 2024 >>>

With the massive illegal penetration into United States through our southern boarder, will there be an event that will take the life of a Hispanic/Latino woman that will spark the politicization of this event by the political elites and the rich and powerful (in other words, the NWO) for their own benefit? If the past few years have been any indication, the answer would be a resounding "Yes!"

It's been over 10 years since I first wrote this article, and as time passes, this dream seems to become more plausible. I doubt I will be invited to an actual banquet to stand elbow to elbow with the elite, but perhaps I was invited by the Lord to be an observer to a prophetic view of what's to become of this nation. Is this a warning of the downfall of the United States and an exit from the world stage, thus allowing the Antichrist to finally take power? The United States has been the nation of people that has taken on the task of fighting tyranny in this world and has stood for individual freedom, but as morals erode and the enemy is openly worshipped through entertainment, and as our government becomes more corrupt as the demonic powers and principalities strengthen their grip, it's not difficult to imagine a time when our nation will collapse under it's own sin. A house divided against itself cannot stand. Suddenly, God's gentle hand will become hard, and judgment will be upon this nation. 

REPENT, AND BE FORTIVEN!

BELIEVE, AND BE SAVED!

TRIBULATION HARVEST

The Sword And The Gun

After waking up, getting dressed, taking the dog for a walk, and making myself a cup of tea, I got right into prayer. After prayer I opened my bible and finally settled on reading through a portion of Acts. As I read, I noticed that the Lord has given us examples of how the Apostles and disciples responded to their mistreatment by the authorities, both secular and religious. Time and time again, not once did any of the Apostles or disciples of Christ take up arms or resist in any way. Then I thought, “If it’s okay to fight against a tyrannical government, then where is the evidence of this in the New Testament? Where are the examples of the Apostles' physical resistance to government tyranny?” I couldn't seem to find any examples in the book of Acts, nor could I remember an instance in any other book of the New Testament.

Image: auctionpublicity.com

The founding fathers of our great nation had the foresight to set boundaries in which our government could operate. They also gave the people of this nation the authority to take up arms if our elected officials moved toward creating a tyrannical government. I used to think that coming against a tyrannical government was okay, but then my thoughts began to stir and I began wondering whether I was okay with this because I was walking in the flesh instead of walking in the spirit. Protecting our country from foreign and domestic enemies seems logical.  After all, attacks can come against the citizens of this country from outside our borders or from within. What I can’t seem to understand is where, in the New Testament, are the followers of Christ instructed to rise up against their own government by the use of force. Not even Jesus was concerned enough to speak out and rally against the Roman government during His time on earth. Jesus even went so far as to say that they should give to Caesar what belonged to Caesar and to God what belonged to God.

If we look at online news articles, we can see evidence that our nation is in a downward spiral. It seems as if decisions are being made by major organizations, judges and government officials (from the local level to the White House) that can only harm our nation and bring it to ruin economically, morally and spiritually; to bring us from a position of power in the world to one of submission to a one world authority. Gun confiscation, abortion, post-birth abortion, the Islamization of America, increased persecution of Christians, racial division, economic collapse, gay marriage, corrupt government, etc… In the face of what is happening in our nation, we have the responsibility to stand up and fight the corruption and sin, but we must proceed within the constraints of the law and, more importantly, the word of God. 

You may ask, “Didn't the Apostles and disciples operate in civil disobedience? Doesn't that make it okay for us to do the same?"

What kind of civil disobedience did the Apostles and disciples of Christ participate in? Their civil disobedience was limited to preaching God’s word, healing the sick and casting out demons, even when they were told not to do so upon threat of punishment or death. They certainly did not go beyond this level of civil disobedience to a more violent form by brandishing weapons or committing any form of physical violence.

All you have to do is look at the complete text of the New Testament and you will find only one instance where someone responded to authorities with force. It’s the recorded incident of when Jesus was betrayed by Judas in the Garden of Gethsemane in Matthew 26:50-54. Here Jesus rebukes Simon Peter for taking up the sword and striking the servant of the high priest. A few verses before this, we find that the "large crowd" who came to arrest Jesus were armed with clubs and swords. The modern equivalent would be to have the authorities show up brandishing their guns and tasers. Jesus rebuked them for showing up armed, but He did not resist them. An interesting note, though. In John 18:6 we see the power of God knocking the armed crowd to the ground as Jesus speaks to them. It's sort of a foretaste of what it will be like when Jesus returns and defeats His enemies with the sword from His mouth, which is the Word of God! Okay, getting back to the discussion at hand...

The same incident with Peter and the sword is recorded in the following portions of scripture:

Mark 14:46-48  Although this account doesn't mention Jesus’ rebuke, it does give us more details about the group that came to arrest Him… they appeared with weapons. So with this clarity, we can see that in Matthew 26:52, Jesus rebuked the use of weapons against the Roman and Jewish authorities, even though they approached Jesus and the disciples armed.

Luke 22:48-52  Again, the use of the sword against the servant of the high priest was mentioned, as were the weapons that the Romans (and possibly Jews???) were carrying.

John 18:10-12  Jesus had his hands bound before being led away.

I don’t want to ignore the scripture that so many people seem to quote to justify the taking up of arms against the government. That would be:

Luke 22:35-38  “And He said to them, ‘When I sent you without purse and wallet and sandals, did you lack anything?’ And they said, ‘Nothing.’ And He said to them, ‘But now, he who has a purse, let him take it, and likewise his wallet. And he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one. For I say to you that this which is written must yet be accomplished in Me, "And he was reckoned among the transgressors"; for the things concerning Me have an end.’ And they said, ‘Lord, behold, here are two swords.’ And He said to them, 'It is enough.’”

Now why would Jesus instruct them to purchase swords and then tell them that the two swords that were already in their possession were enough? Obviously it wasn't meant for their present situation because Jesus rebuked Simon Peter for striking out with his weapon.

Were the swords to be used for protection from man or was it for another purpose? Look what Jesus said as recorded in Luke 22:35 “And He said to them, ‘When I sent you without purse and wallet and sandals, did you lack anything?’ And they said, ‘Nothing.’”

We see here that the Lord is making a comparison. Jesus had previously sent them out in pairs to the cities that He intended to visit. They were not to bring money, food or a change of clothing, yet they lacked nothing. Now, Jesus was about to be arrested and eventually crucified, so He would no longer physically be here on earth with them. It's now that Jesus is giving them instructions to take their purse and wallet and sandals. When you look at it that way, it makes sense. Things were about to get difficult for the disciples once Jesus was crucified. The Lord was no longer going to physically be here on earth. The Bridegroom was leaving and the disciples were going to be sent farther away than they had traveled when they were sent out in pairs by Jesus. Just as they didn't fast while the Bridegroom was with them, they didn't need to worry about their provisions while He was with them either.  

Again… why have swords? I believe it’s because Jesus knew that the gospel wouldn't be accepted by many and that the Apostles would need to fend for themselves, sort of like wilderness survival. They would be shaking the dust off their feet of more than one city and they would need to hunt and kill and prepare game for sustenance as they traveled. They would also need protection against any type of wild animal. Not once in the NT do we see anywhere (other than in the Garden of Gethsemane) that anyone actually used the sword or any other type of weapon against those who would come against them for spreading the message of salvation through Jesus. Nor did the Apostles instruct anyone to use a sword for defensive purposes. In fact, it’s quite the opposite.

Act 9:22-25  Paul didn't have a showdown with those who were plotting to kill him. Instead, he left the city secretly. He avoided the confrontation. Some “Patriots” operating in the flesh might see this as being a coward, but if you recall, Jesus escaped death a few times by walking away.

Acts 12:1-17  Herod has James killed by the sword, but there is no evidence James used any weapon to defend himself or that Christians formed a militia to defend James. This portion of scripture also describes Herod’s order to arrest Peter with the intent to kill him as well. Peter didn't fight his own arrest. He was bound and led to prison. What happened? He was delivered by God through a miracle, not through the use of a weapon.

Act 13:49-51  This example shows that the Jews were upset with both Paul and Barnabas and had them thrown out of the city. Again, they didn't fight the forced eviction. How did they respond? The shook the dust off of their feet as a judgment against the inhabitants of the city and they moved on to Iconium.

Act 14:4-6  Here is another example of being attacked by a group of people who were planning on killing Barnabas and Paul. Was their response to defend themselves with their own weapons or to call for backup? No, they became aware of what the authorities and Jewish leadership were preparing for them and they fled from the city. They didn't call for Christian arms against this group… they fled. Again, in the flesh they could be considered cowards, but that’s man’s interpretation of their actions, not God’s.

Act 14:19-21  We have a group of people who have stoned Paul until they thought he was dead. They then drag him out of the city to dispose of his body.  Did he or any disciples fight to protect him? No. After his body was disposed of, the disciples surrounded his seemingly lifeless body and watched in wonderment as he raised himself up on his two feet. Was Paul’s immediate response to seek justice against those who attacked him? No. The word of God says that he went back into the city and then left the next day.

Here’s one more.

Act 16:20-40  Paul and Silas are grabbed, stripped, flogged and thrown into prison with their feet secured in stocks. They didn't draw any weapons and neither did any other born-again believer. They submitted to the authorities, and while in prison that night, they prayed and sang songs to the Lord. What happened next was a miracle. An earthquake… doors flung wide open… shackles removed! The power of God revealed! As we continue reading, we see that the imprisonment of Paul and Silas also led to the salvation of the jailer and his entire family. Paul and Silas had their wounds washed and the jailer brought them to his own house that night and set a table before them. They ate and rejoiced. They were then brought back to the prison before daybreak and word came down that they were to be released. It was only then that Paul mentioned that he was a Roman citizen. This caused the judges to fear because it was against Roman law to injure a Roman citizen. They actually begged Paul and Silis to leave the city. They did… eventually.

Why didn't Paul prevent his punishment by informing the Romans that he was a Roman citizen? Perhaps it was because God wanted them to go to prison so that the jailer and his family could hear the salvation message and repent. Sometimes the Holy Spirit tells us to be quiet, and that’s probably why Paul didn't say anything before he was flogged and put in prison.

This reminds me of the story in Daniel when King Nebuchadnezzar decreed that everyone was to worship his image. Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah (also known by their Chaldean names of Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego) refused to worship the image and they were bound and thrown into the fiery furnace. They had their moment of civil disobedience, but that was because the word of God superseded the king’s law. Did Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah try to physically resist their captors? No. They allowed themselves to be led to the furnace and proclaimed their faith in God by saying, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to return a word to you on this matter. If it is so that our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, then He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods nor worship the golden image which you have set up.” (Daniel 3:16b-18 NKJV)

So here we have documented evidence of incidents that occurred where weapons could have been used for defense, but at no time was a weapon brandished or fists fly. What does that say to us in our current situation?

We need to be about the Lord’s work. If God’s word is in conflict with man’s law, God’s word supersedes the law. If the 2^nd Amendment is watered down or stripped from the US Constitution, we need to obey the law of the land. To form a group under our own authority in order to take up arms against a tyrannical government isn't scriptural.

As Christians, we must operate within the law unless it conflicts with scripture, no matter how unjust we believe the law to be. We must continue to pray that those in a position of power will have a change of heart and that the Lord will move them to back away from their attack on the 2^nd Amendment. If the attack continues and the 2^nd Amendment falls, we have to operate within the law and give up our weapons. That will be a difficult moment in any gun owner's life, whether Christian or not, but it would be necessary to follow the law of the land.

In my opinion, we've waited too long to correct the mistakes that the previous generations have made. The mistakes that this generation has made have compounded the problem. Unfortunately, I see this as an example of reaping what we've sown. As a nation we've supported countries where there are no civil rights or laws protecting the individual liberties of it’s citizens. We've condoned torture, murder and corruption. We've funded and armed rebels who have now become our enemy. Why should we expect our way of life to remain as it has been since the founding of this country? We're reaping the evil that this nation has sown across the face of the earth and within our own borders. God is lifting his hand of protection from our nation.

So what do we do in the meantime? We do what Jesus did, what the Apostles did, what the early church body did... we pray for God's protection and for His will to be done in our life and in our land while we strive to live our lives lead by the Holy Spirit. That’s what we should have been doing all along. By taking up arms, we have become our own protector instead of relying fully on God for our protection. If you still feel you need to arm yourself, you will need to find alternate methods of defending yourself in the eventuality that guns are outlawed or severely restricted. I, myself, don't feel the need to arm myself. I rely on God to be my Protector. I'd rather be injured or lose my life rather than take the life of someone who still has yet to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. But that's just me. Many people don't feel the same as I do.

One thing is for sure, the church age is coming to a close and a one world government lead by the Antichrist is quickly approaching, and no personally owned weapon can stop that from happening. If you have not accepted Jesus Christ (Yeshua) as your Lord and Savior, if you have not submitted your life to Him, please do so. Time is short. Here is a link to the salvation page of my blog.

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Repent and be forgiven! Believe and be saved!

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What Can We Expect From Martial Law?

Although I previously wrote an article about potential scenarios that Christians could relate to if we ever found ourselves in a state of Martial Law.  I'd like to take a more secular view on Martial Law to show that it would not just affect the born again believer in Christ (even though it will curtail our worship).  Let me begin once again by briefly defining what Martial Law is.

Image: beforeitsnews.com

Typically, the imposition of Martial Law accompanies curfews, the suspension of civil law, civil rights, habeas corpus, and the application or extension of military law or military justice to civilians. In other words, say goodbye to the United States as you've known it and embrace an extremely altered future.

So, what exactly does that mean? Well, it means that every aspect of life as we know it here in the United States would be under the control of the government.  That doesn't sound too bad, until you begin dissecting what that entails.

Mandatory curfews

• In the case of extreme emergency, no one would be allowed on the streets at all 24/7. 
• As things improved, citizens would be ordered to be in their home by a certain time and not allowed out again until the curfew was lifted. In this instance, curfew would probably be from sunset to sunrise, ensuring that no one would be out on the streets during nighttime hours.

Transportation curtailed (shipping, aviation, ground transport, railways, etc…)  Note: Executive Order 11005 allows the government to take over railroads, inland waterways, and public storage facilities.  Executive Order 11003 allows the government to take over all airports and aircraft, including commercial aircraft.

• Only military and government personnel allowed on highways.
• All airlines and other aviation traffic will be grounded.
• Military checkpoints will be set up, restricting transportation to local areas only.
• Transportation of goods nationwide will be curtailed. All goods will be obtained through government run distribution centers. These goods include: medical supplies, prescriptions, food, clothing, fuel, cigarettes  liquor, water, baby formula, diapers/incontinence items, pain reliever, personal hygiene items, pet food, etc…
• Railroads will be drafted for use by the government for the transportation of supplies and weapons.

Communications monitored

• Landlines and cell phones
• All forms of online communication

Control of all media  Note: Executive Order 10995 allows the government to seize and control the communication media.

• Television and radio stations will be controlled by the government and will only be allowed to transmit government approved messages and news (expect quite a bit of propaganda).  
• The same will hold true for printed media.

Suspension of civil law, civil rights, habeas corpus, and will replace this with military law or military justice.

• The Constitution will no longer be valid.
• All laws will be based on military law.
• Civil rights will no longer be applicable.
• Habeas corpus will be nonexistent.
• They can arrest you for whatever reason they want.
• They can imprison you without charging you with a crime.
• They can imprison you indefinitely (10, 20, 50 years).
• They are not obligated to provide you with a lawyer.
• You are never guaranteed to see a judge or to enter a courtroom during your entire incarceration.
• No hesitation… If you're out on the street during curfew or if you're deemed a threat for any reason, you can be shot without warning.  It doesn't matter if you're elderly, pregnant or a child.  If you think that can't happen, click here.
• Your home may be searched for any reason and at any time without a warrant.
• Eventually, you will not be allowed to grow your own food (even in a backyard garden) or to raise your own livestock for food.

Identification  Note: Executive Order 11002 designates the Postmaster General to operate a national registration of all persons.

• As Martial Law becomes the norm, everyone will be ordered to obtain a national identification card.
• You will be required to produce the proper identification upon request by any peace officer, US military personnel, UN peacekeeping forces and DHS/TSA personnel.

Relocation  Note: Executive Order 11004 allows the Housing and Finance Authority to relocate and establish new locations for populations.

• Individuals in rural areas of the community will be relocated to a more densely populated area or to a FEMA camp for their own “safety.”
• Individuals resisting Martial Law will be sent to a FEMA camp for “re-education.”
• Christians, who will refuse to sin against the Lord, and will have to disobey orders that would cause emotional or physical harm to others
• Patriots, who will defend the now defunct Constitution.

Slave to the System  Note: Executive Order 11000 allows the government to mobilize civilians into work brigades under government supervision.

• Those who have been receiving assistance from the government through food stamps, welfare, etc.. will be required to work for the system in order to continue receiving this assistance. 
• Those who have become unemployed due to travel restrictions will also be required to work for the government.
• Refuse collection and roadside cleanup
• Rebuilding and repairing roads
• Volunteering as clerks at government distribution centers
• Participate in community beautifying programs
• Work in menial government support positions
• Planting, maintaining and harvesting GMO crops

Where's My Money!  Note: Executive Order 11921 allows the Federal Emergency Preparedness Agency to develop plans to establish control over the mechanisms of production and distribution of energy sources, wages, salaries, credit, and the flow of money in U.S. financial institutions in any undefined national emergency.

• Bank accounts will be seized
• Employee pay rates will be regulated
• The flow of money, including all credit, will be controlled

Resources  Note: Executive Order 10997 allows the government to take over all electrical power, gas, petroleum, fuels, and minerals.

• Rolling blackouts will become the norm.
• Those showing any resistance will have their resources discontinued (water, electricity, gas, propane, cable/satellite television).

Health and Education  Note: Executive Order 11001 allows the government to take over all health, education, and welfare functions.

• Medical and dental care will be rationed.
• Those needing psychiatric care will be sent to a facility for their "personal safety."
• Schools will managed directly by the government. They will will receive instructions and government approved materials to be taught to students from K-College levels.

Redistricting and Elections

• Eventually, counties, regions and states will be redistricted as Martial Law maintains its grip on the nation. The country will be broken up into large regions instead of individual states. This will void individual state sovereignty and consolidate resources.
• Elections will become a thing of the past. The president will work closely with his advisers to seek representatives who he can trust to enforce his decrees.  Those individuals will be placed in the seats of power in each region.

These are just a few examples of what awaits us when our economy implodes or if the US is hit with a huge false flag event (possibly something that affects major areas of the nation).  It could only be a few weeks or a few months away.  How much of what I described will we have to endure before the Lord returns?  We just don't know.  Martial law doesn't even compare to what’s ahead for those who will go through the seven-year Tribulation. It’s just the beginning of a world system that will affect everyone living on the planet, believers and nonbelievers alike.

During the Tribulation, there will be only one hope, and that hope is Jesus Christ.  It's the hope of salvation through the blood of Jesus, a hope sealed by the Holy Spirit, a hope to be realized by our physical death or by the glorious appearance of Jesus Christ at the end of the Tribulation. As we watch the signs of the times, prepare for the worst but hope for the best. Prepare for martial law, but hope that the Rapture precedes it.

God bless and may the peace that passes all understanding fill your heart as we wait for the return of the Bridegroom!

If you like this article, or any of the other information on this web site, please consider following me. You'll be one of the first to be notified when I create new content! You'll find the section at the top of the right hand column on this page. It says, "Follow Tribulation Harvest by Email." After entering your email address, you may be prompted to sign in to your Google account. Thank you!!!

Repent and be forgiven! Believe and be saved!

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Eschatology And Misinterpreting Current Events - Enough Already!

As we get closer and closer to the Rapture, I find that many of my brothers and sisters in the Lord seem to be allowing current events to send them off on wild goose chases. There are many brothers and sisters who are so caught up in eschatology that they are looking for any bit of information, no matter how small, that they can use to confirm their own personal theories of where we are in end time events.

Here are the things I'm hearing online:

• "Obama is the Antichrist"
• "Obama is the clone of pharaoh Akhenaten"
• "We are currently in the middle of the Tribulation"
• "The 7-year peace treaty was signed a couple of years ago in secret"
• "North Korea is going to trigger the events that will bring on the Rapture"
• "The Abomination of Desolation has already happened with Obama's recent visit to Israel"
• "The man who showed up in St. Peter's Square in sackcloth may be one of the two witnesses"

Are you serious, people? Have you thrown wisdom out of the window? Are you now ready to misquote and misinterpret scripture? You look left and you look right as you take in world events, but are you filtering all of this information through the Holy Spirit? Some of you think you are, but you are just deceiving yourself.

There have been other generation who thought that they were going to experience the Rapture, but they were misinterpreting the signs of the time. They weren't filtering that information through the Holy Spirit and they were leaning unto their own understanding of the situations around them. The same can be said for Christians today. Yes, the Rapture and Tribulation is closer than ever. Yes, I believe that the Rapture will happen soon. What I don't believe is that every news item out there is linked to biblical prophecy.

There is a brother online that I follow on YouTube. He's a great brother in the Lord and he has been used by God in healing the sick at church and encouraging his brothers and sisters through his YouTube videos. He happens to be 100% positive, by his own admission, that President Obama is the Antichrist. I don't believe this to be true, as you can see HERE in a separate article I wrote on the subject.

Since this brother believes that President Obama is the Antichrist, he now believes that we are already in the Tribulation. This is only one example how misinterpreting the signs of the time can alter your perception of scripture. Scripture says that the Antichrist will be revealed when he brokers a peace agreement between Israel and her enemies. To believe that Obama is the Antichrist would thus lead you to believe that some secret peace treaty was signed a few years ago and that we're about to reach the midway point of the 7-year Tribulation. Of course, scripture refutes that idea, but wisdom seems to be tossed out the window when worldly understanding takes over our mind.

Why is this happening? It's the work of the Enemy, of course. He is the creator of confusion and will use anything to send the elect spinning in different directions, using their valuable time on this earth to chase after false ideas, which result in conclusions that can in no way be supported by scripture. These brothers and sisters are falling down rabbit hole after rabbit hole, always looking for those precious pieces of information that will support their theory, but which, in the end, lead only to altering the word of God to fit their own desires for confirmation.

I'm writing this article out of love for you, my brothers and sisters. Please... PLEASE... think about what you're doing! You're being used by the Enemy to bring confusion to your own lives and to the rest of the body of Christ and you don't even realize it. Many of you have predicted that certain events would happen and they haven't come to pass. You admit you were wrong, but then go right on predicting what you believe will occur in the near future. Can't you see that the information you're using to predict future events is itself corrupt?  

• Obama is not the Antichrist!  The Antichrist will come as a man of peace, not a man who uses armed drones to kill innocent men, women and children overseas. He is a type of anti-Christ but isn't the true Antichrist.  Nor is he a clone of the pharaoh Akhenaten.
• We can't be almost at the midpoint of the Tribulation for many reasons, one of which is that the Jews haven't even begun construction of the Third Temple on the Temple Mount.
• If Israel is not currently at peace with her neighbors, then how could the 7-year peace treaty have already been signed?
• The man who showed up at St. Peter's Square can't possibly be one of the two witnesses because he recognizes the Pope's authority over him and he is a believer in Catholicism.

I could go on and on. Please, brothers and sisters, think about what you're putting out there, in real life and online. You're passing off lies as truths, you're using scripture improperly to substantiate your claims and you're allowing yourselves to be deceived by the Enemy who only wants to cause confusion among the brethren and keep you off balance. Even common sense is being ignored.

When an event happens, take a step back and compare it to scripture. Don't make scripture fit the event, check to see if the event fits scripture. The Enemy will continue to put information out there that he wants us to chase after in our vain attempt to somehow figure everything out. Don't be deceived! If you continue on, you'll be leading others astray just as Harold Camping did, who by-the-way was thoroughly convinced that he was correct in what he was teaching as well.

One final note.  In the past, I was guilty of this very thing that I'm writing about today, but the Lord corrected me. Will you give Him the opportunity to speak to you as well?

May the Lord guide your thoughts through His Holy Spirit. God bless!!!

If you like this article, or any of the other information on this web site, please consider following me. You'll be one of the first to be notified when I create new content! You'll find the section at the top of the right hand column on this page. It says, "Follow Tribulation Harvest by Email." After entering your email address, you may be prompted to sign in to your Google account. Thank you!!!

Repent and be forgiven! Believe and be saved!

TribulationHarvest.net