On Aug. 2, 2023, Anne Graham Lotz (daughter of Billy Graham) wrote: “If I believe what He (Jesus) said about sin, salvation, forgiveness, the love of God the Father, eternal life, His own identity, and all the other big truths (John 3:16–17; 5:17–21; 11:25–26.), then it stands to reason that what He said about His return is equally true. Jesus is coming! The glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, is imminent! (Titus 2:13).

Ann’s statement is right on target, but it triggers questions in my mind:

• If Christians believe the Bible is the Word of God, why do so many doubt or ignore what it says about the return of Jesus?
• If Jesus is coming back to make this world better (establish peace, justice, and righteousness on earth), why aren’t more Christians excited about it?
• If the return of Jesus is our blessed hope, why are so many Christians living without hope today?
• If the Rapture of the Church is near, why aren’t more Christians talking about the dangers of being left behind, taking the Mark of the Beast, etc.?

I suppose there are many reasons why (unbelief; complicated subject; scary, etc.), but make no mistake about it, Jesus is coming back ready or not, and the number of people that think we are getting close is rapidly growing.

Anyway, here are some recent current events that seem to indicate that we are getting close to the return of Jesus for His church (Rapture).

One, concerning war between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon: on Aug. 1, 2023, Israeli Prime Min. Netanyahu met with Israeli military and security officials to discuss Hezbollah’s actions on Israel’s northern border with Lebanon.

They concluded that the threat of war is the greatest it has been in the last 17 years (since the end of the Second Lebanon War in 2006).

Southern Lebanon is part of the Land that God said Israel will get at the end of the age.

Put another way: Hezbollah is occupying part of the Promised Land and will lose it if it starts a third war with Israel.

(More: On Aug. 3, 2023, Israel notified the UN Security Council that the situation on its border with Lebanon is a powder keg. This writer is not aware of the UN doing anything to calm the situation.)

(More: On Aug. 8, 2023, Israel’s Defense Min. warned Hezbollah and Lebanon that Israel is prepared to strike all of Hezbollah’s assets and return Lebanon to the stone age if Israel is attacked.)

(More: On Aug. 8, 2023, it was reported that Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and other nations are warning their citizens to leave Lebanon. It was also reported that Israel is trying to prepare for casualties and damage in the event that they are struck by thousands of rockets in the next few days.)

Two, concerning the coming global famine: on Aug. 2, 2023, Ukraine’s Pres. Zelensky accused Russia of trying to create a global catastrophe by disrupting the global food supply and collapsing global food markets.

Zelensky was referring to the fact that Russia is preventing the shipment of Ukrainian food exports to other nations, causing the price of food to rise and increasing hunger and famine in Africa.

Three, concerning the 2024 elections: on Aug. 3, 2023, it was reported that a man known for shady dealings, George Soros, has given more than $750,000 and created a political action committee (PAC) to convert the state of Texas from Republican to Democrat.

Large contributions like this one are one reason why many politicians do the bidding of globalists instead of the voters.

The politicians have been bought and paid for.

Four, concerning wickedness (as in the days of Noah): on Aug. 4, 2023, it was reported that crime in Washington D.C. has gotten so bad that the Mexican government (home of the drug cartels) is warning its citizens to avoid going there.

Five, concerning the coming economic collapse: on Aug. 4, 2023, Michael Hartnett, a strategist at the Bank of America (based on Congressional Budget Office data), predicted that America’s national debt will rise $5.2 billion a day every day for the next ten years.

(More: On Aug. 7, 2023, Moody’s cut the ratings of ten small to mid-size banks in the U.S. and said it may soon have to downgrade some of America’s largest banks.)

(More: On Aug. 8, 2023, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York reported that in the second quarter of 2023, credit card debt in the U.S. reached $1.03 trillion.)

(More: On Aug. 8, 2023, at the time this is being written, all the oil being used in the world is being sold in U.S. dollars. On Aug. 22, 2023, the BRICS nations plan to announce that 60% of the oil being used in the world will be sold in their new gold-backed currency. Many experts say this will eventually cause the value of the dollar to drop significantly.)

Six, concerning an Israeli normalization agreement with Saudi Arabia that would be a big step toward peace: on Aug. 7, 2023, Israeli Prime Min. Netanyahu said he believes the two nations could achieve some form of normalization in the coming months.

Time will tell.

Seven, concerning the ashes of a red heifer and a rebuilt Temple: on Aug. 8, 2023, it was reported that the Jews are only months away from having a red heifer that is old enough to sacrifice.

It has also been reported that the Israeli government has discretely shifted some funds to prepare for purification services and possibly the construction of a third Temple.

According to the report, very little is being said about this because it is an explosive issue.

Eight, concerning the coming cashless society and tracking all buying and selling: the opponent of Chancellor Karl Nehammer in Austria’s upcoming election accused Nehammer of planning to ban cash and track Austria’s citizens.

Nehammer has responded by announcing plans to push a law that guarantees Austrian citizens the right to make purchases with cash.

FYI: God does not send anyone to Hell (all of us are born with a sin nature and destined to go to Hell because we sin), but God has provided a way (Jesus) for everyone to go to Heaven (and He is the only way to get there; John 14:6).

Finally, are you Rapture Ready?

If you want to be rapture ready and go to heaven, you must be born again (John 3:3). God loves you, and if you have not done so, sincerely admit that you are a sinner; believe that Jesus is the virgin-born, sinless Son of God who died for the sins of the world, was buried, and raised from the dead; ask Him to forgive your sins, cleanse you, come into your heart and be your Saviour; then tell someone that you have done this.

duck_daymond@yahoo.com

 

 

On July 24, 2023, it was reported that Marshall, Minn. Pastor John Tramm wrote a letter to Minn. Gov. Tim Walz that was signed by 20 Minn. Pastors and hand-delivered to Gov. Walz by Pastor Tramm and Pastor Eric Anderson.

The letter urged Gov. Walz to “Repent, change your ways before it is too late.”

It was prompted by three bills that Gov. Walz signed:

• One that promotes part of the LGBTQ agenda.
• One that could threaten the freedom of speech of professionals that want to warn patients and children about the potential dangers of “conversion therapy.”
• One that grants unrestricted access to abortion.

Tramm said he is praying for Gov. Walz, and he urged other pastors and Christians to stand up and speak out.

Is it possible for people to run out of time to repent and be saved?

It is a debatable subject.

We know that a multitude too great to be counted will hear the gospel, repent, and be saved during the Tribulation Period, but:

• When God shut the door on Noah’s Ark, it was too late for multitudes.
• When the hand wrote on the wall, it was too late for King Belshazzar and thousands of Babylonians.
• When a certain rich man decided to build bigger barns to store his bountiful crop, it was too late for him to do it.

Not everyone agrees, but I believe that those that have heard the gospel but refused to believe it, accept Jesus, and repent of their sins, are running out of time to get saved before they are struck with strong delusion (like the blinding of the Jews or the hardening of Pharoah’s heart).

The Bible clearly teaches that people need to be ready to go on a moment’s notice because:

• The Rapture could happen at any moment without warning (called the doctrine of imminence).
• The Rapture will happen in the twinkling of an eye.
• The Rapture will come upon the earth like a snare.
• People will perish for not receiving the love of the truth, that they might be saved; that God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie; and that all of them might be damned who believed not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Anyway, not all of God’s people agree that someone can run out of time to repent and be saved, but all of them agree that God is a God of grace, and He will gloriously save those that truly repent and accept Jesus before the Rapture.

So, make your salvation sure now, reach your loved ones now, etc., and you won’t have to be concerned about it being too late later.

Here are some recent events that may relate to the end of the age Bible prophecy.

One, concerning natural disasters: on July 28, 2023, it was reported that two-thirds of the U.S. (almost 200 million people) is experiencing an extreme heat wave.

In many places, the heat index ranges between 100 to 110 degrees Fahrenheit.

(Note: The temperature in Pheonix, AZ has exceeded 110 degrees for 30 consecutive days, and the heat index has been higher.)

(Note: On July 28, 2023, UN Sec. Gen. Guterres said, “The era of global warming has ended; the era of global boiling has arrived.” He added that “July 2023 is set to be the hottest month ever recorded in human history.” He wants “dramatic action” to combat it, but that appears to be a push to empower the UN, the WHO, the WEF, and other globalist organizations to control the world.)

Two, concerning an economic collapse: due primarily to high taxes and a high cost of living, California’s population has declined three years in a row.

Businesses and jobs are leaving the state, and it is losing hundreds of millions of dollars of income from tax revenues every year.

Three, concerning the right to buy and sell: in June 2023, UK Brexit Leader Nigel Farage was de-banked, meaning the bank where he was banking (Coutts) canceled his accounts.

Farage believed his accounts were canceled for “political” reasons, and he believed it was wrong for banks to have the ability to control people’s access to their own money.

At first, officials where Farage banked denied that they de-banked him for political reasons, but he filed for and received a report that showed that he was, in fact, de-banked because of his politics, and two of the bank’s top officials were forced to resign.

On July 27, it was reported that Farage said, “Banks should not be and must never become political organizations.”

It sounds to me like Farage was saying he doesn’t believe politically correct bank officials should be allowed to deny people the right to buy and sell because their views are not politically correct.

Students of Bible prophecy can see that this is headed toward the Mark of the Beast.

Here is a similar story, but this one happened in the U.S.

On July 26, 2023, it was reported that Dr. Joseph Mercola’s business (Mercola Market), some of his employees, and some of his employees’ relatives were de-banked for an unspecified reason that the bank refuses to reveal.

Mercola wonders why the bank would de-bank some of his employees and their relatives if it is not political.

The CEO of Mercola’s business said, “It’s just hard to believe that your family, your wife, your kids can’t have a bank account because of the opinions of your employer, and they’ve never done anything wrong.”

Have you got that? JPMorgan Chase Bank not only de-banked the CEO of Mercola’s business, but they also went after his wife and kids, who have nothing to do with the operation of the business.

As we approach the end of the age, isn’t it interesting that two different, very large banks in two different nations (the UK and U.S.) de-banked customers at close to the same time?

Four, concerning a global pandemic: on July 30, 2023, it was reported that the Director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently said the CDC will likely announce in early Sept. that citizens should take an annual vaccination for Covid-19.

Many studies now confirm that the jab has caused heart damage in some patients, so requiring people (including children) to be jabbed every year could be problematic.

Five, concerning Joe Biden’s crime, lies and deceit in Washington, the media, etc.: on July 30, 2023, Zero Hedge reported that an investigative journalist that uses the name KanekoaTheGreat on Twitter said:

• From Rep. Comer: “This is like organized crime” when the corporate media foolishly asks where is the evidence that the Bidens committed crimes?
• American banks have submitted hundreds of suspicious activity reports on the Biden family, alleging their involvement in human trafficking, money laundering, and tax fraud. 
• Congressional investigators have obtained bank account records and wire transfer statements on twenty shell companies owned by the Bidens, which were allegedly used for laundering illegally obtained money from China, Russia, Ukraine, Romania, and Kazakhstan as unregistered foreign agents. 
• This evidence is supported by hundreds of thousands of emails, tens of thousands of text messages, photographs, audio recordings, calendar statements, and ten years of data from Hunter Biden’s laptop, which the FBI took into its possession in 2019. @MarcoPolo501c3 published a comprehensive “Report on the Biden Laptop,” documenting 459 alleged crimes involving the Biden family and their associates, including 140 business crimes, 191 sex crimes, and 128 drug crimes.
• A $1,000 reward is offered for any verifiable corrections, but thus far, no crimes have been disputed.

Here is a link to the article:

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/organized-crime-multiple-banks-filed-over-170-suspicious-activity-reports-bidens

Here is a link to another article by Townhall:

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/rebeccadowns/2023/07/28/suspicious-bank-reports-n2626334

This is just part of the report, and if these things are true, honest people must wonder how the DOJ, CIA, FBI, and others can cover all of this up if they are not corrupt.

(Note: It has reached the point that a few Republican members of Congress have called for the FBI to be defunded or shut down altogether.)

(Note: On July 26, 2023, the district judge that was presiding over Hunter’s sweetheart plea deal with the DOJ threw it out, and some pundits believe panic is beginning to grip Washington, DC. One pundit suggested that the DOJ, FBI, CIA, and others may be going after Trump like they are because they fear what he will do to them if he gets back in power.)

(Note: On July 31, 2023, one of Hunter Biden’s most trusted business partners told the House Oversight Committee that is investigating the Biden corruption that Joe Biden is the “Big Guy” that is mentioned in several texts and e-mails. In the past, it was reported that the “Big Guy’s cut of Hunter’s take was 10%.)

(Note: On July 31, 2023, highly respected law professor, Jonathan Turley, said, “I think this is shaping up to be one of the greatest corruption scandals in the history of Washington, and that is saying a lot.”)

Six, concerning a global population reduction: on July 31, 2023, Dr. Robert Malone, internationally recognized scientist and mRNA researcher, said he has reluctantly concluded that the COVID-19 jabs were a CIA operation to depopulate the world.

(My opinion: This will not sit well with those that want to force everyone to get a global ID and be jabbed. And there is little doubt in my mind that Dr. Malone will soon be accused of spreading misinformation.)

FYI: God does not send anyone to Hell (all of us are born with a sin nature and destined to go to Hell because we sin), but God has provided a way (Jesus) for everyone to go to Heaven (and He is the only way to get there; John 14:6).

Finally, are you Rapture Ready?

If you want to be rapture ready and go to heaven, you must be born again (John 3:3). God loves you, and if you have not done so, sincerely admit that you are a sinner; believe that Jesus is the virgin-born, sinless Son of God who died for the sins of the world, was buried, and raised from the dead; ask Him to forgive your sins, cleanse you, come into your heart and be your Saviour; then tell someone that you have done this.

duck_daymond@yahoo.com