No Greater Love :: By Nathele Graham

Published on: April 17, 2022 by RR7

Love is essential to humans. The love of a parent for their child is the first thing a baby should feel. That love should be shown in many ways. Feeding the baby, even at 2 AM when it would be much nicer to stay in bed and sleep. Changing dirty diapers so the little one is comfortable. Teaching the child to walk and talk is the parent’s responsibility, and in the process of learning to walk, the little one will take many falls. A good parent will encourage and help the child to try again and again until soon those little feet are running into all sorts of mischief. That brings about another form of love, discipline.

As parents, we have to sacrifice a lot in order to raise a child to be a responsible adult and make good choices. Hopefully, that child has learned about love, true love, not the lust of the flesh, but the agapao love of God. Agapeao is a verb… an action. God always demonstrates love. The noun form is agape, which is what we usually think of when describing God’s love and is the love that Christians need to show to each other. God is love.

God created the world and all that’s in it, then Adam made a choice to sin, and that choice had an eternal cost. Because of sin, humanity could no longer have fellowship with God. The immortal life Adam and Eve experienced in the Garden of Eden was now a life ruled by death. God could have left Adam and his descendants to die in sin and be separated from Him forever, but God’s love for His creation didn’t end with Adam’s sin. There was one way for the separation to be mended, and that was for God’s blood to be shed. That is the only way for sin and death to lose its hold upon the soul of mankind. God spoke to His prophets, and they wrote His words in Scripture. There were many prophecies concerning the coming Redeemer.

Job, after going through much suffering and loss at the hands of Satan and unkind words from people who called themselves friends, proclaimed “For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed” (Job 19:25-27).

That’s quite a proclamation by a man who lived many centuries before Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem. Job had faced much suffering, but that suffering drew him closer to God. We are never promised we won’t face trials and tribulations, but if we have faith in God, He will see us through.

Many prophets spoke God’s words of prophecy. The prophet Isaiah told of the coming Messiah and how He would suffer for sinners.

“He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? For he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth” (Isaiah 53:3-9).

Jesus suffered much in order to purchase our redemption. The accounts of His betrayal and the trial He faced can be read in the Gospels. Isaiah uttered these words centuries before Jesus was born, but the description of His death and burial is totally accurate. Jesus knew He would face these things, but He chose to be our sacrifice to take our sin away. He was despised by the religious leaders. He was betrayed by one of His followers, and another of His disciples denied knowing Him. Jesus had no sin but was beaten and then crucified for us. He took our sin upon Himself and felt the emptiness when God the Father turned away from Him. Our Heavenly Father cannot look upon sin. Jesus faced all of the abuse willingly for you and me.

Because of Him, we are redeemed and reconciled with God by faith. Oh Jesus, thank You.

Adam’s sin brought eternal death to mankind. Before the cross, a person had to follow the Jewish Law perfectly, all the while looking forward to the coming Messiah, in order to avoid eternal damnation. It was impossible for a person to live perfectly and do the works of the Law. When a person died, their body went into the grave, but their soul went to the abode of the dead, called Sheol in Hebrew. There were 2 parts to this abode. One side was called Torments, and this is where the wicked are awaiting judgment at the White Throne of God. The other side was known as Abraham’s Bosom, or Paradise. This side was where those who looked forward to the coming Messiah awaited His appearance. When Jesus told the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus, He described a very poor and sickly beggar named Lazarus.

“And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; and in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom” (Luke 16:22-23).

We learn a few things from this passage. After our body dies, our soul lives on. We remember people we knew in life and can recognize them. We know that Hell is a real place of eternal torment, but we also know that Paradise is also real. The rich man made his own choices in life, which caused him to spend eternity in Torments. Lazarus also made his own choices. He suffered much in life but kept his faith. When he died, he was carried to the place of comfort after death. The rich man also remembered his family, who were still living. He could have no contact with them, but he still cared about the choices they were making in life.

“And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence” (Luke 16:24-26).

The choice of where to spend eternity must be made now. Once we pass from this life to the next, we can’t change where we spend eternity.

Then the rich man asked for Lazarus to be sent to his father’s house. “For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment” (Luke 16:28).

Abraham explained that, like everyone, they had Moses and the prophets to guide them in life. We also have Scripture to guide us. Today, we also have The New Testament. The rich man kept trying and wanted Lazarus to be sent to his family so they would repent. Obviously, the entire family was of the same mindset of having no mercy upon the less fortunate, and they also knew Lazarus and showed no kindness.

Abraham told the rich man, who wasn’t so rich in death, “And he said unto him, if they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead” (Luke 16:31).

After Jesus’ death on the cross and His resurrection, anyone who places faith in Him will go immediately to Heaven after death.

That story should cause everyone to look differently at our choices in life. We have one who rose from the dead—Jesus Christ. His birth is celebrated at Christmas, and His death, burial, and resurrection is celebrated in what is called Easter. Jesus was God incarnate and gave His life so we can live eternally.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

Jesus shed His blood to take sin away. Your sin and my sin. It’s sin that separates us from God the Father, but the blood of Jesus reconciled us to God. Like the rich man, you and I have to make the choice now, before death carries us to our eternal abode. It’s an individual choice that nobody can make for you. If you reject the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, then you will spend eternity in torments with Satan and with the rich man.

The prophet Hosea prophesied regarding Christ’s victory over death, “I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes” (Hosea 13:14).

The Apostle Paul quoted Hosea in his first letter to the Corinthians about the sting of death. “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:55-58).

Jesus Christ conquered death. He shed His blood so that by faith, we will live forever with Him in Heaven.

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).

Jesus Christ was fully God and fully human. He freely laid down His life and was crucified on the cross. He was buried in a tomb that was sealed by a heavy stone so no one could steal His body. Roman soldiers were posted to guard His grave. In spite of man’s efforts to kill Him and erase all memory of Him, those efforts are in vain. Jesus Lives!! On the third day after the crucifixion, His tomb was empty. Mary Magdalene had been to the tomb early and found the stone rolled away. She ran to tell the disciples. Peter and John ran to see for themselves.

“So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter and came first to the sepulchre. And stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in. Then cometh Simon Peter following him and went into the sepulchre and seeth the linen clothes lie, and the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself. Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw and believed. For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead” (John 20:4-9).

The disciples had a lot to think about. They knew Jesus had died, but they had forgotten the many prophecies concerning His resurrection. Study Scripture to know God’s truth, and don’t be swayed by Satanic lies.

“For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).

The Scriptures referred to are Old Testament Prophecies. More prophecy is being fulfilled today, and soon we will be taken Home in the Rapture, according to Scripture. Don’t neglect to study Biblical prophecy.

There’s no greater love that has ever been shown than God Himself entering His creation and laying down His life so that by faith in Him, a sinner such as I can live eternally with Him in Heaven.

God bless you all,

Nathele Graham

twotug@embarqmail.com
ron@straitandnarrowministry.com

Recommended prophecy sites:

www.raptureready.com
www.prophecyupdate.com
www.raptureforums.com

All original scripture is “theopneustos,” God-breathed.

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Enormous Economic Repercussions :: By Daymond Duck

Published on: April 17, 2022 by RR7

On Apr. 6, 2022, U.S. Treasury Sec. Janet Yellen told a panel in the U.S. House of Representatives that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, “including the atrocities committed against innocent Ukrainians in Bucha, are reprehensible, represent an unacceptable affront to the rules-based global order, and will have enormous economic repercussions for the world.”

Notice the words “enormous economic repercussions for the world” as in “global economic collapse.”

This writer doubts that Yellen is anticipating that Jesus will break the seals on the seven-sealed scroll that will release the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and the Tribulation Period (Rev. 6:1-8), but it is easy to believe that world government, wars and rumors of wars, famine, economic collapse, pestilence, and the death of multitudes are likely on the horizon.

Why?

Because it is coming out of the mouths of world leaders, and it is in the news every day.

Here are more events that recently made the news.

One, concerning famine: on Apr. 8, 2022, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said the price of a basket of commodities went up 12.6% in Feb. 2022. This is the highest one-month jump since the U.N. started tracking prices in 1990.

(More: On Apr. 8, 2022, Bank of America (BofA) chief investment strategist, Michael Hartnett, sent a note to BofA clients that said, “‘Inflation shock’ worsening, ‘rates shock’ just beginning, ‘recession shock, coming.”).

(Note: Biden is blaming the inflation on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and that is having an impact, but the rise in inflation started with Biden’s destruction of U.S. energy independence, it accelerated with Biden’s multi-trillion-dollar spending bills, and it is increased by free education, healthcare, telephones, etc., to hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens crossing our border with Mexico.)

Two, concerning wars and rumors of wars: on Apr. 5, 2022, U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley and U.S. Sec. of Defense Lloyd Austin told the House Armed Services Committee that the world is becoming more unstable and the “potential for significant international conflict is increasing, not decreasing.”

Notice that the U.S. military believes the world is becoming more unstable and the potential for significant wars is increasing.

Gen. Milley characterized Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as “the greatest threat to the peace and security (peace and safety) of Europe and perhaps the world” in the 42 years he has served in the U.S. military.

This globalist quest for peace and safety will eventually focus on Israel (see I Thess. 5:3).

Three, concerning the tracking of all buying and selling: Glen Beck was recently talking about a New York Times (NYT) report on the World Government Summit that was held in Dubai on Mar. 29-30, 2022.

Here is part of what Beck said: “Let me translate. If the Fed issues a digital currency, which the Pres. (Biden) is now asking the Fed in an executive order to explore … the Fed Coin will differ materially from cash because no purchase will be anonymous …. This is in the NYT. Please don’t say it’s conspiracy, and please don’t say it could never happen here. Don’t ever say those things again. You must understand we are living in a very different world. All of the old rules are gone …. This is the final grab of total power globally.”

Here is a link to what Beck said:

https://endtimeheadlines.org/2022/04/elites-tease-our-new-world-order-at-global-summit/

(Writer’s comment: The statement that no purchase will be anonymous means the government will be able to track all buying and selling. Beck’s statement that this is a total power grab means the government will be able to control everyone. Praise God that the Rapture will take place before we get to that, but people need to understand that God reveals what He intends to do before He does it (Amos 3:7). A digital currency is under consideration in the U.S. now; a digital currency could become a reality in the U.S. in a matter of months, and it will ultimately be a global reality. Yes, the world has changed, and we are closing in on the Rapture and the Tribulation Period.)

Four, concerning the Ten Kings: on Apr. 5, 2022, Ukrainian Pres. Zelensky addressed the United Nations (U.N.) Security Council.

Zelensky said, “You could do two things: Either remove Russia as an aggressor and a source of war so it cannot block decisions about its own aggression or, if there’s no alternative, then the other option is for the Security Council to dissolve itself altogether.”

The U.N. Security Council has 5 permanent members (U.S., France, UK, Russia, and China) that have veto power over “substantive” resolutions and 15 non-permanent members that do not have veto power over those resolutions.

This power that only 5 nations have has long been viewed by some as unfair, and calls for reform are common.

Zelensky is a World Economic Forum globalist, and his call for the U.N. to act or dissolve may soon fulfill Bible prophecy because Ten Kings will ultimately be empowered to replace the U.N. Security Council and head up the New World Order.

(By the way, this writer is not a fan of the U.N. and would love to see it totally and permanently dissolved, but I believe the U.N. will be restructured and empowered, not dissolved.)

Five, concerning an increase in the frequency and intensity of natural disasters at the end of the age: the month of Mar. 2022 had the most tornadoes in the U.S. on record (more than 250).

Six, concerning the decline of the U.S.: on Apr. 6, 2022, it was reported that Pres. Biden’s budget proposal for 2023 will reduce the U.S. army by 12,000 troops.

With wars and rumors of wars increasing and the Tribulation Period looming, America probably needs to strengthen its military, not weaken it.

Seven, concerning reprobate minds: it has been reported that massive government spending is threatening the global economy, causing inflation, the U.S. is reducing the size of its army, etc., but Biden intends to buy thousands of cell phones each month from China and give them to immigrants that are illegally entering the U.S.

Eight, concerning world government: a reader sent me a notice of a meeting on Apr. 12-13, 2022, to discuss a “legally binding global pandemic treaty.”

According to the notice by a group called “Stand for Health Freedom,” the World Health Organization (WHO) has established a group to work on a global pandemic treaty and present it at the 2024 World Health Assembly.

Globalists want to take over the world’s food supply, the world’s healthcare, everyone’s income, and they have an eye on the world’s pension funds.

Citizens need to start speaking up because there will be enormous economic repercussions to what they are trying to do.

Here is a link: https://www.facebook.com/standforhealthfreedom/

Nine, also concerning world government: an article was posted by Dr. Joseph Mercola warning that Klaus Schwab, head of the World Economic Forum (WEF), elitists in the Deep State, the big-tech industry, the BlackRock investment firm, and others want to do more than try to control everyone’s life.

Schwab’s top advisor, Dr. Yuval Harari, is saying corporations and governments may soon be able to hack into humans and fundamentally change, re-engineer or redesign them into beings that can be improved and controlled.

Some excellent prophecy teachers believe these “re-engineered” beings may be like the Nephilim that came into being before God decided to destroy the world with the Great Flood (Gen. 6:1-4).

Ten, concerning deceit, more oil production, lower inflation, lower fuel costs, etc.: on Apr. 11, 2022, it was reported that OPEC has told the E.U. that Russia produces about 7 million barrels of oil per day.

The OPEC official said if the E.U. boycotts Russian oil and keeps about 7 million barrels of oil off the market every day, OPEC does not have the ability to make that up.

(Note: U.S. oil producers could increase their production, which would lower gasoline prices, inflation, help the poor and middle class, etc., but Biden refuses to allow it and continues to blame Russia. He said he is doing everything in his power to bring prices down, but that is obviously not true.)

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