John 6:67-69, Matthew 7:13-14, Isaiah 55:8-9,1 Corinthians 1:18-29,2 Corinthians 11:13-15, John 16:7-13, 2 Peter 1:3

Summary: When Jesus spoke about the Bread of Life, His analogies troubled a lot of His hearers who found His teaching hard to understand (John 6:51-65) and ended up walking away from Him. In asking the disciples if they wanted to go away, Peter’s response was the model of faith and assurance (vv.67-69).

Jesus’ teachings either inspired or infuriated those who heard Him. They continue to have the same effect on anyone who reads His words as recorded in the Scriptures today and decides whether to surrender their lives to Him or reject His mercy and reap the eternal consequences. When He taught about the Bread of Life and used His body and blood as analogies, many people misunderstood His figurative language and thought it sounded like some kind of cannibalism and a source of offense to them. They had ears yet did not really hear the message.

It all ended with a huge number of would-be disciples abandoning Him. He then turned to the twelve men who had given up much to follow Him. He asked if they were going to go away as well. Even if that were to happen, the mission of redemption for which He came would still be accomplished, and His message would still be spread both in Judea, Samaria, and the world (Acts 1:8-11). Others would follow Him, so any thought of His work ending up as a failure was out of the question. He was God Incarnate (John 1:1-4; Colossians 1:16-18), and His Sovereign will would never be altered nor thwarted due to the fickleness and inability of people to think deeper than what was expected of them.

Simon Peter spoke for the small band of loyal men who still clung to His words and who had witnessed His miracles and stood in amazement at the authority He clearly demonstrated. Peter said these words that have grounded countless millions in a faith and life that could not be overcome by the works of the world, the flesh, and the devil. The words of Jesus Christ have life, meaning, purpose, hope, love, grace, and mercy to every man, woman, and child who ever bowed before Him and confessed Him as Lord and Savior, even if the end result was a martyr’s grave dug by the hatred of His foes, both human and hellish.

It is only from the words of Jesus Christ and none other where we receive the eternal and fixed promises of hope and redemption, freedom from the bonds of sin, death, and the literal hell that would be our destination if it were not for His undeserved mercy.

The world and its attempts to lure us away from Him who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6), has no alternative for what He declares and proclaims. Yet, the god of this world, Satan, will continue to try and distract as many people as he can.

What are some of his schemes in relation to the truth of God?

He steers humanity to accept the beliefs and thinking of “the majority,” such as what their peers think or say, or whatever the latest polls would tend to indicate, or the latest trends, plus a host of other deviants. Jesus had a word to say about “majority thinking” (Matthew 7:13-14). They tend to take the “broad road,” especially in terms of religion or personal convictions that are at odds with the Scriptures and the call to travel on the narrow road that leads to salvation. A follower of Jesus will always be in the minority and be subject to persecutions and trouble (2 Timothy 3:12) yet will be delivered from the wrath that is to come on all who reject His offer of salvation.

If we followed the whims of the majority in the days of Noah, we would have perished in the flood (Genesis 6-9) and in the desert in the days of Moses after doubting the report of Joshua and Caleb (Numbers 14:6-9, 27-30).

The devil also uses the pronouncements of human wisdom, using it to lead people into a false oasis of truth and hope. Educators, media personalities, and “pop” psychologists try and persuade the public that we are the center of all that is and nothing else needs to be examined, studied, or questioned. This is in clear violation of the decree of God (Isaiah 55:8-9), and He uses the preaching of the Gospel to present the truth and the true wisdom that too many people are unwilling to accept or believe (1 Corinthians 1:18-29). He uses the words and teachings of “preachers,” so-called “prophets,” and self-appointed “apostles” in these last days to turn people away from the Gospel and instead settle for a diet of ear-tickling fluff and icing that soothes egos and affirms our sense of worth and “esteem.”

These false teachers were a problem for the first-century church and are as a flood in these last days, all predicted in Scripture (Acts 20:28-31; 2 Corinthians 11:13-15; 2 Timothy 3:1-8, 4:1-5; 2 Peter 3; Jude). Our lack of biblical literacy and study has played a major role in this deception (Acts 17:11); and not only will these false shepherds be condemned for their treachery (Matthew 7:21-23), but we will be held accountable as well for putting up with them in the name of “tolerance” and “diversity” (2 Corinthians 5:10).

We also use the dictates of our “consciences” and the direction of our “feelings” as some kind of truth monitor. Our consciences are like clocks in that they have to be set properly, and that is only by the skill of the One who made them, none other than the LORD Himself. He is the Master Craftsman who takes us and makes us into fit vessels for service. Scripture warns of feelings and a conscience void of moral and ethical standards (Matthew 15:12-14; Acts 23:1, 26:9-11; Proverbs 14:12, 28:26; Jeremiah 10:23).

Who is it then we should go to in order to receive reality, fact, truth, and assurance?

None other than the Lord Jesus Himself. The Scriptures tell us as much. It is Jesus who provides the “food which endures to everlasting life” (John 6:27,35,40). He is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (John 14:6). He has been confirmed by God the Father through His miracles and resurrection (John 5:36; Romans 1:4). His apostles were prepared by Him to carry on and complete His work under the guide of the Holy Spirit (John 16:7-13). They were His spokesmen under His authority (1 Thessalonians 4:1-2, 8; 1 John 4:6; Jude 17), teaching the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:20-21, 37; 2 Peter 1:3) and writing the New Testament as the Divine Word to teach us today (Ephesians 3:3-5; 1 Corinthians 14:37; 2 Thessalonians 2:15, 3:14; Jude 3).

It is obvious that it is Jesus and no one else to whom we need to go. He is the Son of God, the One who gives the eternal words of life, and the One who today calls you to come home out of the fog and despair of the world and its concoction of counterfeits, deceptions, and lies. Peter declared Jesus to have the words of life. After reading this message, you would have to agree with him and place your faith in Christ just as he and countless others have done throughout history.

donaldwhitchard@gmail.com

www.realitycityreverend.com

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Donald was born and reared in the authentic “Cajun Country” of southern Louisiana. He is a graduate of Louisiana College (B.A. in History Education/ Biblical Studies, 1984), New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (M.Div. In Christian Education, 1994), and Andersonville Baptist Seminary (Doctor of Ministry, Biblical Exposition, 2000). He has been in the Gospel ministry since 1986, serving as an evangelist, interim and supply pastor, hospital and rescue mission chaplain, high school and college teacher, and pastor in churches in Louisiana and Oklahoma.

In 2018 he began to devote his time to the rich field of internet and social media evangelism and outreach. In 2021 he became a member of the Oklahoma Conference of Southern Baptist Evangelists, using his skills as a writer to contribute articles and sermons to websites such as Rapture Ready, Sermon Central, and Inspirational Christian Blogs. He also writes Bible studies and curricula for churches in southeast and central Asia and Africa, the locations of which are anonymous. He can be contacted at: donaldwhitchard@gmail.com for inquires, information, and speaking/preaching engagements. His website is: www.realitycityreverend.com . A copy of his resume is also available upon request.

Ukraine Conflict May Answer Ominous Omission in End-Times Prophecy

1. Follow the bread crumb trail back to the source of the Ukraine conflict, and you arrive at the 2014 Obama-Biden CIA.
2. The CIA created the Nov. 2013 to Feb. 2014 demonstrations which became known as the Maidan (lit., “town square.”) What spawned the unrest: anti-Russian Ukrainian protesters objected to Ukraine’s sudden decision not to sign the European Union–Ukraine Association Agreement, instead choosing closer ties to Russia and the Eurasian Economic Union.
3. (The CIA has a long history of overturning governments by marshaling and transforming public protest (e.g., Iran, Guatemala, Congo, Dominican Republic, Vietnam, Brazil, Chile, and now Ukraine.)) The ultimate object here was to turn Ukraine to the West and oust the Russians from their Black Sea port Sevastopol, as an Italian journalist writes.
4. Maidan protests were supported and even funded by globalist George Soros, which he acknowledged to CNN.
5. As the coup de grâce, the CIA used a false flag operation to topple the government: their trained snipers were positioned atop city center buildings appearing to be government forces shooting down on the protesters. The purpose of the false flag was to create chaos and build empathy for the Ukraine, anti-Russian “freedom and democracy” movement. The shooters killed 110–123 protesters and 18 police officers (February 18-20, 2014).
6. Killing some on your own side to further bigger goals makes no sense to the rational mind, but geopolitics and subterfuge that leads to war is not “rational.” Quoting from a 2014 feature on theworld.org: “Oleksandr Yakymenko, the former head of Ukraine’s Security Service, claimed this week (March 14, 2014) in an interview with TV channel Rossiya that pro-Maidan (pro-Western) organizers were the ones behind the Feb. 20 shootings.” (Some reports have it that Russians were directly involved.)
7. The contention here by Yakymenko is that protest organizers – Ukraine nationalists, led by CIA — sacrificed some on their own side to create a greater impact, harden the feelings, move more to action, and create a “greater good.” This is a parallel to the “inside job” takedown of the World Trade Center and 2,996 innocents murdered to ignite the Iraq War, and Bush’s payback for Saddam.
8. Special ops forces never hold news conference to explain their actions, so what’s done in secret is never made clear to civilians. Situation remains murky at best.
9. As a result, the democratically-elected Ukraine leader Victor Yanukovych was ousted (2014). These pro-West, anti-Russian leaders followed him: Turchynov (briefly, 2014), Poroshenko (2014-2019, and now, Zelenskyy (2019-). Poroshenko prosecuted a contained war in the Donbas region vs. pro-Russian forces and civilians. It goes on today. It would take years for Russia to respond, but the situation eventually escalated to today’s country-wide hot war.
10. Before invading, Putin sought peace, asking security guarantees, in writing, that would:

• prevent NATO from further eastward expansion, especially including Ukraine,
• withdraw NATO forces in Eastern Europe back to their 1997 positions,
• forego deployment of offensive weapons near Russia’s borders,
• remove military bases in post-Soviet bloc countries,
• recognize Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk independence,
• ban ultra-national parties (so-called “neo-Nazis”) in Ukraine, including those waging war in the Donbas.

11. Putin was ignored.
12. Putin’s predecessor Khrushchev yielded to JFK’s demands to remove missiles from Cuba (1962), but Biden stiffed Putin 60 years later. It is said the two despise each other, akin to the Bush-Saddam antipathy.
13. Even as his invasion was rolling out, Putin offered to stop “in one moment” if his demands were met. Again, ignored.
14. NATO’s consumption of former Soviet satellites since the 1999 fall of communism has been prodigious and relentless: Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary (1999); Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Bulgaria and Romania (2004); Albania and Croatia (2009); Montenegro (2017); and North Macedonia (2020).
15. NATO planned to add Ukraine, Georgia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia.
16. The Biden family knows Ukraine well: Hunter sat on the board of Burisma for $50,000 per month while Biden père father was VP. Some believe Hunter’s lost laptop will implicate Biden, Sr. as being on the take as well. Meanwhile, Hunter is under grand jury investigation for tax fraud, and daughter Ashley Biden’s diary allegedly makes serious indictments against her father. This is why some call it the “Biden crime family.”
17. After the “success” of the Maidan riots, emboldened Ukrainian neo-Nazis attacked a unity march in Odesa (May 2, 2014) in the Odesa city center. Pro-Russians took shelter in the Trade Unions House; pro-Ukrainian militants set fire to it. Some 46 pro-Russian and two pro-West activists were killed in the chaos. More than 200 people were injured.
18. The Azov’s (now an official battalion in the Ukraine national guard) are considered responsible for the Odesa massacre. The Azov’s are based in Mariupol, which Putin has just leveled, and this explains a lot. Ukrainian Jewish oligarch Igor Kolomoisky funds both the Azov’s and Zelenskyy.
19. The CIA trained the Azov’s in Ukraine and in the US. The Azov’s amount to an American proxy, to tangle with and wear down Russia.
20. In 2016, an Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe report [OSCE] concluded that the Azov Battalion was responsible for crimes including mass killing of prisoners, the concealment of corpses in mass graves, and the systematic use of physical and psychological torture techniques.
21. In October 2019, 40 US Congress members called for the US State Department to designate Azov as a “foreign terrorist organization” (FTO).
22. One pundit put it well when he headlined a recent report: Today’s Ukrainian War Heroes were Yesterday’s White Supremacists and Neo-Nazis Fighting Russia.
23. The September 5, 2014, Minsk agreement between Russia, Ukraine, and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe report [OSCE] called for the removal of the belligerent military groups like the Azov’s in Ukraine. Ukraine never honored it and upped the ante by incorporating them into government and military.
24. Crimea, Donetsk and Lugansk voted to rejoin Russia (2014). Ukraine refused to recognize them.
25. Instead, Poroshenko’s Ukraine declared war on Donetsk and Lugansk. It started with discrimination on jobs, pensions, and education.
26. Then came the random and indiscriminate bombings for eight years. These claimed countless victims and forced citizens underground. The media doesn’t report this. It is not “the narrative,” i.e., the pro-war narrative.
27. Russia’s 2022 invasion evoked Western moral outrage (not so the US and/or NATO invasions of Yugoslavia (1991), Kosovo (1999), Afghanistan (2001), Iraq (2003), and in Libya and Syria (2011)).
28. Globalist Zelenskyy is a graduate of Klaus Schwab’s World Economic Forum Young Leaders program, the Harvard of globalism (along with Macron, Ardern, Trudeau, Buttigieg, Ivanka Trump, uber-censor Zuckerberg, and countless others).
29. Ukrainian parliamentarian Kira Rudik told Fox News while holding a Kalashnikov: “We know that we are not only fighting for Ukraine, but also for the New World Order.” (Some say Ukrainians use the phrase differently from those in the West, but this is uncertain when seen in context.)
30. Globalists seek to create the New World Order, i.e., an elite-ruled, totalitarian world government which will ration energy and food, restrict travel, and install digital currency, digital IDs, and a Chinese-style social credit system to control humanity in every way. (This is the Beast of the Book of Revelation, the one that requires the mark in the forehead or hand that leads to eternal damnation.)
31. Globalists seek to inveigle the US into the Ukraine war to destroy it and pave the way for their one-world government.
32. Russians and Ukrainians are closely related ethnically; both are Slavic peoples. Ukraine is not a part of NATO, and the US has no business in this fraternal conflict.
33. Nevertheless, the media agitates for war by not telling the whole truth of the conflict. As Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò wrote, “If the world media have so far been able to lie shamelessly on a matter of strict scientific relevance, spreading lies and hiding reality, we should ask ourselves why, in the present situation (Ukraine), they should suddenly rediscover that intellectual honesty and respect for the code of ethics widely denied with Covid.”
34. Here’s the rub, and it’s a doozy: While its tanks may be stuck in Ukraine, reportedly Russia has far surpassed the US in nuclear capability, both offensive and defensive. Michael Snyder writes: “The Russian RS-28, sometimes known as the “Satan II,” has been in development since 2014, and was famously described as “capable of wiping out parts of the earth the size of Texas or France,” by Russia’s state-owned media. The missile has a range of 6,385 miles and carries a warhead jam-packed with Multiple Independent Reentry Vehicles (MIRV) that boast a combined destructive yield of 50 megatons. In other words, the RS-28 Sarmat carries a destructive yield greater than 35 times that of the US Minuteman III.”

Russia has developed hypersonic missiles which cannot be defended against; the US has no counterpart. Similarly, Russia’s nuclear defense capability is now far beyond its adversary. The US is outgunned but is strutting on the stage in accordance with the way things were 50 years ago.

How Ukraine plays out is anyone’s guess.

The possibility persists that because of America’s relentless super-imperialism and/or fealty to the left, Ukraine will be the final linchpin that comes loose and causes the wheels to come off for America, the goal of the one-world elites.

The leftist enemies of America are now atop and within the government, atop and within the intelligence services, and atop and within the Pentagon as the shameful (and too-horrible-to-be happenstance or bad management) withdrawal from Afghanistan showed the entire world. Many, most? Americans are woke and smugly asleep.

Not even a blinding flash of light will awaken the woke. By then, though, too late.

Like the too many Hollywood stars who took their own lives, woke America appears to have a death wish, and yet may have its way.

Ominous Omission

Perhaps the most ominous aspect of the Ukraine crisis, to believers, is that while a number of nations are named in Bible prophecy, e.g., foremost Israel, as well as Russia, Iran, Turkey, etc., America is not. It is a black hole, an “ominous omission” in prophecy for the (once) foremost nation in the end times to be absent mention.

Many have tried to find the USA in scripture, often trying to make the “young lions” of Ez. 38.13 fit, but it’s a bit of a contortion and falls short of a definitive identification. In the end, no one knows for sure the exact why and how of the omission. The absence of America in prophecy remains a mystery.

We can only wonder:

Is America drawn into this war and then (a) destroyed or (b) reduced to insignificance by next-generation Russian nuclear or similar weapons (EMP?) or (c) sidelined by acquiescence to the Marxist Left and/or New World Order?

Whatever the case, it surely feels like it’s time to “look up, for your redemption draws near.” As a family member wrote me recently, and prophetically, weeks before she unexpectedly went home to be with the Lord, “it is a time of suddenlies.” As we read: 1 Thessalonians 5:2, “You know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.”

A 3 a.m. home invader shocks like a heart attack. What could be more shocking than the sudden demise of America? “In the last days, perilous times will come,” Paul said to Timothy, and now, because of the nuclear threats made by Putin, that peril is on us as never before.

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John Hamilton is the author of False Flags, State Secrets, Government Deceptions: A Short History of the Modern Era, and THE COVID VACCINE: And the silencing of our doctors and scientists.