General Articles

The Supernatural Voice of God :: By Nathele Graham

Published on: by RR7

 

There’s no denying that we live in a time of turmoil and craziness. I hear many people say they can feel something’s about to happen.

“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God” (2 Timothy 3:1-4).

These certainly are perilous times, and Paul is very accurate in describing much of humanity today. Even non-Christians can feel there’s something in the air. There’s a fine line between the natural world in which we live and the supernatural one. Most of us have been taught that we aren’t to dabble in the supernatural and occult. That’s good advice, but in avoiding the evil that exists in the supernatural state, we forget that God Almighty is also supernatural. After a while, we are so concerned with not crossing the line to evil that we close our eyes to all the supernatural and deny God’s power.

“Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away” (2 Timothy 3:5).

Don’t be deceived, and don’t let anyone weaken your faith. We need to be careful, but we need to discern.

I’ve always admired Abraham. He lived in a very heathen place where the forces of evil were accepted as normal. There were gods for this and gods for that. His family worshiped idols.

“And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods” (Joshua 24:2).

How is it that when he heard the voice of the one true God speak to him, he knew it wasn’t a demon speaking? That’s what false gods and idols are — demons. They are part of the supernatural world that we need to avoid. Abraham was able to tell the difference, and because he obeyed God’s voice, the whole world is blessed. He and his wife had many adventures on their way to the land God had promised to Abraham. In his old age, long after Sarah was of child-bearing age, he became the father of Isaac (the promised son), who in turn was the father of Jacob, who was the father of the twelve tribes of Israel. Each of those sons had struggles, but because they were ultimately obedient to God, we have the nation of Israel today. And more importantly, today, we have the Messiah.

Demons speak to people, and unfortunately, people listen. False religions have been started by those who have listened to the voice of a demon, for instance, Islam. Much evil has been done in the world because people listen to demonic voices, for instance, the Holocaust. Satan has had many years to lay the groundwork to steal souls through lies and deceit. The Hippie era was a time when many people took hallucinogenic drugs and opened portals for demons to enter the minds and control the actions of many people. Be very careful about what you take into your body.

In listing the many works of the flesh, which are attitudes and actions that are opposed to God, the Apostle Paul included “Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies” (Galatians 5:20).

The word “witchcraft” is from the Greek word “pharmakeia” and means “the use or the administering of drugs, poisoning, sorcery, magical arts, often found in connection with idolatry and fostered by it.” We need to be vigilant that we don’t fall under the demonic spell of the works of the flesh. We live in very perilous times as we approach the very end of time. Evil is growing stronger, as Christians are deceived by the world. God told us it would happen, and it’s up to us to discern the voice of the Lord and avoid the voice of Satan. Even the most devout Christian can be deceived if they don’t follow God’s truth completely.

We are the end-times generation, and Scripture has much to say about what we can expect. Basically, evil will continue to grow stronger as Christians choose to listen to other supernatural voices than God’s. The disciples asked Jesus about the end of the age, and Jesus’ answer seems to describe today.

“And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet” (Matthew 24:6).

Ever since time began, there have been wars. Today the major area of conflict is centered around Israel. Since Israel was re-established in their God-given land, Satanic powers have rallied against them. There’s no logical explanation as to why Iran and other nations are against the existence of Israel, but there is a demonic one. Israel is God’s chosen people, and Satan can’t stand that. As time draws to an end, the evil will only get worse until Israel finally recognizes that Jesus Christ is their Messiah. Then, God will step in.

Jesus spoke of famine and pestilence. Have you noticed this happening? There is a demon-inspired disease that is causing much controversy worldwide. Who could have imagined such a thing would happen? It’s very important for Christians to study God’s word and only obey His voice.

One of the most misunderstood signs of the times is that Jesus said it would be like the days of Noah.

“But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be” (Matthew 24:37).

Satan has done a major work of deception regarding this one. There was wickedness in Noah’s day, just as there has been wickedness throughout history. So, what set Noah’s time apart from the rest of history? Genetic manipulation intended to destroy the human genome and render humans un-redeemable. The fallen angels mated with human women, creating hybrids — neither human nor angelic. This evil prompted God to destroy all of creation and save only those who were genetically pure.

Today there is much genetic manipulation happening, but people are blind to what’s happening and deaf to God’s word. Before allowing your own genetic makeup to be altered, pray and listen to God’s voice. It may not be the popular voice among the evil in this world, but it is the only voice a Christian should listen to. Study Scripture and come to know God’s voice.

Of course, earthquakes have increased as well as volcanoes and tornadoes. As we start a new year of history, I can only wonder how much longer will God wait to call Christians Home? The signs of the times will continue to come alive, and only those who study Scripture will understand what’s happening and have the guiding voice of God to lead. I can hardly wait until that trumpet sounds and we are, in the twinkling of an eye, in the presence of our Lord and Saviour.

“Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality” (1 Corinthians 15:51-53).

Until then, we need to work on earning crowns so we can give them to Jesus as a token of our gratitude for all He’s done for us. We owe Him everything.

Pay attention to the supernatural, but be sure you are listening to the supernatural voice of God Almighty.

“My sheep hear my voice and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one” (John 10:27-30).

Hear the supernatural voice of Jesus, and only follow Him.

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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Jeremiah 7:23: Obey My Voice :: By Gary W. Ritter

Published on: by RR7

(Jeremiah 7-8; 1 Timothy 2)

We’re familiar with the term Mystery Religions. These are secretive, spiritual practices that claim divine knowledge that can only be attained through diligence in occult or magic arts. They require years of apprenticeship to advance from one level of mastery to another. Those who reach the highest ranks are revered for their wisdom and power. Having dabbled in one of these in my early years, all I can say is that they require a lot of work. Of course, as true Christians, we should also know that all the effort put forth in achieving whatever these religious sects proclaim as the end game is all for naught. They don’t take a practitioner to the highest of heavenly heights; rather, they lead straight to hell.

Jeremiah confronted the people of Judah who were engaged in worshiping other gods that required sacrificial offerings in their abominable practices. The prophet described this in Jeremiah 7:18:

“The children gather wood, the fathers kindle fire, and the women knead dough, to make cakes for the queen of heaven. And they pour out drink offerings to other gods, to provoke me to anger.”

The Queen of Heaven was one of many pagan gods that Yahweh denounced. Yet the people went through an elaborate ritual to honor her. They spent time and money making food sacrifices and offered libations that were nothing but a waste. What these efforts did do was to cause people’s hearts to be redirected toward falsehoods that would profit them nothing.

As an aside, the Queen of Heaven is one of many pagan entities that the Catholic Church has honored. Near where I lived at one time was a Catholic cemetery named Queen of Heaven. Knowingly or unknowingly, those in the Catholic faith were placing their trust in a false god. By burying their dead in this cemetery, they may have hoped for relief in their misplaced understanding of the fate of their deceased loved ones. Perhaps they thought that somehow they could lessen the time spent in the unbiblical place of purgatory by those who had passed. When people go down the road of following pagan gods, it can lead to many dark, ungodly places.

The worship of other gods caused the hearts of the people of Judah to stray far from where they should have been. Such reverence causes an interesting effect. Think about the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20:1-17. Now, consider what God said in Jeremiah 7:8-10:

“Behold, you trust in deceptive words to no avail. Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, make offerings to Baal, and go after other gods that you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, ‘We are delivered!’—only to go on doing all these abominations?”

Going after other gods caused them to commit transgressions directly against the Ten Commandments. Rather than leading people into righteous living, the worship of pagan gods led them into deeper transgressions.

Of course, because Yahweh is the One true God, following any spiritual entity other than Him brought consequences. Jeremiah and the other prophets proclaimed this error night and day but to no avail. Eventually, God got completely fed up. His people had effectively crossed the Rubicon and could not come back. To cross the Rubicon is to take an irrevocable step that commits one to a specific course: https://www.thoughtco.com/meaning-cross-the-rubicon-117548.) God instructed the prophet in Jeremiah 7:16:

“As for you, do not pray for this people, or lift up a cry or prayer for them, and do not intercede with me, for I will not hear you.”

They were so far gone in the hardness of their hearts that they were beyond saving. In New Testament terms, they had grieved the Holy Spirit with the unpardonable sin.

The Lord lamented how easy it was to please Him. The Mystery Religions with all that they entailed were complicated and worthless. In speaking of how God instructed His people from the beginning when He delivered them from bondage in Egypt, He didn’t make it hard. He summarized in Jeremiah 7:23:

“But this command I gave them: ‘Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people. And walk in all the way that I command you, that it may be well with you.'”

Look at the simplicity of what God requires. There’s nothing complicated or intricate that one must do to come to Him and receive the favor of His blessings. Obey Him. Follow His commands. Boom! Done. But apparently, we humans like things to be complex. Perhaps we think they have to be that way in order for them to have value.

I remember in my brief stint in college when I got into drugs and Eastern religions. One of the things that came to mind from my youth was that the Christianity of Jesus was much too simple. The Gospel wasn’t elaborate enough in my convoluted thinking. Surely we had to put forth intense effort and extensive study to reach higher planes of existence. As it turned out, the Jesus I didn’t know was standing in my backyard all that time waiting for me to go out to discover He was there.

What God asks of us to truly become His is indeed very simple. Ultimately, whether in an Old Testament believer or one in New Testament times, the Lord wants our believing loyalty. First and foremost, this means following no other God but the One of the Bible. Our hearts must be pure toward Him. Once we get that sorted out, then obeying His voice and following His commands follows easily enough.

I think this is where truly acknowledging our sinful state must come in. Only when we realize that we can’t save ourselves – that we’re in need of a Savior – then we can come humbly to the throne of grace and mercy in repentance, asking for forgiveness. If we do this, knowing that only in Christ Jesus does the pardon for our sins come, then we can determine to set our hearts on the Lord and follow Him alone, trusting only in Him.

The realization that it is only Jesus who saves us – none other! – is the game-changer. Why look elsewhere? Why trust anyone or anything else?

God wants to bless us. It’s an integral part of His nature. When we obey His voice and walk in His commands, it makes it easy for Him to do what is His very character: the giving of Himself to us. Why would we do anything that would get in the way of this demonstration of His love?

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The Lord has put it on my heart to always read completely through His Word at least once each year. From that practice, it resulted in my producing the Awaken Bible Study Notes, a 4-volume set correlating with each quarter’s readings. This is the link to Amazon for Volume 1 covering January – March (Genesis 1 – Judges 5; Matthew 1 – Luke 7): Awaken Bible Study Notes series Volume 1

Following that year’s efforts, God gave me the “assignment” of writing a daily essay on what I had read. That produced the 4-volume Awaken Bible Commentary and Reflections series. Here is the link on Amazon to Volume 1, which covers January – March (Genesis 1 – Judges 5; Matthew 1 – Luke 7): Awaken Bible Commentary and Reflections series Volume 1

If these daily writings have been a blessing to you, I hope that you’ll acquire these books for further study. My intent in all I write is to bring God the glory and to make His people think. Both the Study Notes and the Commentary and Reflections delve into the prophetic and supernatural nature of God’s Word, a combination you simply won’t find elsewhere. They attempt to show the parallels to our times with the peril from the past when God’s people turn away from Him and His commands. Scripture is very much a blueprint for today.

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Gary W. Ritter is a lay pastor, Bible teacher, and prolific author. His Whirlwind Series comprises three end-times books: Sow the Wind, Reap the Whirlwind, and There Is a Time. These books are contained in the collected volume of the Whirlwind Omnibus. Gary has written many other Christian thrillers that will challenge you, and which you can learn about at his website:www.GaryRitter.com. You can also watch Gary’s video Prophecy Updates on Rumble at his Awaken Bible Prophecy channel: https://rumble.com/c/c-783217.