Celebrate His Birth, But Remember His Death :: By Nathele Graham

Published on: December 5, 2021 by RR7

Our finite human minds tend to think of life in terms of a timeline. A person is born, life events happen, then death comes. This timeline of events isn’t completely true of Jesus. God has no beginning and has no end. Jesus was God incarnate, but His birth only marked the beginning of His life on this earth.

“Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God” (Psalm 90:2).

Those words were written by Moses, who first met God when He spoke from a bush that was on fire but wasn’t consumed. God had chosen Moses to lead the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt. Moses asked who he should say sent him. “And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you” (Exodus 3:14).

To our English-speaking minds, this sounds odd, but it speaks of the Eternal God who had no beginning… He just exists. He has no beginning and has no end.

Scripture begins with the beginning of creation. Jesus Christ was the Word who spoke everything (things seen and things unseen) into existence. “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth… And God said, Let there be light: and there was light” (Genesis 1:1 and 3).

The Apostle John begins his Gospel by describing who Jesus was. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:1-3).

The Gospel of Matthew contains the genealogy of Christ, proving Him to be of the Royal lineage of King David. Joseph, Jesus’ earthly adoptive father, was from this royal line through David’s son, King Solomon. The Gospel of Luke proves His human lineage through King David’s son Nathan, who was an ancestor of Mary. Luke’s account also tells us that Mary was a virgin and that Jesus was not conceived by a mortal man.

“And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35).

Jesus was fully God and fully human. This can be very difficult to comprehend, but there are many things in Scripture that God doesn’t fully explain. Our human minds just can’t grasp God’s power.

Unfortunately, there are many false doctrines that arise when people try to explain God. God spoke and creation happened, but human false teaching says first there was nothing, then it exploded, and all of the diverse and marvelous things God created evolved over billions of years. It makes more sense to believe God than the fairytales of humanity.

Satan is a created being. Pride caused him to rebel against God, and his evil intentions are evident throughout history, beginning in the Garden of Eden. Satan hates humans; his lies and twisting of God’s words were the cause of the Fall of mankind. When Adam ate the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, sin separated him (and us) from God.

“And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves aprons” (Genesis 3:7).

This was the first act of religion… doing something by human efforts to try to cover sin. An apron made of fig leaves had to have been very uncomfortable and couldn’t take the sin away. God’s ways are always better, and faith, not works, honor God. There’s no doubt that God knew exactly what had happened but called for Adam. It was important for Adam to confess his sin. Of course, Adam blamed God. He was happy when God gave him a wife, but now it was the fault of the woman God gave him.

“And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat” (Genesis 3:12).

God had been very clear with Adam not to eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, and Scripture doesn’t say Eve forced the fruit into his mouth. In her turn, Eve had been deceived by the serpent. It was still her choice, but she blamed the serpent. Death entered all of creation, but God never stopped loving us. He had a plan to make way for humankind to be reunited with Him. The first thing God did was cover their sin by shedding blood. Death only came into the world after Adam sinned, and it took a death to cover them.

“Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them” (Genesis 3:21). It took the shedding of the blood of an animal to make coats of skins to cover their sin.

God had an even greater plan of salvation, but it would take many years for that plan to be fulfilled. First, He had to call out a people from the nations of the earth. Abraham was called, and his descendants would be given the land we now know as Israel. Before they took possession of it, they became slaves in Egypt. When Moses led them from slavery, God first instituted Passover. A perfect lamb was chosen by each family, and, according to God’s directions, the chosen lamb was to be sacrificed and his blood put upon the doorposts of the houses. Death would pass over all houses that had the blood of the lamb to protect them. This, of course, foreshadowed the Lamb of God who would be God incarnate, and His blood would take sin away, not just cover it.

The Egyptian Pharaoh did grant freedom to the Israelites, and not long after they began their trip to the Promised Land, God gave them the Law. This Law had many “rules” that taught them how God expected them to live. Like the religion Adam and Eve tried to use to cover their sin, it was hard to deal with. Animal sacrifices were required to cover sin but could never take the sin away. Eventually, God would step into His creation and shed His own blood to take sin away.

“How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (Hebrews 9:14).

The people before the cross looked forward to the coming Messiah. They had prophecy to help them recognize His arrival. Like us, most of them had their eyes shut and ignored prophecy.

The story of Jesus is about God’s love. His life was foretold in prophecy. Isaiah gave a prophecy that the Messiah would be born of a Virgin. “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14).

Indeed, Mary was a virgin when she gave birth to Jesus. She was engaged to Joseph, but they had not come together as husband and wife. It’s important to understand this part of the story of Jesus because it’s important to understand that He was God. His mother was human, but the Holy Spirit impregnated her. In that way, Adam’s sin-tainted blood wouldn’t be passed on to Jesus. His blood was God’s pure, untainted blood. This made it possible for Jesus to be our Kinsman Redeemer.

The law of redemption says “If thy brother be waxen poor, and hath sold away some of his possession, and if any of his kin come to redeem it, then shall he redeem that which his brother sold” (Leviticus 25:25). Only a close relative of the one who lost the possession could redeem it. In our case, Adam lost what he possessed. He was immortal until he ate the fruit and lost his immortality and Paradise. Adam was human, so Jesus had to be human (through Mary) in order to redeem what had been lost.

On the other hand, a human sacrifice is never required by God, so our Redeemer had to be divine. Animals don’t qualify as a kinsman redeemer because animals aren’t “next of kin” to humans, and their blood isn’t human. Only God in human form could qualify to shed His blood for our redemption. In order for God to take on human flesh, the Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary. She was a virgin and gave birth to the Son of God in a manger in Bethlehem. An angel appeared to shepherds that night and announced Christ’s birth.

“And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger” (Luke 2:10-12).

Then a multitude of angels appeared, saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” (Luke 2:13-14).

The shepherds are part of the story of Jesus. They left their sheep to find Mary, Joseph, and the Child in the manger. Shepherds weren’t highly respected members of society, yet it was these lowly men who first found the Christ child.

The story of Jesus didn’t end in the manger. Wise men from the east had come to worship Him, bringing gifts of gold, myrrh, and frankincense. After their visit, King Herod, who was a very wicked man, tried to kill Him, but an angel warned Joseph to take Jesus and Mary to Egypt until it was safe to return to Israel. The valuable gifts that the wise men brought made it possible for them to flee to safety in Egypt until it was safe to return.

When Jesus grew to adulthood and began His ministry, He called twelve men to follow Him. Jesus traveled the Holy Land spreading the Good News that redemption had come. He healed the sick, cast out demons, and forgave sin. The Pharisees were offended by His teaching and accused Him of claiming to be God (blasphemy). Judas, a man who had followed Jesus, betrayed Him to the Pharisees, and they arrested Jesus and had Him crucified. This part of the story of Jesus was the plan of salvation even before Adam sinned. God sacrificed an animal to cover Adam and Eve, and the Passover Lamb was sacrificed each year to commemorate their release from slavery. The pure blood of Jesus, untainted by sin, had to be shed in order to take sin away.

Earnestly placing your faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ will give you eternal life. No works or religion will bring salvation; only faith can do this. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

The fig leaf aprons that Adam and Eve religiously made to cover their sin weren’t sufficient, nor was shedding animal blood. Only faith in Christ’s finished work on the cross will take your sin away. When you truly believe, you are sealed with the Holy Spirit.

“That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory” (Ephesians 1:12-14).

As we come to the time of year when we remember Christ’s birth, take time to remember that we celebrate God’s love for His creation. “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. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:16-17).

As we celebrate His birth, let us remember His death and honor Him with our lives.

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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Dirt Poor :: By Daymond Duck

Published on: December 5, 2021 by RR7

My generation is familiar with the expression, “I grew up dirt poor.” I remember when we could see hogs and dogs under the house through cracks in the floor, when we wore hand-me-down clothes or my mother made them, when we had no heat in the bedrooms, when we got electricity for the first time, when we got our first telephone, when we didn’t have running water, when we had to use an outdoor toilet, when we got our first TV set, our first vehicle, our first tractor, etc.

I remember when we didn’t have locks on the doors of the house we lived in, but that didn’t matter because we didn’t have anything worth stealing.

I remember when we raised a garden, canned our food, killed hogs, hunted rabbits and squirrels, and fished for food to eat.

I remember working in the field all week and crying if we didn’t get 25 cents to spend at the movies and stores when we went to town on Saturday afternoon (if we got to go).

I remember a few things about WWII, a cousin that died in the war, my dad being exempted to work on the farm, and rationed food.

America ended the war as a Christian nation, we started the school day with the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag, a preacher came to our school once a week to speak during chapel, each day a teacher would read the Bible to us during Study Hall, America prospered and God turned America into the envy of the world.

I don’t regret growing up “dirt poor” in a Christian nation.

With God’s help, my hard work and Christian values led to a good education, good jobs, a good place to live, and a blessed life.

At my age now, I couldn’t survive being “dirt poor” again, but I am not concerned about it (I expect to be Raptured).

Having said this, I am concerned that America has become unthankful; America has abandoned most of its Christian values; America is in the process of submitting to a godless New World Order; America has replaced Bible teaching at school with critical race theory, woke insanity, LGBTQ rights, etc.; and the result of America’s “Build Back Better” without God insanity is going to make living conditions worse than what I grew up under.

A New World Order without God is a major sign that God’s judgment, called the tribulation by Jesus (Matt. 24:21, 21), is on the way.

All but a handful of the very wealthy will be “dirt poor.”

There will be an economic collapse, hyperinflation, wars and natural disasters like birth pains, and people will try to live without electricity, without running water, without indoor toilets (without electricity, many wells and pumps won’t work), without food on the store shelves (without gardens, rabbits, and hogs), without vehicles (without electricity, gasoline pumps won’t work), etc.

If this sounds far-fetched to you, consider this before I move on:

Earlier this year, a World Economic Forum (WEF) video surfaced with a spokesperson (talking about the Great Reset) saying, “You will own nothing, and be happy” (starting in 2030 or sooner). Some people are trying to cover this up, walk it back, say it is false, etc., but here is a link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcAO4-o_4UgRecall that the Biden administration has nominated a woman for the position of Comptroller of Currency that wants the government to take control of everyone’s bank accounts, and she had a confirmation hearing before the U.S. Senate Banking Committee on Nov. 18, 2021. It is too early to tell if she will get the job or not, but centralized government control of everyone’s bank accounts sounds like government ownership of everything.
If the government owns everything, we will be “dirt poor.”

The existence of the WEF video saying we will own nothing and Biden’s nomination of a woman that has called for the government to take control of everyone’s bank accounts are facts, not far-fetched speculation.

Here are more prophecy-related events from last week’s news.

One, concerning world government: on Nov. 22, 2021, it was reported that Jeff Bezos (head of Amazon) is giving $100 million to the Barack and Michelle Obama Foundation to train and equip emerging domestic and global leaders to change their communities and the world.

Two, on November 26, 2021, Canada Free Press (CFP) carried an article by Ray DiLorenzo titled “Archbishop Vigano Calls for Action.”

DiLorenzo called the coming godless world government “an evil conspiracy without equal in human history.”

He added that “It will affect almost every living person on this planet with the potential to kill billions.”

Here is part of what DiLorenzo reported from Vigano’s Call for Action on Nov. 17, 2021 (quotes are Vigano’s words; non-quotes are the way this writer understands Vigano’s words):

A global elite has succeeded “in seizing control of part of national governments, public and private institutions, the media, the judiciary, politicians and religious leaders.”
This global elite is using promises of power, money, and social affirmation to corrupt legislative, executive, and judicial powers to deny citizens their rights.
They are doing it to enrich themselves, but their main goal is a global dictatorship.
In Vigano’s words, “It is the Great Reset of the World Economic Forum, the Agenda 2030 of the United Nations. It is the plan of the New World Order, in which a Universal Republic enslaves everyone and a Religion of Humanity cancels faith in Christ….”
Nations and individuals that don’t want to submit to this coming godless world government must unite, identify, and denounce the global elite to international tribunals, fight against their corruption and funding, and fight against the corruption of those in the media.
Vigano called for Catholics, Christians, and people of good will to unite and act soon, or the godless world government will be unstoppable.

Here is a link to the article. https://canadafreepress.com/article/archbishop-vigano-calls-for-action

(Note One: According to the Bible, there will be opposition to the coming world government (Dan. 7:8, 24; Rev. 6:1-2), but the Antichrist will be empowered by Satan, and God will let him prevail for 7 years (Dan. 9:24-27; Rev. 13:1-8)).

(Note Two: On Jan. 1, 2016, the Transforming our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development went into effect, so this phase in the surge toward world government will soon be 6 years old. Globalists have made great progress during these 6 years. We can expect them to surge forward faster and faster as they seek to meet their goal of a godless world government by 2030 or sooner.)

Three, concerning a world government without borders, on Nov. 27, 2021, it was reported that the UN gives free debit cards worth about $800 per month to families that want to cross the U.S. border with Mexico.

Because U.S. taxpayers pay about 22% of the UN budget, U.S. taxpayers are making monthly payments to illegal immigrants that cross into the U.S.

Four, concerning the globalist desire to reduce the population of the earth: on Nov. 19, 2021, it was reported that Steve Jalsevac, president and co-founder of LifeSiteNews, was asked in an interview if he thinks Covid injections are a weapon in the population control agenda, and he replied, “Absolutely. Without any doubt at all. Their primary objective is to stop what they claim to be climate change, and they believe the cause of ‘climate change’ is human beings, and human beings are a vermin on the earth.”

Some may not agree that Covid vaccinations are part of the population control agenda, but it is a fact that Pres. Biden made John Kerry America’s first ever Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, and he is pushing mandated vaccinations.

It may also explain why many globalists are opposed to known Covid cures (Ivermectin, etc.) and accurate reports on vaccination-caused deaths and adverse events.

(More: On Nov. 20, 2021, the official EU database (EudraVigilance) reported 31,014 deaths and 2,890,600 injuries (1,355,192 serious) from the 4 main Covid-19 Vaccinations. These numbers are thought to be low because they are reported deaths and injuries, and it is believed that many deaths and injuries don’t get reported.)

Five, on Nov. 26, 2021, it was reported that a 17-year employee of United Memorial Medical Center in New York said she was seeing a flood of Covid-19 adverse events in the ER of the hospital where she worked, but her bosses told her not to report them to the government Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System.

(More: Late in the day, on Nov. 30, 2021, it was reported that a federal judge in Louisiana issued a nationwide injunction blocking the Biden administration’s mandated Covid-19 vaccinations for healthcare workers all over the U.S.)

Six, concerning peace in the Middle East: on Nov. 24, 2021, Israel and Morocco signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) pledging increased cooperation on intelligence issues, military training, industrial growth, and arms trade.

Seven, concerning pandemics: globalists are using a supposedly new version of Covid called Omicron (some groups use Greek names for the Covid variants; Alpha, Beta, Delta, Epsilon, Gamma, Iota, Kappa, Omicron, etc.) to scare the unvaccinated into getting vaccinated, and to scare the vaccinated into getting boosters, etc.

According to their latest fearmongering, Omicron has 32 mutations, it is the deadliest Covid virus ever, and multitudes may die this winter.

Other interesting reports claim that very few people have got Omicron, no cases have been reported in the U.S., and Omicron has only shown up in people that have been fully vaccinated.

Eight, concerning hyper-inflation and an economic collapse, on Nov. 25, 2021, Michael Snyder (the Economic Collapse Blog) reported that:

General Mills announced that hundreds of prices will rise dramatically starting at the beginning of 2022 (some about 20%).
Dollar Tree’s standard price point will go up from $1 to $1.25 (a 25% increase).
Other companies that have announced significant price increases include Tyson Foods, Kraft Heinz, Procter & Gamble, and Kimberly Clark.
A cart full of groceries that cost $250 in the past will soon cost $300-$400.

(Note: Readers that have recently received a raise should know that if their salary is not rising as fast as inflation, in terms of real dollars, their salary has gone down, not up, because it will buy less.)

Nine, concerning fraud in the 2020 Presidential election: on Nov. 18, 2021, The Gateway Pundit posted 3 whistleblower videos purporting to show election officials destroying election data and equipment in Delaware.

These videos can be seen at the following link:

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2021/11/breaking-video-whistleblower-releases-video-delaware-county-pennsylvania-election-officials-destroying-evidence-backroom-video/

Ten, concerning the Mark of the Beast in the right hand or forehead (Rev. 13:16): on Nov. 30, 2021, the Gateway Pundit reported that “Swedes are getting Covid vaccine passports implanted in their hands or elsewhere under the skin.”

This is voluntary (not mandatory), but it could become mandatory in the future.

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