General Articles

About Abuse and Power :: By Jim Towers

Published on: by RR7

The Godless Democrats are doing all they can to alter the U.S. Constitution and our way of life. Through them, Satan has gotten the upper hand in American politics. It seems that all the Democrats care about is maintaining power and getting rich at the expense of the American people.

The writer/filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza rightly says in his latest book, United States of Socialism, and I quote, “Sure, socialism presents a temptation, the same temptation that TV evangelists hold out to their gullible audiences. They offer their followers the temptation of paradise, freedom from the normal drudgery and travails of life, with manna from heaven dropping into their laps. This is what they promise too. The main difference is that the televangelist promises these wonders in the next life; the socialist promises them in this one. The only thing you have to give up is your ownership of yourself, including your right to keep what is yours, your personal autonomy and dignity, and your independence of mind.

“In both cases, the enterprise is driven by lust for money and lust for power, the libido dominandi that St. Augustine warns about. In principle, no less than in practice, socialism is the ideology of thieves and tyrants. As for people that fall for the temptation, they are connivers attracted by the rip-off scheme. But they end up as suckers because the scheme is not designed to benefit them. The socialist scheme is designed to benefit the perpetrators. Viewing themselves as smart – the smartest people in society- they feel entitled to be the ones who exercise power, who tell others what to do.”

Going a step further, they will do anything to retain power, even to the point of killing their adversaries. The love of money and power is indeed the root of much evil. (my quote).

We conservatives are fighting for our very lives and existence. President Trump is fighting to prevail in the presidential election which could still be stolen from the working-class American people.

I just finished reading a book with the title Abuse and Power by Carter Page. It is about political corruption in our government that runs deep and casts a wide net with its allure and lust for money and power. Carter Page was made a scapegoat by those in power to undermine President Trump’s character and his election four years ago. Carter was only a volunteer for President Trump’s first presidential campaign, but he had all the right credentials for exploitation.

Many others were indited on trumped-up charges, and they too suffered loss of finances and friends – some even ending up in jail. While their families suffered – the deep state rejoiced in their short-lived victories. Rightly enough, these people were exonerated and set free once the deep state was proven to be allied in falsely accusing the president of treasonous acts – the very same acts they themselves were committing even as we speak.

The Democratic party (since it is a Godless entity) has no qualms about ruining other people’s lives and businesses. They give radical groups license to set businesses ablaze after they loot them. Worse than that, they keep law enforcement from doing their jobs in arresting them. Because of that, these radicals are becoming fearless to the point of assaulting and even killing the police officers themselves.

Because of liberal policies, the American people are demanding to go their own way with no regard for law and order. Pedophilia, abortions, and perversions that even animals shy away from are commonplace today, so much so that laws are being passed to allow these perversions to become legal. Our political system has gotten out of order, and the rule of law no longer applies. Satan holds sway over our Democrat leaders, and they are as determined as ever to take God out of our system of government.

We believers quote Chronicles 7:14, but since we’ve let God be kicked out of our government, learning institutions and even churches, God cannot bless such a wicked and Godless society, and He will not answer their prayers.

Rev. Graham said it over a year ago, and again I quote, “If God lets us continue in the sinful way we are going (the USA), he will have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah.”

Are we near the Tribulation period the Bible speaks of? We all know that the tribulation period is all about the end of the age, and persecution will abound. Well, I believe we are seeing a foretaste of that time period, a time when laws will be turned against the population in force. Carter Page must have felt that he had gone through a time warp in which nothing he said was listened to. This well-meaning patriot lost respect, work, and friends all because the Democrats wanted to retain power by impeaching president Trump. But worse than that, the leftist Democrats are demanding that we kill children (God’s gift to mankind) even outside the womb. Not only that, but they would have us declare that pedophilia and homosexuality are normal human behavior!

Now, because we’ve let the extreme left run roughshod over our nation, God is letting us stew in the folly of our own making. That, along with extreme weather patterns, unheard of numbers of hurricanes and earthquakes, makes a right-thinking person wonder if the Tribulation period can be far behind.

Today, the Christian byword is Pre-curser, but as the days slip by with no change in attitude or repentance – things will only get worse – according to the word of God. If that isn’t the tribulation period about to come upon the world, then I don’t know what is. Before the world slips into the maelstrom of the Tribulation period, the restraining power of the Holy Spirit will be removed along with Christ’s believers in the rapture.

The antichrist in bodily form surely walks among us by now, soon to step into his role. Even now, we’re seeing that our days of freedom are numbered and are fast slipping away. I would highly recommend that we repent of our sins of self-righteousness and apathy.

YBIC

Jim Towers

Write me at jt.filmmaker@yahoo.com or visit my website www.propheticsignsandwonders.com and www.dropzonedelta.com. – Warriors following Christ.

The Fullness of Sin: Part 3 :: By Randy Nettles

Published on: by RR7

Toward the end of Solomon’s life, God told the prophet Ahijah to seek out Solomon’s servant, a mighty man of valor named Jeroboam, and give him a message. Jeroboam was from the northern tribe of Ephraim (a descendant of Joseph). This was the word from the Lord to Jeroboam:

“Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and will give ten tribes to you (but he shall have one tribe for the sake of My servant David, and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel), because they have forsaken Me, and worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the people of Ammon, and have not walked in My ways to do what is right in My eyes and keep My statutes and My judgments, as did his father David” (1 Kings 11:31-33).

Ahijah told Jeroboam that the Lord would not do this during Solomon’s life but would take the kingdom (ten tribes) out of Solomon’s son’s hand and then give it to him. Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, would keep one tribe (actually two tribes – Judah and Benjamin were counted together) for David’s sake and the promise that God made to him. The Lord also gave Jeroboam the same conditional promise that he made to Solomon: “If you heed all that I command you, walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as My servant David did, then I will be with you and build for you an enduring house, as I built for David, and will give Israel to you”(1 Kings 11:38-39).

Israel’s second wave of fullness of sin began after Solomon died and Rehoboam became king. All of Israel met in Shechem for this event. Jeroboam and the whole assembly of Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying, “Your father made our yoke heavy; now therefore, lighten the burdensome service of your father, and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you” (1 Kings 11: 4).

Rehoboam did not listen to the sage advice of his father’s older counselors but instead listened to his young friends who now counseled him. Foolishly, Rehoboam told them he would make their yoke even heavier and that he would chastise them with not only whips but scourges! Naturally the 10 tribes of the north rebelled at this and set up their own kingdom. They called it Israel, with Jeroboam as their king, just as the Lord had spoken to him through His prophet Ahijah. The southern kingdom was called Judah.

Jeroboam built Shechem in mount Ephraim and dwelt there. He immediately ignored God’s word and started sinning against the Lord, as he made two molten calves of gold. Jeroboam sinned twice as much as the children of Israel did in the wilderness (during the exodus), as he made two calves of gold to worship. Jeroboam said to the people, “Do not go up to Jerusalem: behold your gods, O Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt” (1 Kings 12:28).

By this statement, Jeroboam claimed the golden calf was the god who delivered the children of Israel from Egypt instead of the one true God, Yahweh. You can’t get much more evil than that. I believe Satan, the father of lies, put him up to this, as this was indeed a whopper! Jeroboam set one god in Bethel and the other in Dan and offered sacrifices in these places (instead of the temple in Jerusalem}. He also made priests of the people who were not of the sons of Levi, another great sin against the Lord.

About that time, Jeroboam’s son became sick. Jeroboam had his wife go to Shiloh and ask the prophet Ahijah what would become of their son. Ahijah told her to tell Jeroboam, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel, Because I exalted you from among the people, and made you ruler over My people Israel, and tore the kingdom away from the house of David, and gave it to you; and yet you have not been as My servant David, who kept My commandments and who followed Me with all his heart, to do only what was right in My eyes; but you have done more evil than all who were before you, for you have gone and made for yourself other gods and molded images to provoke Me to anger, and have cast Me behind your back –

“Therefore behold! I will bring disaster on the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam every male in Israel, bond and free; I will take away the remnant of the house of Jeroboam, as one takes away refuse until it is all gone. The dogs shall eat whoever belongs to Jeroboam and dies in the city, and the birds of the air shall eat whoever dies in the field; for the Lord has spoken! Arise therefore, go to your own house. When your feet enter the city, the child shall die” (1 Kings 14:7-12).

The author of Hebrews had this to say about God’s wrath: “For we know Him that has said, Vengeance belongs unto me, I will recompense, says the Lord, And again, The Lord shall judge his people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:30-31).

Of course, everything the Lord told Jeroboam’s wife came true. As soon as she came to the threshold of their house, the child died. Jeroboam ruled Israel for 22 years and then he died. His son Nadab became king over Israel, and he reigned for two years. “And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin by which he had made Israel sin” (1 Kings 15:26).

Then Baasha the son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar, conspired against him and killed him at Gibbethon. “When Baasha became king, he killed all the house of Jeroboam. He did not leave to Jeroboam anyone that breathed, until he had destroyed him, according to the word of the Lord which He had spoken by His servant Ahijah the Shilonite, because of the sins of Jeroboam” (1 Kings 15:27-30).

Throughout the 186 years of Israel’s (northern kingdom) existence, there were 20 kings across 10 different dynasties starting with Jeroboam and ending with Hoshea. All of them were evil and did not obey God’s statutes and commandments. God sent many prophets to these kings to warn them of judgment to come if they did not repent and follow the Lord. None of them listened. Many of these evil men became kings by killing the previous king.

Here is a brief history of the kings of Israel and the fullness of their sins as recorded in 1st and 2nd Kings: Jeroboam (1) rebelled against Rehoboam. After he died, his son Nadab (2) became king of Israel. Baasha killed Nadab and all of Rehoboam’s family and then became king. After Baasha (3) died, his son Elah (4) became king.  Zimri, a captain of the king’s chariots, killed Elah and all of his male kinsman and friends. Zimra (5) lasted 7 days as king before Omri, the captain of the host, came against him. Zimri committed suicide by burning down the house of the king around him, and so he died.

At this point, the people of Israel divided into two parts: half of the people followed Tibni (6) and made him king, and half of the people followed Omri (7) and made him their king. Tibni died two years later, and Omri reigned over all of Israel. Omri built the city of Samaria in northern Israel. After Omri’s death, his son, the wicked Ahab (8), became king.

“Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord above all that were before him. And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him. And he reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. And Ahab made a grove; and Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him” (1 Kings 16:31-33). Just as the children of Israel did, in the time of the Judges (and also King Solomon), Ahab did likewise by worshipping the false god/idol Baal.

Baal worship was rooted in sensuality and involved ritualistic prostitution in their temples of worship. At times, appeasing Baal required human sacrifice, usually the firstborn of the one making the sacrifice (as per Jeremiah 19:5). They would usually burn the babies with fire to their death.

The word of the Lord came unto the prophet Elijah the Tishbite, who was from Gilead, to confront Ahab and Jezebel. Elijah’s first appearance in 1 Kings 17 was to challenge the evil reign of King Ahab by declaring a three-year drought. He then tells Ahab to gather all Israel, including the priests of Baal and the groves, to Mount Carmel.

“And Elijah came to all the people and said, How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, then follow Him; but if Baal, follow him. But the people answered him not a word” (1 Kings 18:21).

‘He challenges the 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah (1 Kings 18:18-19) in the ‘mother of all showdowns’ to see which God could supernaturally send fire down from heaven to burn up their sacrifice. After thoroughly destroying their credibility as prophets and their false gods by God sending fire from heaven to consume his sacrifice, he then had all 850 of them put to death by the Jewish people who came to watch. Afterwards, he declares an end to the drought, but a scorned Jezebel puts a bounty on his head, and Elijah flees for his life. God supernaturally protects and strengthens Elijah and sends him on several more important errands.‘ {1}

The word of the Lord came again unto Elijah to give Ahab a message (prophecy) after Ahab and Jezebel had Naboth the Jezreelite killed so they could steal his vineyard. Elijah told Ahab, “Thus says the Lord, Have you killed, and also taken possession? In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick your blood, even yours. You have sold yourself to work evil in the sight of the Lord.

“Behold, I will bring evil upon you, and will take away your posterity, and will cut off from Ahab him that pisses against the wall [male descendants], and him that is shut up and left in Israel, and will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the provocation wherewith you have provoked me to anger, and made Israel to sin. And of Jezebel also spoke the Lord, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel. Him that dies of Ahab in the city the dogs shall eat; and him that dies in the field shall the fowls of the air eat” (1 Kings 21:17-24).

‘Not long after this, Elijah was ‘taken up’ by a chariot of fire and horses of fire, and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven” (2 Kings 2:11). This was the second rapture that is recorded in the Bible, although totally different from Enoch’s. Elijah’s disappearance was about 180 degrees opposite of Enoch’s. First, he and everyone with him knew when his rapture was coming (2 Kings 2:1-5). Second, aside from the timing, Elijah’s rapture (or manner of departure) was not a mystery. He knew he was going up to heaven, although he may not have known exactly what that would look like. Last, his deliverance upwards was not some instantaneous translation from mortal to immortal. In fact, there is no mention of Elijah’s physical transformation at all. Instead, he is taken up in an over-the-top chariot of fire, which becomes a whirlwind of fire that could be seen from a distance’ (2 Kings 2:11).‘ {2}

The rapture of Elijah (in front of credible witnesses) served as a warning to the idolatrous kingdom of Israel that God’s judgment would be forthcoming (when the fullness of their sins was complete) unless they changed their evil ways. It was also a reward for the righteousness of Elijah, that he should not see death.

Ahab reigned over Israel in Samaria 22 years and died in battle while in his chariot. His body was brought back to Samaria for burial. “Then his chariot was washed in a pool in Samaria, and the dogs licked up his blood while the harlots bathed, according to the word of the Lord which He had spoken” (1 Kings 22:37-38). Ahab’s son, Ahaziah (9) then became king. Ahaziah died from complications of an injury due to a fall. Ahaziah’s brother Joram (Jehoram) (10) then became king of Israel as Ahaziah had no son.

During the reign of Joram (grandson of Ahab), Elisha the prophet called a fellow prophet and sent him on a mission. Elisha was an apprentice of Elijah and was now his successor as prophet extraordinaire to speak the word of the Lord to the evil kings of Israel. Elisha told the young prophet to go to Ramoth-gilead and find a captain of the host named Jehu and pour anointing oil on his head and tell him,

“Thus says the Lord God of Israel, I have anointed you king over the people of the Lord, even over Israel. And you shall smite the house of Ahab your master, that I may avenge the blood, of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the Lord, at the hand of Jezebel. For the whole house of Ahab shall perish: and I will cut off from Ahab him that pisses against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel: and I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah: and the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the portion of Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury her” (2 Kings 9:1-16).

Elisha’s message fulfilled Elijah’s prophecy that he made 20 years earlier.

Jehu was the weapon that God used to make this prophecy come true. Jehu killed King Joram and all of Ahab’s male descendants in Jezreel, as well as all his great men, and his kinsfolks, and his priests, until he left none remaining. Jehu went on a killing spree at this point. He had all the priests of Baal put to death. Jehu also killed Ahaziah the king of Judah and all his brothers. He then had Jezebel thrown from a window of a tall house to her death. Some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall, and on the horses: and he trampled her under foot. He then told the people to bury her as she was a king’s daughter.

“And they went to bury her: but they found no more of her than the skull, and the feet, and the palms of her hands, Wherefore they came again, and told him. And he said, This is the word of the Lord, which he spoke by his servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, In the portion of Jezreel shall dogs eat the flesh of Jezebel: and the carcass of Jezebel shall be as dung upon the face of the field in the portion of Jezreel; so that they shall not say, This is Jezebel” (2 Kings:33-37).

Thus, Elijah’s prophecy was completely fulfilled just as the Lord had spoken.

Jehu (11) became the next king of Israel after he killed Joram. Although he destroyed the idols and priests of Baal, Jehu continued the idolatrous ways of Jeroboam and worshiped the golden calves that were in Bethel and Dan. “And the Lord said unto Jehu, Because you have done well in executing that which is right in mine eyes, and have done unto the house of Ahab according to all that was in mine heart, your children of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel. But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the Lord God of Israel with all his heart: for he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam, which made Israel to sin” (2 Kings 10:30-31).

This is basically what the Lord said about all the evil kings of Israel. He said they sinned in the manner of Jeroboam. He did not mention Solomon, who sinned in like manner, because he did not make molded images or idols like Jeroboam did. Also, Solomon repented before his death, and I believe God did not mention him out of respect for King David.

After the death of Jehu, his son Jehoahaz (12) reigned in his stead. Jehoahaz followed in the footsteps of Jehu and Jeroboam. During his reign, Israel was nearly wiped out by the Syrians, “and had made them like the dust by threshing.” Jehoahaz died and was succeeded by his son Joash (13), who was evil but a capable military man who recovered the cities of Israel from Syria. Jeroboam II (14), the son of Joash, was the next king after the death of his father. He also followed in the footsteps of his evil father. He was one of Israel’s most successful rulers and was able to almost completely restore Israel’s borders to where they had been under Solomon.

Jeroboam II died, and his son Zachariah (15) became the next king of Israel. Zachariah was the great, great grandson of Jehu. He also departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin. His reign lasted only six months. Shallum (16) the son of Jabesh conspired against Zachariah and slew him, and reigned in his stead. “This was the word of the Lord which he spoke unto Jehu, saying, Your sons shall sit on the throne of Israel unto the fourth generation. And so it came to pass” (2 Kings 15:12).

Shallum ruled in Israel for a full month before Menahem (17) came to Samaria and slew him, and reigned in his stead. Menahem reigned ten years in Samaria and was another evil king, as were all before him. He was king during Assyria’s assault on the land and had to pay tribute to their king to keep them at bay. Assyria was becoming a world power at this time (approximately 743 BC).

This was the first of three Assyrian invasions into the land of Israel. Menahem died, and his son Pekahiah (18) became king of Israel. A captain of his named Pekah (19) conspired against Pekahiah and smote him in Samaria, and killed him, and took over the kingdom. In the days of Pekah king of Israel came Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria and took many cities and lands of Israel. He also carried many captives back to Assyria. This was the second invasion of Assyria into Israel. Hoshea (20) made a conspiracy against Pekah and slew him, and reigned in his stead.

Hoshea the son of Elah reigned in Samaria over Israel 9 years (9 is not a good number for Israel -see:  https://www.raptureready.com/2019/07/14/dog-days-summer-randy-nettles/). He was the last king of the northern kingdom of Israel. “And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, but not as the kings of Israel that were before him” (2 Kings 17:2). Can you imagine putting that on your tombstone: He wasn’t as evil as those who came before him? Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it.

This was the third invasion of Assyria into Israel, and the siege lasted for three years (725 BC to 722 BC). You know what they say: The third time is a charm! In the 9th year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria took Samaria and destroyed Israel completely, carrying away most of the people and resettling the land with foreigners.

Interestingly enough, in the same year of the siege of 725 BC, Jonah the prophet went to Nineveh, the capitol city of Assyria, and reluctantly preached the message of repentance from wickedness that the Lord had commanded him. This was after the great fish incident as recorded in the book of Jonah. “Jonah cried out to the people of Nineveh and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown. So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them” (Jonah 3:4-5).

Even the king believed and issued a decree saying, Let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yes, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands. Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not: And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not” (Jonah 3:8-10).

Of course, this repentance by the Assyrians only lasted for a few generations, as Nineveh and the might of the Assyrian Empire was overthrown by the Babylonians in 612 BC. However, it’s strange indeed that the enemy of the Jews which destroyed Israel would repent from their wickedness (even for a short time) while the supposed people of God would not. That is why God allowed for the people of the ten kingdoms to be destroyed or removed from the land.

The Lord God spoke through one of his prophets (possibly Jeremiah), and he summed up the fullness of Israel’s sins as recorded in 2 Kings 2:17.

“Yet the Lord testified against Israel (and Judah), by all the prophets, and by all the seers, saying, Turn you from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets. Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the Lord their God. And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them; and they followed worthless idols, and became vain, and went after the heathen that were round about the, concerning whom the Lord had charged them, that they should not do like them.

“And they left all the commandments of the Lord their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made a grove, and worshipped all the host of heaven (demons), and served Baal. And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger. Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight: there was none left but the tribe of Judah only” (2 Kings 17:13-18).

Next time: The fullness of sin of Judah will be examined.

Randy Nettles

nettlesr@suddenlink.net

Endnotes:

{1,2}  https://www.rev310.com/2019/05/three-raptures-elijah