Getting Close :: By Daymond Duck

Blessings and thank you to everyone for your prayers, condolences and kind words during my wife’s illness and death.

To date, more than 120 Gideon Bibles have been donated in Rachel’s memory, several people gave gifts to the Church mission fund, etc. God will use these blessings to harvest souls before the Rapture.

One of the toughest things about Rachel’s 17 days in the hospital was that none of her family could visit her. It was as though we had forsaken her and left her to die alone. Many people have experienced this with loved ones in the hospital and nursing home. But it occurred to me that the Father had to forsake Jesus on the cross because He could not look upon our sin (Matt. 27:46), and that made the death of Jesus more horrible for Him.

I am grieving deeply over my wife’s death, but I truly believe that her soul and spirit are in heaven, that God raised Jesus from the dead, that God will raise deceased Christians from the dead at the Rapture (I Thess. 4:13-18), and that the Rapture is close and I will see Rachel again very soon.

Below are some things that recently made the news.

One, the ashes of a sacrificed red heifer are needed to make purifying water to cleanse those that rebuild the Temple.

On Aug. 19, 2020, two red heifers were inspected in Israel: one was disqualified, the other had a few hairs that are not red enough, but it was declared viable (still a potential candidate).

In early 2020, two more red heifers were born that are considered potential candidates, but it will be several months before they are old enough.

Two, concerning forced vaccinations and tattoos for the Coronavirus – on Aug. 18, 2020, Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said, “I don’t think you’ll ever see a mandating of vaccines, particularly for the general public.”

It is impossible to know if Dr. Fauci is right, but this fits the Bible teaching that the Mark of the Beast will be during the last half of the Tribulation period, not before the Tribulation Period.

The Rapture will remove the Church before the Mark of the Beast is required.

This is one reason why some believe the Rapture is close (the World Health Organization, Pope Francis, Bill Gates, several state and local officials, and many business leaders are already calling for mandatory vaccinations).

Three, concerning a peace treaty, Israel and the UAE recently signed an agreement for the UAE to recognize the existence of Israel and to normalize ties between the two nations.

Since the announcement, Lebanon, Sudan, Oman and Bahrain have said they are interested in a similar agreement.

On Aug. 17, 2020, Jared Kushner said, “We’re very close to a lot of breakthroughs from the region.”

Turkey, Iran, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the PA and others are condemning this, but two things are shaping up: 1) Hostility by people that will fight the Battle of Gog and Magog, and 2) Movement by others toward a peace treaty.

There will be war, and there will be a worthless peace treaty.

Not all agree, but it is my opinion that the Battle of Gog and Magog will occur before the Tribulation Period and trigger a cry for a peace treaty, world government and world religion (global ethic).

The peace treaty will be worthless, and the world government will be satanic.

The peace treaty will divide the Promised Land and trigger the wrath of God.

Just know that several Arab countries want to make peace with Israel while Trump is still in office.

They are afraid of Iran, and they know that the Obama/Biden administration gave Iran billions of dollars and opened the door for Iran to get nuclear weapons.

They don’t particularly like Israel, but they dislike Iran more than they dislike Israel, and they want Israel on their side in case Biden wins.

Four, economic collapse and famine are signs of the end of the age (Matt. 24:7; Rev. 6:5-6).

On Aug. 20, 2020, the head of the world bank said Covid-19 may have driven 70-100 million people into extreme poverty, and the number could go higher if the crisis worsens or drags on (the UN estimate is 132 million, and for whatever it is worth, extreme poverty produces famine and malnutrition, and that leads to pestilence and death).

Be aware that some writers are saying a second round of Covid-19 will produce greater food shortages than the one we are going through now.

Five, natural disasters will increase in frequency and intensity as the return of Jesus nears.

California is reeling from earthquakes, extreme temperatures, thousands of lightning strikes, and some of the largest wildfires in California history.

Iowa has 14 million acres of major crop damage by severe storms.

The Gulf Coast has been hit by a tropical storm and a hurricane.

China has had several weeks of record flooding, and on and on it goes.

Six, Dr. Franklin Graham is asking multitudes to join him on Sept. 26, 2020 for a “Prayer March 2020” in Washington, D.C., to pray for the U.S.

He believes the U.S. is in trouble and citizens need to ask God for His help.

A Biden win will bring in the world government and world religion.

That is a two-edged sword: 1) The Rapture of the Church (our hope), and 2) satanic global chaos worse than anything that has ever happened on earth [including the great Flood, the Holocaust, WW I, WW II, etc.] (Matt. 24:22).

Seven, some (not all) Bible prophecy teachers believe the Rapture will take place on the Jewish Feast Day called Rosh Hashanna (The Feast of Trumpets; this year it will be on Sept. 18-19).

Some Christians have told me that they are praying that it will happen this year.

On Aug. 23, 2020, it was reported that a prominent Jewish Rabbi, who has not said anything about the Messiah in 40 years of ministry, said the Messiah could very well be revealed this Rosh Hashanna.

The article doesn’t say; I doubt that the Rabbi believes in the Messiah (Jesus) that Christians believe in; I suspect that he is thinking about what Christians call the Second Coming, not the Rapture; and no one knows the day or the hour of our Lord’s return.

Just know that many Christians are not alone in thinking that the return of Messiah could (emphasis on could) be close.

Finally, if it does happen next month, I pray that you have truly accepted Jesus as your Lord and Saviour.

Prophecy Plus Ministries, Inc.
Daymond Duck
duck_daymond@yahoo.com

 

Trouble in This World :: By Nathele Graham 

There’s a lot of trouble in this world. We don’t have to think very hard to come up with some very troublesome things that have been occurring more frequently in recent years.

Wars and rumors of wars fill the news. Nations are fighting each other, but there’s also fighting within nations. Men’s hearts are growing cold, and hatred is pouring out into the streets. Families are falling apart. Single mothers, dead-beat dads, and kids rebelling because the family unit is broken, there’s little discipline, and certainly honoring God is marginalized at best. Corrupt liberal governments pass ungodly laws, right is called wrong and wrong is called right. Pestilence is in the headlines and people hide in fear because of an enemy we can’t see. What is a Christian to do?

Do we sit back, watch TV, and allow evil to invade, or do we study Scripture and allow the Holy Spirit to guide us in a spiritual fight? These troubling times in which we live should bring every Christian before God Almighty in humble prayer and repentance. Many are praying for America as hatred, fanned by liberal media and liberal politicians, rampages in the streets. Prayer is good, but remember, we need to look at our own sin and repent before we can expect God to do anything about our nation. It’s not only in America, but every nation. God is not at all pleased with the sin that grips Christians and non-Christians alike.

“For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?” (1 Peter 4:17).

There’s a lot to be fixed within the Christian community. We seem to think we can embrace sin and God will turn a blind eye. Maybe the evil that’s permeating society is happening because Christians embrace the world and God’s ready to judge.

Many people blame God when turmoil happens, but you need to put the blame where it belongs. Choices not made with God’s guidance will always bring trouble. If the voice you’re following leads you into sin, then it’s not God’s voice you’re hearing. Quite often, things go wrong because of our own actions and choices, and because we listen to the lust of the flesh instead of the prompting of the Holy Spirit. If you choose to live against God’s ways, you have to accept responsibility for the trouble that follows.

When tribulation besets you because of worldly choices, that’s when many cry out in anger, “God, why did You do this?” Your own choice brought your trouble, but you still expect God’s blessing on your actions. “Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation” (Judges 10:14). If you choose to follow the gods of lust, greed, and pride you cannot blame God Almighty for the outcome. Satanic evil is behind all hatred and wickedness in this world. Your own poor choices cannot be blamed on God Almighty.

Even if you’ve made choices and decisions which are based on Scripture, you’ll still have trouble in this world. Jesus didn’t promise Christians a bed of roses. We do live in a fallen world and there are many people who are ruled by Satan. If we happen to cross their path and don’t bow to their god, we may be victims of their wickedness. When we choose to follow Christ, Satan and his minions don’t give up their efforts to pull you away from the path of righteousness.

Jesus did warn us. “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

In other translations, the word “tribulation” is translated “trouble and suffering” (NET), or “trials and sorrows” (NLT). It simply means that on this side of Heaven, Christians will face troubles. Jesus said that the fact that we follow Him will cause conflict.

“For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law” (Matthew 10:35).

He didn’t mean that it has to be this way, but if a son chooses to follow Jesus rather than follow his father along a path of sin, conflict will happen. What if a student in public school stands upon God’s word and rejects evolution or believes in a Godly moral code? There’s a professor at Iowa State University who has threatened discipline against students who “undertook projects that oppose Black Lives Matter and abortion” (https://www.foxnews.com/us/iowa-state-professor-black-lives-matter-abortion).

Christians know that all lives matter to God (not just black ones) and that He calls murder a sin (even when condoned by law and called abortion). Would you take that class and just go along with what’s on that teacher’s agenda? If you stand firm upon God’s word, you will face tribulation.

Jesus didn’t sugar-coat His words to His disciples about what it meant to follow Him. He told them that it would take a person of strong character to follow Him in a world filled with Satan’s influence. “And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me” (Mark 8:34).

What did He mean “…take up his cross”? It doesn’t take much research to understand what carrying a cross meant in those days. Just look through the Gospels and you learn that carrying a cross meant crucifixion and death. It meant that your life was over. Does that mean that when we accept Christ, we are to end our life? In a way it does, but Jesus meant the lust of the flesh and self-centered attitudes are to be put to death. We are to make decisions and choices based upon Scriptural facts regardless of the trials and suffering we may face.

Paul is a good example of a man who was drastically changed when he met Jesus. He had once led a life of privilege but gave up all luxury and comfort to live his life for Christ. He understood what Jesus meant when He said to take up your cross.

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1).

Christian choices need to be based upon Christ’s example, even if that choice causes us trouble in this world or moves us away from the sin we once found so pleasurable. Christians must follow Christ.

Why do we have to face troubles?

If you’re an athlete and want to win a race, what do you do? Do you just sit on the couch watching TV until the day of the big race? No, you train. You begin by jogging a short distance, then as you get stronger, you go farther. The struggle you faced at first – disciplining yourself to make healthy choices in food and exercise – makes you stronger later. Christians face trials in order to make us stronger in our faith and teach us to rely upon God.

“And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope: and hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us” (Romans 5:3-5).

It’s never enjoyable to face troubles, but if you allow God to work in your life, you’ll come through all things stronger in your faith, and God will be glorified. You’ll also be able to help others in their times of conflict and tribulation.

“Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God” (2 Corinthians 1:4).

A person who has faced tribulation in life and has come through it stronger in faith can help another Christian come through a crisis better than someone who hasn’t had many trials in life or has made ungodly choices.

Brothers and sisters, nobody enjoys going through trials. Whether those trials are in our own life or in the conflicts of the world, trust God. The riots are reprehensible and are causing distress for us who watch the lunacy, but those people filled with such hate need to learn about the saving grace of Jesus. Pray for them.

Wars in the Middle East seem to never end. Personal tragedies will always cause us tribulation. Remember, it isn’t God who’s to blame. Satan is the prince of this world right now. He’s behind the turmoil and hatred. When you face illness or the death of a loved one, don’t blame God. He created a perfect place, but Satan deceived Eve, and Adam sinned by disobeying God. That’s when sin and death became real. If you need to blame anybody for the tribulation in the world and in your life, blame Satan.

“And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness” (1 John 5:19).

That wickedness is from Satan. Satan controls the world and the people in it. Christians are of God, and we need to start acting like we belong to Him. Choices, decisions, and lifestyles all need to reflect God. That won’t stop the tribulation in our life, but it will strengthen us and draw us closer to our Lord.

Things will continue to become more violent, evil, and full of tribulation. We are swiftly coming to the end of days, and prophecy is being fulfilled. As Christians we need to recognize the signs of the times and do all we can to keep ourselves right with Jesus. Christian men and women need to put Christ in the center of the family and be sure the children are being taught God’s truth instead of the lies taught in public schools.

Tribulation will continue to spiral out of control, but Jesus Christ is still our individual Saviour. Serve Him instead of the principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world, and the wickedness in high places, which are the evil entities behind the tribulations we face. As Jesus said, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

God bless you all,

Nathele Graham

twotug@embarqmail.com

www.straitandnarrowministry.com

ron@straitandnarrowministry.com

Ron and Nathele Graham’s previous commentaries archived at https://www.raptureready.com/featured/graham/graham.html

All original scripture is “theopneustos” – God breathed.

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