General Articles

Let The Spirit Shine :: By Nathele Graham

Published on: by RR10

Christians have many blessings from God, but too often we take those blessings for granted. When we truly accept Jesus Christ for salvation, a wonderful thing happens. We repent and are forgiven of our sins. That forgiveness should never be taken lightly. Just because we are forgiven doesn’t mean that we have a license to sin.

From the moment of true belief, our lives are changed and we become a new creation in Christ. Something else happens that isn’t often taught. We are indwelt by the Holy Spirit. What an amazing blessing that is.

“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 raise of his glory” (Ephesians 1:12-14).

Sealed means we can’t get away, and He won’t leave. I always wonder about the confusion the very first disciples faced. They had followed Jesus and had ideas about Him being the Messiah. They trusted in their perception of Him. He was supposed to save Israel from persecution by the Romans. They didn’t know there was a bigger picture. He was going to save the world from sin. Then He was crucified. They saw it. They truly knew He had died. They also knew for a fact that He was buried in a tomb and it was sealed and guarded by soldiers.

On the first day of the week after the death and burial, they also knew the tomb was empty. What had happened? Jesus had promised a Comforter to guide them and give them power, but what could that mean?

The disciples were in fear of being arrested and had much to talk about, so they gathered in a locked room. As if the events of the last few days hadn’t been confusing enough, Jesus entered the room!  He simply said, “Peace be unto you.” I can imagine their shock.

“Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you” (John 20:21).

They now believed in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus! They weren’t to keep it a secret, but they were to spread the Gospel. They were simple working men, not religious scholars who were blinded by what had been taught for many years. What could they do?

“And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained” (John 20:22-23).

Oh, to have been there that night. To see Jesus and have the Holy Spirit breathed into me by Jesus Himself.

The disciples were now indwelt by the promised Comforter, but the power wouldn’t be evident until Pentecost. When Pentecost came, they were gathered together. This is what Christians need to do. Gather with fellow Christians and be separate from the world.

“And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:2-4).

There are many gifts of the Holy Spirit, and speaking in tongues is only one. Peter stood up and preached a powerful message through the power of the Holy Spirit. If you have truly repented of your sins and truly believe in Jesus, then you are indwelt and sealed by the Holy Spirit. Salvation is guaranteed. Now, allow the power of the Holy Spirit to work through you. Whether your gift is speaking in tongues, healing, or sharing the Gospel, allow yourself to be an instrument of God’s love.

BREATHE ON ME, BREATH OF GOD

Written by Edwin Hatch in 1878

Breathe on me, Breath of God,
Fill me with life anew,
That I may love the way you love,
And do what you would do.

Jesus told Nicodemus that he must be born again, once physically, but he had to be born spiritually. That’s true for every human. We must be born again to obtain eternal life. That second birth requires repenting of our sin. This doesn’t mean we never sin again, nor does it mean we have to list every sin we have ever committed. Most of us can’t recall every sin we commit in a day, let alone a lifetime. It does mean we repent of the sin of rejecting the only way of salvation, which is the sacrificial blood of Jesus Christ. From that moment on, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit and filled with life anew. We are, at that moment, sons of God.

“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12-13).

Once we become a son of God, we need to live the way Jesus showed us. Scripture is our guide, and the Holy Spirit living in us will help us to discern God’s ways and live to please Him. That means we must be a living sacrifice to Him. Some activities we thought were fun before we believed in Him need to be turned away from. The Holy Spirit will give you strength to put sin behind you.

A very hard thing for humans to do is love others as God loves us. His love is perfect love. His love also has standards, and sin isn’t acceptable. Because of Jesus, our sins are forgiven, but because of the Holy Spirit, we have the power to turn away from those sins.

Breathe on me, Breath of God,
Until my heart is pure,
Until my will is one with yours,
To do and to endure.

The Apostle Paul had a lot to overcome when he met Jesus. The hatred that lived in him was Satanic, and he wanted every Christian killed. Paul was well-studied in Scripture, but he didn’t know God. Many who claim to be Christians today are the same way. Verses can be quoted, and they recognize the sins of others while blinded to their own sin. God wants us to draw near to Him and live a life that pleases Him.

When King David recognized a great sin he had committed, he faced the very real possibility that the Holy Spirit would be taken away from him. He lived long before Christ and was not sealed with the Holy Spirit. When he saw his sin, he immediately went humbly to the Lord and asked forgiveness and help to live a purer life.

“Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10).

Today, we are sealed by the Holy Spirit, and we can’t lose our salvation, but we can lose fellowship. Every time we sin, we take Him with us.

“Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:28-30).

When we sin, we grieve the Holy Spirit; we grieve God. Let us allow our will to be one with God.

Breathe on me, Breath of God,
Til I am wholly Thine,
Until this earthly part of me
Glows with Thy fire divine.

I wonder if Adam and Eve glowed with the light of God until Adam sinned and the light was veiled? Maybe, but the first time we read of someone glowing with the light of the Lord was when Moses spent time with God on Mount Sinai.

“And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses’ hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him” (Exodus 34:29).

This shine frightened all the Israelites, so he covered his face with a veil. I wonder if that’s what we do. When we draw closer to the Lord and become “on fire” for Him, we become something our friends are afraid of. So, we hide our Christian glow, and eventually the glow fades, and we look like the world.

One day we will all shed this earthly body. Either we will be taken in death or by the Rapture. The signs are all around that the Rapture could happen at any moment. Until then, draw closer to God. Let His fire shine from your face, and don’t hide it behind a veil or under a bushel.

“No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light” (Luke 11:33).

Jesus is light, and we need to follow Him closely.

“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12).

Don’t put a veil over His light. Let it shine!

Breathe on me, Breath of God,
So shall I never die,
But live with you the perfect life
For all eternity.

Everyone will live eternally. We have a choice as to where that will be. If we reject Christ, we will spend eternity in the lake of fire. Hell is a “holding area” for those who reject Jesus. At the very end of time, Hell will be emptied into the Lake of fire.

“And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:14-15).

This is not a place you want to spend eternity. On the other hand, Christians have a much better eternity ahead.

“We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8).

Our names are written in the Lamb’s book of Life. Jesus told His disciples that He was going to prepare a place for them (us) and would return to take us there.

“In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you. I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:2-3). 

What a blessed promise!

God bless you all,

Nathele Graham

twotug@embarqmail.com

Recommended prophecy sites:

www.raptureready.com
www.prophecyupdate.com
www.raptureforums.com

All original scripture is “theopneustos,” God-breathed.

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“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee” (Psalm 122:6).

The Appetizer, Entrée, and Dessert :: By Daymond Duck

Published on: by RR10

On Apr. 21, America’s new Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, officially presented his credentials to Israel’s Pres. Isaac Herzog.

Herzog noted that:

  • Huckabee is beginning his new job at a decisive moment in Israeli history.

He warned that:

  • Iran continues to pursue its radical vision of regional dominance and destabilization – on its own and via its proxies – while pursuing nuclear arms and openly calling for the destruction of Israel.

Huckabee replied:

  • I never had a conversation with him (with Trump about the Ambassador’s job. I got a call out of the clear blue).
  • The president did not say, ‘Would you think about going? Have you ever considered? He simply called and said, ‘Mike, you’re going to be my ambassador to Israel.’
  • You don’t say ‘no’ to him. And quite frankly, I felt it was not so much saying ‘yes’ to a president – it was certainly that – but it was ‘yes’ to a calling from God Himself to come and fulfill what I believe is not just a job but a mission.

Huckabee added:

  • I share with you that concern that the Iranian regime – and all of its hostility that has been inflicted upon the world for 46 years – continues to threaten not just the peace of Israel but the peace of the United States.
  • I constantly remind people that the Iranians have said, ‘Death to Israel,’ and chapter two is, ‘Death to America.’
  • It has always been their desire that Israel would be the opening act, and then it would be America’s turn to face destruction.
  • Or to put it another simple way, Israel is the appetizer, and the United States is the entrée.
  • We care deeply, Mr. President, about the threats that face Israel, because those are also the threats that face our country.

Our Ambassador said it well: the opening act is ‘Death to Israel,’ the so-called ‘Little Satan,’ and chapter two is ‘Death to America,’ the ‘So-called Great Satan.’

Many nations have opened their doors to hordes of Muslims with high hopes of providing them with better living conditions, good jobs, peaceful lives, and more, but it has rarely turned out that way.

Many have remained peaceful for a few years, produced large families, been careful not to assimilate, then started to build mosques, run for elective office, etc.

Many have started holding protests on college campuses, calling for days of rage, started attacking Jews, committing violence, etc.

It is a pattern that can be checked out with France, Sweden, Belgium, Nigeria, the Netherlands, and others, or in the U.S. state of Minnesota, as far as that is concerned (AOC, the Squad, etc.), or with Christians in Plano, Texas.

It is important to understand that their main goal is not better living conditions or peaceful lives.

Their main goal is to establish Islam as the one-world religion and political power.

I agree with Huckabee, but will say it like this: In the radical Islamic world, chapter one is about the destruction of Israel, chapter two is about the destruction of the U.S., and chapter three is about the establishment of a global Islamic religious and political system.

Israel is the appetizer, the U.S. is the entrée (main course), and the world is the dessert.

(My opinion: The radical Islamic hatred of Israel is more than antisemitism. It is a deliberate attempt to dominate the entire world.)

(My opinion: Some Muslim nations are worse than others, but perhaps the worst of the worst is Iran. America needs to speak softly and carry a big stick.)

(Update: On Apr. 25, 2025, Paraguay officially declared that Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards are terrorist groups. U.S. spokesperson Tammy Bruce said, “Iran remains the leading state sponsor of terrorism in the world and has financed and directed numerous terrorist attacks and activities globally, through its IRGC-Quds Force and proxies such as Hezbollah and Hamas.”)

Here are some recent stories that seem to indicate that the end of the age is near.

One, on Apr. 24, 2025, it was reported that three people have been indicted on charges of bomb-making and defacing a Jewish Synagogue in Pittsburgh, PA.

One has served in the Air Force National Guard, fraudulently obtained top-secret clearance, and expressed the desire to die as an Islamic martyr (killed in the act of jihad).

According to the report, this is a growing pattern in the U.S.

Two, concerning Islamic terrorism: on Apr. 22, 2025, Islamic terrorist disguised as soldiers stopped vehicles, demanded ID cards, ordered occupants to recite Islam’s declaration of faith, and when they couldn’t, the terrorists brutally killed at least 27 Hindu tourists in Kashmir (a disputed area between India and Pakistan).

The massacre occurred less than one week after Pakistan’s Grand Mufti issued a fatwa declaring that all Muslim governments are religiously obligated to wage jihad (holy war) to reclaim all land that was once ruled by Islam.

That came almost one week after Pakistan’s Grand Mufti issued a fatwa calling for global Muslim governments to launch a military war against Israel.

(My comment: Wake up, world. Huckabee is right. Israel is the appetizer, the U.S. is the entrée (main course), and the world is the dessert.)

(Update: India and Pakistan are both nuclear powers, and for two days, there have been military reports of cross-border firing. This is a highly volatile situation.)

Three, concerning perilous times at the end of the age: on Apr. 24, 2025, Israel’s Channel 12 TV reported that Israeli officials are concerned that the US Administration is hastily rushing toward a bad deal that will not prevent Iran from developing a nuclear bomb.

Israeli sources said U.S. declarations of real progress are deeply disturbing.

Four, concerning Iran: on Apr. 26, 2025, Time Magazine reported that Trump said if we don’t make a deal (with Iran), I’ll be leading the pack (in an attack on Iran).

(Update: On Apr. 27, 2025, Netanyahu said Israel is prepared to act alone if Iran refuses to abandon its quest for nuclear weapons.)

Five, concerning a normalization agreement (that MAY be the agreement that is strengthened by the Antichrist after the Rapture): on Apr. 25, 2025, Fox News reported that Pres. Trump is scheduled to travel to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates next month, and he expressed optimism that he could broker a normalization deal between Israel and the Saudi Kingdom.

Trump said,

  • I think Saudi Arabia will go into the Abraham Accords.
  • I think it will be full very quickly.

Six, concerning the Two-State Solution and peace in Israel: on Apr. 27, 2025, Israeli Prime Min. Netanyahu told a group of diplomats and policymakers:

  • The idea that creating a Palestinian state would bring peace is folly, nothing more than folly.
  • We just tried a Palestinian state in Gaza.
  • You saw what that brought, right?

His understanding is Biblical, whether he realizes it or not.

The Two-State Solution, normalization agreements, rebuilding the Temple, offering animal sacrifices, Israel’s great army, and Israel’s great weapons won’t bring peace.

Israel will not have peace until the Jews accept Jesus as their Messiah.

Seven, concerning wars and rumors of wars and the destruction of Damascus in one night: following Islamic terrorist attacks on Druze communities in Syria, on Apr. 30, 2025, Israel launched an airstrike on Islamic terrorists near Damascus.

Israel warned the Syrian government that Israel will strike more targets in Syria if Syria does not stop the Islamic terrorist attacks on the Druze.

Eight, concerning an increase in knowledge at the end of the age: on Apr. 22, 2025, Technocracy News & Trends posted an article by Noor Al-Sibai that quoted Eric Schmidt, the former CEO of Google, who said:

  • Once AI begins to self-improve and learn how to plan, it essentially won’t “have to listen to us anymore.”
  • At that stage, AI will not only be smarter than humans but will also reach what is known as artificial superintelligence (ASI), which occurs when AI becomes smarter than all humans put together.

Here is a link to the entire article:

https://www.technocracy.news/trilateral-commissioner-eric-schmidt-warns-that-ai-is-about-to-escape-human-control/

Nine, concerning globalism: on Apr. 29, 2025, Paul Dragu (The New American) wrote this about Canada’s new Prime Min. Mark Carney:

  • Carney is an elite globalist  He has an economics degree from Harvard, he is a former central banker (he served as the governor of the Bank of Canada and the governor of the Bank of England), he is a former World Economic Forum Young Global Leader along with his predecessor Justin Trudeau, and he has ties to the Bilderberg group, Chatham House, and the United Nations, for which he was appointed as special envoy for climate action and finance.

In my words, he is a globalist to the core, and Canada needs our prayers.

Ten, concerning wickedness and the attempt to destroy Israel: as I write this, several major fires are raging in Israel, and it appears that they have been deliberately set (perhaps by Islamic terrorists, but no official finding as of yet).

Several people have been hurt, at least five communities have been fully evacuated, and two major highways have been closed in both directions.

Israel has requested international help, and it is flowing in.

(My comment: No weapon formed against Israel will prevail.)

FYI: God does not send anyone to Hell (all of us are born with a sin nature and destined to go to Hell because we sin), but God has provided a way (Jesus) for everyone to go to Heaven (and He is the only way to get there; John 14:6).

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