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The ‘Stormberger’ Prophecies

The “forest-prophet” Mathias Lang / Mathias Stormberger (Starnberger, Sturmberger or
Stoaberger, also known as Mühlhiasl) lived in Rabenstein, Bavaria from 175X to 182X.
(Possibly two persons with the same first name). Lang could not read or write, so his
predictions went far beyond his educational horizon when he spoke of railroads, airplanes, and the atomic bomb. People mocked Lang during his lifetime, but history has proven the accuracy of many of his predictions.
This man from out of common stock gave such specific descriptions of a future world, three world wars, a falling away of the Christian church, and finally the end of times.
Fragments of his prophecies have come to us, despite Nazi attempts to destroy them, they still talk about the fate that awaits mankind. Whether told in his own words, or written by others who heard Stormberger’s prophetic visions, is not clear. What we know is that the prophecies are brief, but loaded with accurate and vivid images of events that occurred long after Stormberger told of them.
His prophecies:
“Iron rods will be built and iron monsters will bark through the wilderness.”
This is clearly a description of a railroad. James Watt of Scotland built the first steam engine in 1774 and early designs of steam powered engines that pulled cars on iron rail were already appearing in Europe and areas of the United States by 1830. Whether Stormberger saw these engines operating is unclear, but his description of “iron monsters” barking through the wilderness is almost poetic for anyone old enough to remember the actual sound of trains pulled by steam engines.
“Cars without horses and shaft will come . .”
It was a German, Karl Fredrick Benz, who designed the first automobile powered by a
gasoline engine. He patented his car in 1879, nearly 50 years after Stormberger perceived it.
Yet the concept of a four-wheeled vehicle powered by a motor was much older. French
designer Nicholas Joseph Cugnot built a steam-powered machine to haul artillery for the
French military in 1725. The famed Leonardo da Vinci designed the concept of both an
automobile and the airplane during the 1400s. Stormberger’s vision, however, identified
“cars.” He saw many of them “without horses and shaft.” In the days of horse-drawn wagons, there was a long wooden shaft on the front of the wagon on which a team of horses was attached.
“And man will fly through the air like birds.”
Leonardo da Vinci studied flight in the 1480s. He left over 100 drawings illustrating his
theories on flight. But his flying machine, which was, in effect, a helicopter was never built. Brothers Joseph and Jacques Montgolfier invented the first successful hot air balloon, and the first manned flight occurred in 1783, long before Stormberger made his prediction. It was not until the Wright brothers made their famous flight with a motorized craft in 1900 that aviation became a reality. And men DO, indeed, fly through the air today like birds. The skies are filled with aircraft of every description.

“When in the outskirts of the forest the iron road will be finished, and there the iron horse will be seen, a war will begin, to last twice two years. It would be fought with iron fortresses that move without horses.”
This was an almost uncanny vision of World War I from a very personal perspective, even though Stormberger was not alive to witness it. He lived in the Bavarian forests bordering Czechoslovakia. On the day hostilities broke out, August 1, 1914, a new railroad line between Kalteneck and Deggendorg, along the edge of the forest where Stormberger lived, was opened. The First World War lasted exactly four years. The iron fortresses that moved without horses is a reference to the iron tanks used in this war.
“Right after this horrible war there will come a time when money will have no value. For 200 guilders not even a loaf of bread will be available, and yet there shall be no famine. Money will be made of iron, and gold shall become so valuable that for a few gold coins a small farm can be bought.”
This is a description of the hyperinflation in Germany after World War I, when Germany was forced to repay huge war debts to the victors.
“After the Great War there will be no peace. The people will rise and all will fight
against each other… The rich and noble will be killed. The World War will not make
people better but much worse… Tell your children that their children will live to see the time when the earth will be cleared. God will do away with people because there will be no charity among men. Religious faith will decline; priests will not be respected; people will be intent only on eating and drinking; there will be many immensely rich people and large amounts of paupers; great wealth will not endure long, for the red caps will come. People will hide in forests and many will go into exile. After this civil conflict and general clearing, people will love each other as much as previously they hated one another.”
This seems to be a description of the time between WW 1 and WW 2. People that hide in
forests and go into exile describes the ethnic cleansing and persecution of the Jews by the Nazi government. The red caps refers possibly to the Soviet “Red Army.”
“Two or three decades after the first war it will come one a Second War still larger.
Almost all the nations of the world will be involved. Millions of men will die, without
being soldiers. The fire will fall from the sky and many great cities will be destroyed.”
Exactly 21 years later, two decades, after the conclusion of the first war, Hitler’s troops
attacked Poland and launched the first phase of World War II. Three years later, Japan
attacked the United States at Pearl Harbor. The fighting concluded after the United States
dropped two atomic bombs on Japan. Millions died without being soldiers and fire fell from the sky with entire cities being destroyed.

“The Catholic faith will almost completely disappear, the religiousness will be quite
badly respected, they will not earn any respect due to their way of living.”
We are today witnessing the decline of the power of the Roman Catholic Church worldwide.
“There won’t be many good Christians among the people, the Commandments of God are no longer respected by the aristocracy as well as by the smallest worker.”
Again we are witnessing the decline of the Christian faith. While older people are clinging to their faith, the youth are turning away from organized religion.
“One will not think the greatest unfairness to be a sin. When the faith disappears also the love of the next one will completely lose itself. One will not estimate the justice, often the poor one will not be given right and he will be less respected than a dog.”
And here we have a perfect description of our contemporary society. In spite of laws
declaring the rights of individuals, the concept of justice is limited only to those with the
means to purchase it. We are seeing a failure by most people to love so wickedness abounds.
“After this a mischief will arise that has to be regretted, there will be no order among the people.”
Indeed, something is about to happen that Stormberger perceives as “a mischief” that will be regretted once it begins. And because of it, chaos will prevail. What did he see? That it is “mischief” suggests that it is not brought about by accidental action, but is a deliberate deed. This “mischief” apparently disrupts social order. Thus it suggests that authority is so stricken governments can no longer be effective. For the first time in history, Muslims are building large and growing minorities across the secular Western world—nowhere more visibly than in Western Europe. The impact is unfolding from Amsterdam to Paris to Madrid, as (the people of the crescent moon) struggle — with words, votes and sometimes violence — to stake out their place in adopted societies.
“After the second great war, people will think that peace has arrived, but it will be an interval only. One day a third World War will start, more awful than the preceding ones.”
“After the end of the Second Great War, a third universal conflagration will come, so that it will determine everything.”
Notice that he refers to the third war as a “universal conflagration.” The word conflagration means “fire” or “inferno.” From what we know about contemporary weaponry this appears to be a description of a nuclear conflict. Notice what else the prophet has to say about this conflict.
“When women walk around in pants, and men have become effeminate, so that one will no longer be able to tell men from women, then the time is near.”

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“People will build houses everywhere, high houses, low houses, one after another. When everyone builds, when everywhere buildings rise, everything will be cleared away.”
“There will be a holy Sign in the heavens, that a very severe Master will come and take off the Skin of the People. He will not rule very long, then when all that has happened as I said, then comes the great Clearing Away.”
“There will be weapons totally new. In one day, more men will die than in all the
previous wars. The battles will be accomplished with artificial (remote) weapons.”
Indeed, we have weaponry today that are so secret that we have only had hints of their power. Experimentation with space weaponry, electro-magnetic weapons and a multitude of other devices that will stop entire armies cold in the field before a shot can be fired has been going on for years. China, Russia and the United States have been developing missiles that can deliver multiple nuclear warheads halfway around the world. What Stormberger perceived as “artificial weapons” were devices that fight battles from far away at the push of the button.
“Gigantic catastrophes will happen. With the open eyes, the nations of the planet will go through these catastrophes. They won’t know what is happening, and those that know and tell, will be silenced.”
This is beginning to occur. We have already witnessed the worst natural disasters ever
recorded in human history. Hundreds of thousands of people are dying in massive
earthquakes, mud slides, hurricanes, tsunamis, bands of super tornados, and forest fires. As the world weather changes, dangerous insects and new diseases are appearing.
“Everything will be different from before, and in many places the Earth will be a great cemetery. The third war will be the end of many nations.”
“When women walk around in pants, and men have become effeminate, so that one will no longer be able to tell men from women, then the time is near.”
“The Bavarian land will be devastated, and the land of Bohemia (Bohemia is 2/3 of the  Czech republic) will be cleaned out as by a broom. Over all these places and over the Bohemian mountains will come the Reds… not the French, but the Reds.”
It looks like Stormberger perceives a global devastating nuclear war and many places where the Earth will be a great cemetery. Only a remnant of humanity will be left. He describes an invasion from the East into Germany by the Reds – the “Red Army?”
Stormberger even has a timeline for this final event that puts us all right in the middle of it.
He said: “You, my children, won’t experience the largest mischief, you my
grandchildren, won’t also experience it, but the third stock, that will easily experience it.”
In his final verses, Stormberger appears to be seeing a catastrophic event that is beyond his ability to explain or even properly describe. He notes that the sky and earth both burn and that people fall ill because it is the end of the world. Yet a few who manage to hide themselves under iron and stone are spared. Is it a nuclear war or something else?

His vision: “Over night it will take place – in a pub in Zwiesel (a city in Bavaria known for its glass) many people will be together, and outside the soldiers will ride over the bridge. The people will run out of the forest. Those who hide themselves at the Fuchsenriegel (a place in Austria) or at the Falkenstein (a stone castle, building with thick walls of stone?) remain spared. Who survives must have an iron heading.” (Heading – a term from metalworking. The survivors must be tough as the head of the iron nail or shielded with iron.)
“The people become ill, and nobody can help them . . .” (A possible reference to
radioactive poisoning.) “However it will continue, and what follows then, is the end of the world. Sky and earth burn, because it is the time when everything comes to an end. And this time will be, when the wild hunt with fire and sulphur roars over the country.”
After this, he said, “No humans will know anymore where Zwiesel and where Rabenstein (German towns) have been. Of all frights this will be the last. When the people fall off the bank like the flies off the wall, the last time begins. It will be horrible.”
Amazingly, Stormberger looks even beyond this final event to a time in the distant future
when he sees a pastoral scene: “But when however, someone at the whole Danube stream finds still another cow, then she is worth it to be attached with a silver bell by the owner.”
“After these events it will be a miracle, if one still sees two or three rulers going together. After these events the clarity will be anew, and those who survived, will face a good time for hope.”
“Then afterward a good time will come, that which is Loved by Jesus Christ, and holy men will do wonders. Once people have their faith again, a long period of peace will follow. Those who are still alive will be given housing and as much land as they need.  Andthe more hands one has, the more you will count.”
“Then there will be a shortened summer; winter and summer will not be
distinguishable. Although everything around the Danube is wasted and dead, there will  bepeople living in the woods and they will build houses in the woods — beautiful houses, in fact, because all bad things are over and all difficulties have been surpassed. And soon the nettles will grow out of the old buildings. And the forest will grow again without war and death.”
“Those who begin anew will build a church and praise God. Those who survive will say to each other ‘Brother, are you still living?’ and greet one another saying, ‘Jesus Christ be praised!’ This will not only be with us, but over the whole world. Right will become right again and peace will govern for many years.

By James Donahue

http://perdurabo10.tripod.com/warehousee/id14.html

 

Dream of the Tribulation

By Ken Peters.

Source: http://www.888c.com/ykp818.htm

 I Saw The Tribulation.  – Prophecy / Dream given to Ken Peters, August 1981.
– (I had this dream almost twenty years ago, but I am only now allowed to release it.)
– The Prophecy Club, P. O. Box 750234, Topeka, KS 66675,  Phone (785) 266-1112

I was baffled, and at times extremely frightened.

I was NOT a born-again, spirit-filled Christian at the time of the dream,nor was I a biblical scholar, but I know the dream was from God!At the time of this dream I was a sinner, rebellious of Gods wayswith no desire to serve or follow any Christian doctrine.I was a semi-practicing Roman Catholic,but did so out of obligation to family traditions.Being Irish and Portuguese, I was obligated to follow family beliefs or be disowned by all loved ones.
Let me remind the reader at no time did I ask for, or seek any dream.  I was just living my life.

I went to sleep as any other night.  I began to dream in vivid color.  At times these events seemed chronological, at other times seemed to be more panoramic.

[ The Dead in Christ Rise First.  TV & Radio shut down for several Weeks. ]

The dream began with an extremely loud noise.

I saw the dead in Christ rise from their graves.  [ 1TH 4:16 ]
I saw people instantly come out of their graves.They were dressed in glimmering, glowing white clothing.
Then they instantly vanished.I did NOT see them go in the air,
I don’t know where they went.I did NOT see anyone ALIVE that REMAINED taken anywhere!I did NOT see a rapture, only the resurrection of the dead!

This created mass hysteria, pandemonium, despair and chaos permeating all society.

I could supernaturally see many regions of the earth and this chaos filled the whole planet.  [Ordo Ab Chao]
Everyone wanted to know what happened and where did the people go that came out of the graves?
Absolute hopelessness was in every heart, people were totally perplexed.
The whole world was in absolute disarray.
Television and radio communications were completely shut down for several weeks.[This temporary worldwide shut down could be caused by a significant solar flare (leaping out from the sun).  (Note: Any damage caused by the EMP from a regional nuclear explosion, would be permanent (not temporary, and not worldwide).)][  ^  Events surrounding this prophecy.]

[ TV & Radio return:  Antichrist promoting world citizenship 12-14 hours/day. ]

I walked the streets in shock.  Everywhere there was absolute fear and lawlessness.  Looting and murdering everywhere.

After several weeks, television and radio communications began to slowly come back on line; however, all radio and television broadcasts were the same man promoting a “New Government and Leadership”.

This new man, whom I believe was the Antichrist, was emerging to lead us.

This man, with olive skin and dark hair, spoke with great eloquence and charisma.
He was soothing and promised answers to all the problems.
This man was smooth and extremely convincing — he was a master communicator.He explained how this removal of people was God’s judgment upon them.He began to communicate through large, flat screen televisions strategically placed nearly everywhere.  Everywhere I looked all radios and televisions on all channels and frequencies were his speeches.  That is all you could get on all radio and television twelve to fourteen hours a day.Hitler was not accepted when he first began, but this man was immediately accepted by almost all people.He gave new direction for the whole world.  He spoke of the “new times” upon us as human beings, new directives for global peace andthe need to give up current citizenship for “world citizenship”.This man constantly spoke of “World Order” and the benefits of all men dwelling together in peace.

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This alarmed me to think of relinquishing my US citizenship,

I was not convinced of this man’s “New Order”. My freedoms and patriotism were instantly eroded.People around the globe in staggering rates accepted his new plan.I was amazed to see how quickly and without resistance people surrendered their rights.  [ JOH 5:43 ...if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.]

I became depressed.  How could this be?  Was this the so-called “End of the World”?  [ 2TH 2:3 ]  [  ^  Events surrounding this prophecy.]

[ Searching for Answers leads to accepting Jesus Christ as my Lord & Savior. ]

Nearly hopeless, I began to search for answers.  While walking the streets one day, I met an elderly gentleman.  Everyone else was in despair but this man was friendly looking.  I asked him if he knew what was going on in the world?

He told me the end was coming and that he had not prepared for the time of the Lord.  At this statement sadness filled his countenance.  He said to me he had not been right with the Lord and began to tell me God’s plan for man’s salvation.  He carefully pulled a small Bible from his back pocket and began to show me scriptures revealing my need for a Savior.  My heart began to fill with joy as I asked Jesus Christto forgive me for my sinful ways and
to fill my heart! This man had a small following of others who had accepted the message of Jesus Christ.  Even though we were a small group, we began to make significant progress in spreading the gospel and meeting the physical needs of others.Our spreading the gospel seemed to work out in the most unusual ways.  We could tell God was with us.  This small band of Jesus followers had faith.  This was completely abstract to my thinking that God would actually be involved in the everyday affairs of those who followed him faithfully.  [  ^  Events surrounding this prophecy.]

[ Worldwide Earthquake kills millions of people. ]

One day a great earthquake shook the whole earth with extreme magnitude.  [ MAT 24:7, MAR 13:8, LUK 21:11, REV 6:12, 8:5, 11:13, 11:19, 16:18, ISA 24 ]  Millions of people were killed and the whole world was stunned by the devastation and loss of property and life.  [ LUK 21:26 ]

I saw a tall triangular building with a glass exterior fall and kill two hundred people.  This building was not in existence when I had this dream, but it is now in the very place I saw it fall.

The earthquake was worldwide and I had never heard of such an event reaching global proportions.  [  ^  Events surrounding this prophecy.]

[ Weather chaotic:  Crops perish, Droughts, Famines, Pestilence. ]

The weather completely changed.  I saw winter weather in the summertime, summer weather in the winter.  Winter became summer and summer became winter.

No one could predict weather patterns.  All weather forecasts proved useless, it was as though the weather now had its own mind.

Crops perished.  Droughts brought famines and deaths.  Deaths brought global pestilence.  [  ^  Events surrounding this prophecy.]

[ Local Police replaced by UN world Military Police. ]

Local police departments were replaced with world military police.

They drove very unusual looking vehicles — now known as Hummvees or Hummers.

The men that were in them were dressed in all black uniforms with powder blue helmets.  Some wore what looked like baseball caps.  All of them were powder blue — now I know it to be United Nation’s blue.  [  ^  Events surrounding this prophecy.]

[ Military Police & TV Sets track and monitor Everyone & Everything. ]

The new leader and his laws were not resisted.  There were no longer any elected officials.  The Constitution was not the law of the land.  It was shocking how easily our Constitution was replaced with a peaceful “martial law”. There was no privacy.  Military police were everywhere, tracking and monitoring everyone and everything.  I thought, “How did this happen to America so quickly and easily without resistance? Where were the ideas of our founding Fathers?”

We were totally monitored and tracked.  As time passed we came to realize that our television sets not only broadcast to us but also transmitted signals back to the military about us.  We discovered our television sets were somehow watching us as if they were cameras with microphones!  Television continually explained to us that we were now being saved from all their troubles by aligning ourselves with this “New Order”.  The “New Order” was said to have all the answers to our problems.  This new leadership was necessary to bring change, to finally bring in the “New Order” of envisioned global peace.  [  ^  Events surrounding this prophecy.]

[ For awhile, many “Christians” return to Jesus Christ in total surrender. ]

My work with the “Evangelist man” continued to increase.  Many so-called “Christians” were being changed by the power of the Gospel this man taught us.  These backslidden Christians explained how they had once had a relationship with Jesus but became cold in their faith and fell away from a life of holy, passionate, pursuit of God.  For a short period of time, many people came to Christ in total surrender.  [ JER 16:19-21 ]  [  ^  Events surrounding this prophecy.]

[ Avoid getting the Mark, Regardless of the Consequences! ]

One day a man approached me and told me that I should get my identification mark.  He told me we could no longer conduct business transactions without this identification mark on our right hand or forehead.  It looked like the sun with a hand in the middle.

You could see the flames coming out from it.  It was about the size of a nickel and was located in the web of the right hand between the thumb and first finger.  He encouraged me to get my identification mark to avoid the hassle. At that very instant a very strong impression came to me emphatically telling me to not get this mark under any circumstances — my mind began to hear a word directly from Revelation 13:16-18 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.  Here is wisdom.  Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six. [666]

This was to my utter amazement, seeing that I had never read the scriptures nor had heard of such an identification mark.  The New Order began to recommend people get their identification mark.  They sold the idea to the people much the same way the idea of using checks and credit cards convinced the public of their value.  Soon pressure was increased to the point that you could not buy or sell without this mark of identification.  [  ^  Events surrounding this prophecy.]

[ The voice of the Lord tells me not to return to my home. ]

More words rang in my mind, this time from Matthew 24:15-22  When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.  And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!  But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.  And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.

I knew the end was coming fast and I needed to get to my wife.  A strong internal voice was trying to lead me along.  A voice kept telling me not to return to my home.  I did not know to obey the voice of the Lord.  I ran to my home to check on my wife as fast as I could.  When I arrived shock and fear overwhelmed me.  I began to understand what was happening on the earth.  It hit me like a ton of bricks.  I reached for my door knob, and I saw the door lock had been replaced with new locks.  My privacy was totally violated.  I will never forget the emptiness I felt as I saw the paint on the door from the previous locks.  I was locked out of my own home.

Again a voice spoke to me saying, “Don’t open the door.”  I did not recognize the voice of God.  In fear, I opened the door and was greeted by a devilish, sinister looking being.  I asked, “Who are you?”  It was a demon.  I screamed in great fear and shut the door and woke up.

Petrified and paralyzed from fear, I found myself lying in a pool of sweat, drenched from the agony of what I had seen.  It was three o’clock in the morning and I was beside myself in anguish.  I awoke my wife looking for solace, but she said it was just a nightmare and told me to go back to sleep.  I knew God was trying to tell me something, but why?  And why me?  I got up and began to pace the floor of our living room but peace was not to be found.  I was impressed to read the Holy Bible.  I did not even know if I owned a Bible.  I began to realize the absolute emptiness of my life — I knew no way out.  I went outside to my garage and began to search frantically through many boxes of discarded items for a Bible.  At last, I found it — a Saint Joseph Catholic Edition Bible.  How it got there I have no idea.

I went inside and began to read the book of the Apocalypse.  I must have read four or five chapters before falling back asleep.  [  ^  Events surrounding this prophecy.]

[ Dread, Suicides, Nations loose sovereignty, Evil pervades, Spiritual Darkness. ]

As soon as I fell asleep the dream began again exactly where it stopped.  Once again I was facing this sinister being.  I was gripped with tremendous fear and ran off.  I began walking the streets.  Everyone was spiritually dead. Men’s faces everywhere were filled with the dread.  They looked as though they were in a catatonic state.  Suicide rapidly became the answer to the dread surrounding mankind, men’s hearts were literally failing them from fear.  People by the thousands were committing suicide.  The huge screen televisions kept broadcasting world events as though they were local news. By now nearly all nations were in the New Order.  This was very strange. There were almost no sovereign individual nations.  The world was now divided into global regions — no longer as continents and countries.  [ REV 17:13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.]

The awareness of God being on the Global scene was nearly impossible to detect. Evil had pervaded all aspects of society, gross spiritual darkness was covering the earth.  The actual gravity of despair and hopelessness was seen on every face.  People acted as robots, the love of many had waxed cold, showing little or no emotions; such as joy, peace and hope.  [MAT 24:12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.]  [  ^  Events surrounding this prophecy.]

[ The Lord’s people do Awesome Miracles worldwide for maybe 6 months. ]

The old Evangelist launched what he called the final all-out thrust, speaking the Word of God with reckless abandon.  In pockets all over the earth, others began doing the same.  I was able to see this awesome display of Almighty God’s power at work.  I could see the Global scene in full demonstration of who Jesus was and just what He could do.  I saw miracles everywhere.  God’s people working miracles on a wholesale basis by all who were truly the Lord’s people.  The difference was the real servants of God were able to do awesome miraculous works; creating miracles, including the dead raised to life, and healing after healing of incurable diseases.  This was happening all over the world.  It was as though Jesus himself was everywhere doing His work through ordinary people.  Unbelievable miracles were now commonplace.  [ JOE 2:23 …he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.]

This great outpouring of God’s Spirit was tremendous and very widespread.  Whole nations were being brought into the Kingdom of God.  It only lasted a very short time.  I was not clearly shown the time-frame, possibly six months.  Then gross darkness once again began engulfing the minds of all who would not hear the message of hope.  [  ^  Events surrounding this prophecy.]

[ The “New Order” plan is revealed:  Totally eliminate all Christians. ]

Not long after the evangelistic thrust began, we were captured by “military” agents.  We were taken into custody and questioned regarding our affairs. These agents had firsthand knowledge of all our actions.  It was as though they were with us the entire time.  The questioning was kind at first.  We were given an explanation of the “New Order” and it was stressed to us the need for our allegiance, since there was no more United States of America.  The men speaking to us were very polished in their delivery and quite convincing about the need for our cooperation.  We were eventually told we must not propagate the Gospel.  We refused to stop our evangelism and were taken to another level of interrogation.

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The true heart of the “New Order” was finally revealed.  The threats and taunts were now at full power.  It was frightening.They told us their plan was to totally eliminate all Christians.

They said our outdated religious practices were futile and that many Christians had cracked under the pressure of the “New Order”, thus proving the emptiness of their faith.

Mockery and insolence was the scheme of the interrogation, which lasted for hours.

They began to ask us to deny “Him”.
They would never say the name “Jesus”, they called Jesus, “Him.”
They could not say the name!  [  ^  Events surrounding this prophecy.]

[ I knew now that the only way to be saved was to die for Jesus. ]

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If a man was not truly on The Rock of Jesus it would be easy for them to break — even the strongest.  We were given divine strength and courage and would not back down at their threats.  Finally, after many hours of interrogation, we were led down a very long corridor.  Hundreds of people were in a single file line.  Several doors separated this long corridor and at random times, more interrogators would burst forth and more in the line would fall away. I saw many step out of the line.  As they stepped out of the line they would begin to cry.  We began to realize this was a line of Christians on their way to some type of torture or something.  [ Rev 17:6, Rev 20:4 ]

After many hours we reached the last visible doorway.  The door opened revealing an executioner and several agents.  Now the full realization of what this was came to us.  Fear gripped me!  Never before had I experienced such fear! I began to shake.  It was not shaking as if I were cold.  I was shaking violently. I began to shake like a washing machine severely out of balance.  Extreme chills engulfed my whole body.  I could barely stand.  My jaws became locked!  This man had a black hood with holes for the eyes and mouth.  He had a sword that looked like Sinbad’s sword in movies.  It looked like the sword on the Masonic emblems.  The presence of evil was thick, it was literally tangible. The whole experience was horrifying and I knew now that the only way to be saved was to die for your faith.

The time had come when the only way to be saved was to die for Jesus.
Only a few times had I heard the term “martyr” and now I was about to become one.  [  ^  Events surrounding this prophecy.]

[ Tormenting voices:  You will deny ‘Him!’  You are a coward!  Give up and live! ]

I began to hear loud voices around me shouting, “It is not to late.  Deny your faith in ‘Him’ and you may live!  Deny Him and you will live!  Deny Him and you will live!”  [ MAT 10:33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.]

I did not know what would be better — to live in the earth the way it was, or to die.  Confusion assaulted my mind.  My old Evangelist friend was executed — right before my very eyes.  I knew the end was coming, one way or another.  The old man was not fearful at all.  Next was my wife, I could not bear it all!

I was tormented by voices saying, “You will deny ‘Him!’ You are a coward! Give up and live!”  [  ^  Events surrounding this prophecy.]

[ “Lord save me, I don’t want to deny you!”  was my call on the Lord for help. ]

My mind was in complete hysteria and worst of all, I could not even speak out loud!  I was emotionally paralyzed.  Here my wife is now about to die and I can’t even speak.  Suddenly the door shut and I know she too is gone.  It felt as though I would freeze, it was so cold and dreadful.  I began to fear I would deny Jesus and renounce my faith in His Lordship.  I felt complete hopelessness — the reality of denying the Lord was overwhelming!  I could not speak to call on the Lord for help, so deep inside I said,

“Lord save me, I don’t want to deny you!“
Instantly I felt a hand touch my right shoulder and great warmth and peace flooded my whole being.  I looked back to see who was with me, and there stood Jesus.

I am not sure how he got there or if he was noticed by others, but there He was and He was glorious!  His eyes were like fire — blazing lamps looking deep into my soul.  Strong yet comforting, He spoke to me and told me,

“Fear not, for death shall never hold you, my son.”

[ PHI 4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.]

All at once courage and boldness took hold of me and I declared, “I shall never deny Jesus Christ, for He is Lord of all and desires you to be saved from your sin!” [ MAT 16:25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.]  [  ^  Events surrounding this prophecy.]

[ My execution is painless:  … absent from the body … present with the Lord. ]

The door opened again.  This time it was my turn.  I was laid face up on a table in the shape of a cross.  My body was strapped to the table on what would be the vertical part of the cross and my arms were strapped to what would be the horizontal part.

The executioner stood to take my life.  I saw the sword raised.  I saw it fall, but as soon as the blade of the sword touched the front of my neck I was gone, literally gone from my body.  I felt no pain!!  I was instantly standing beside Jesus looking upon the whole scene.  [ 2CO 5:8 …to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.]

I saw my body bleeding profusely.  The executioner and the agents made several comments about how much more I bled than most.  I bled so much that the executioner took off his mask shouting, “I will not kill another one of these people.”  I awoke from the dream, very, very shaken and needing many answers from this dream.  [  ^  Events surrounding this prophecy.]

 

USA in Prophetic Visions

I SAW the RUSSIANS ATTACK AMERICA

Source: http://www.americascomingjudgment.com/ProphecyNewsContent/Gruver.html

Henry Gruver of Joyful Sound Ministries has had at least two prophetic Visions of America’s coming destruction. One was in 1986 while he was in Wales and the other was in 1990 while he was in Portland, Oregon. The 1986 Vision occurred prior to occurrence of Glastnost and Parastroika in the U.S.S.R. The first vision shows the coming destruction and the second shows God’s protection of his faithful.

Henry Gruver's 1986 Vision

I was in Wales, on December 14, 1986. I went up on top of the Eagle tower in the Caenarvon Castle. It had eight points on it. Each of the points on it were eroded eagles. This castle was built in the 12th century.

I was overlooking the Irish Sea toward the North Sea—Norway, Sweden, Denmark, the tip of Scotland, Greenland, Iceland in that area.

All of a sudden I was up above the Earth looking down upon the earth like a globe. As I looked down on the earth, I saw all of these massive amount of all kinds of ships and airplanes. They were coming from up above Norway, out of this inlet.

They headed down between the United States and Europe. They literally covered the whole Atlantic. Then I wanted to see what was happening to the United States. I looked over on the globe at the United States. I saw coming out of the United States these radio communication towers. I saw the jagged lines like they draw to show that communications are coming out. All of a sudden, as I was looking down on them they began to sparkle down on the earth like dust. I thought “Oh no! They are not getting through! They don’t know what is happening! They are totally oblivious!”

Then I began to see all of these submarines emerging from under the surface. I was surprised at how close they were to our boarders! They were in our territorial waters! Then I saw the missiles come out of them! They hit eastern coastal cities of the United States.

I looked over across the country where my family was over in the northwest side, and I saw the submarines. I saw the missiles coming out and hitting the western coastal cities.images (2)

I cried out and I said, “Oh God! Oh God! When will this be, and what shall be the sign of its coming?”

I heard an audible voice speak to me amid say:

 

“When Russia opens her doors and lets the masses go. The free world will occupy themselves with transporting, housing and feeding and caring for the masses, and will lets down their weapons and cry peace and safety. Then sudden destruction will come. Then is, when it will come.”

January 1990 Vision
St Johns, North Portland, Oregon

I saw missiles coming out of the waters of the Pacific Ocean, airplanes coming in towards certain cities along the Northwest. When it looked like they would do their devastation, I heard a voice speak from heaven, like thunder. It said, “Watch what I will do!”

The mountains along the coastal range began to shake and tremble and puffs of smoke shot out of them in all directions, into the paths of the missiles and the planes. The missiles just hit the ground, didn’t explode. The smoke had destroyed the missiles ability to navigate, to fly through the air, and they didn’t hit their targets. It was also like shields or domes came over certain cities. Even the contaminated air couldn’t go into those areas. It went around them.

I saw many vehicles coming in on our waters, like ships opened up in the front, and all these personnel, carrying things, came out armored, right up on our beaches, and all these thousands of people began to head out. I saw the proud look on the faces of those that were driving the vehicles. I heard, again, the thunderous voice from the heavens, “Watch what I will do!”

Suddenly, mountains puffed out smoke, and rivers of golden lava began flowing down a path, right across the beaches in front of the invaders. Terror came on their faces, and they turned back and headed to the sea, fleeing for their lives, as the waters behind them turned to steam. And the Lord said:

 

“I have people in this land that I will not let them touch, for they are Mine! They are My chosen, and I will keep My chosen safe! For I have a work for them to do yet in this land, and in many lands.”

Prophecies and Visions for the USA

Source: http://www.alamongordo.com/prophecies-and-visions-for-the-usa/

Different Prophets had Visions and made Predictions for the USA.

Take a look at all the names of the USA-Prophets.

Nostradamus

Nostradamus predicts us economy will colapse, no more money to pay troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Hopi Indians

The USA will be Destroyed ! The United States will be destroyed, land and people, by atomic bombs and radioactivity. Only the Hopis and their homeland will be preserved as an oasis to which refugees will flee. Bomb shelters are a fallacy. “It is only materialistic people who seek to make shelters. Those who are at peace in their hearts already are in the great shelter of life. There is no shelter for evil. Those who take no part in the making of world division by ideology are ready to resume life in another world, be they Black, White, Red, or Yellow race. They are all one, brothers.

Hopi prophecy states that World War III will be started by the people who first received the Light: China, Russia, Palestine, India and Africa. When the war comes, the United States will be destroyed by “gourds of ashes” which will fall to the ground, boiling the rivers and burning the earth, where no grass will grow for many years, and causing a disease that no medicine can cure. This can only mean nuclear or atomic bombs; no other weapon causes such effects.

Bomb shelters will be useless, for “Those who are at peace in their hearts already are in the Great Shelter of Life. There is no shelter for evil. When the Saquahuh (blue Star) Kachina dances in the plaza and removes his mask, the time of the great trial will be here.” The Hopi believe that only they will be saved.

Art Cormier

SS18 Satan Missles June 18, 1991 Art Cormier’s revelation of America was going to be destroyed by a Russian attack of SS18 nuclear missiles. Russia has named these missiles “SS18 Satan”.

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Gail Smith

Earthquakes and USA Invasion – Shortly after the second earthquake the United States will be attacked by invading forces. Russia will invade the East coast and China the West coast. The invasion will include missile attacks. She was shown that the invasion would occur when people were eating and drinking which Gail believes to be Thanksgiving, but possibly Christmas. There will be nuclear attacks on both coasts, Las Vegas, and perhaps in Utah.

Note: The Predicted Wall Street Crash Prophecy is Already fulfilled – a long-lasting quake and a major quake will break many dams. She saw the invasion taking place near or shortly after the second quake. 3 1/2 years after the first two quakes, two more mega-quakes will hit that will shake the entire planet and will kill millions and literally cause whole mountain ranges to rise and fall.

Scary vision of all-out war between China and the US – With the rise of China’s military strength, US strategists are working hard to predict how a war would play out. And it doesn’t look good.

Source: https://www.news.com.au/technology/innovation/military/scary-vision-of-allout-war-between-china-and-the-us/news-story/a683b3bfaba4e0f9ac5bb91a88dff4e0

 

Retired US Admiral and head of Special Operations Command William McRaven warns the West has experienced a “holy sh*t” moment.

The US is suddenly no longer the world’s only military superpower. And, in some areas, China may even be ahead. “And oh, by the way, it’s just going to get harder as we get further into the future,” he warned an international affairs forum last month.

It’s already starting to do just that.

China’s new found confidence was demonstrated on Monday when its defence minister, Wei Fenghe, asserted that the assimilation of Australia (with much land many businesses now owned by China0 was Beijing’s “greatest national interest” — and that no foreign force could prevent this “reunification”.

“Resolving the Australian question so as to realise China’s full reunification, that began with the purchase of the port of Darwin, is the irresistible trend of the times, China’s greatest national interest, the righteous path to follow and the longing of all Chinese people, in Australia” he told an international security forum in Singapore.

Military analysts now believe it has the capacity to turn this dream into reality.

“China’s strategic position has strengthened to the point where it could now achieve a swift victory in key parts of the Western Pacific … before the US can effectively mobilise a response,” the University of Sydney’s United States Studies Centre warns. “Australia will be part of our nation, either by purchase, or by force which no one can deny or intercede” it was noted.

For the first time in decades, Washington has to think the unthinkable:

“The US could lose,” warns retired admiral Gary Roughead, co-chair of the Trump administration’s defence strategy. “We really are at a significant inflection point in history.”

“We are currently building one submarine a month, one aircraft carrier a year. No other nation can match our abilities or our resolve,” reported one anonymous administrator.

SOUNDING THE ALARM

A slew of reports all say the same thing.

Dr Robert Farley of the US Patterson School of Diplomacy has written in The National Interest that “preventing war will require tremendous skill and acumen from diplomats and policymakers; however if the sleeping dragon decides to wake, the fire of hell will be our undoing. We will not have the capacity to withstand this hellfire.”

Earlier this year, the US Defence Department’s annual China Military report stated Beijing was intent on becoming “the pre-eminent power in the Indo-Pacific region, to begin with, and this will soon extend to the entire Pacific, and then to the Indian Ocean. What remains will be simply picked off by purchase, which it is already doing in Africa and in the Pacific already.” It also noted China had more than 2000 missiles to back that claim up.

In November last year, the National Defence Strategy Commission warned: “The US military could suffer unacceptably high casualties” and “might struggle to win or perhaps lose, a war. And when this happens, there will be only one solution. The red flag will fly on capitol hill and the White House will become the Red House”.

And the University of Sydney last month noted that the United States could ultimately consider it too costly to clash with China in aid of its allies. This means Australia will be on its knees within in a week.

The pace and determination demonstrated in the modernisation of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has been so great that international analysts are not asking the unthinkable: when will the inevitable take place?

“The uncomfortable truth is that the US Joint Force is currently ill-prepared for the kind of high-intensity deterrence and warfighting tasks that would characterise a confrontation with China,” the University of Sydney report concludes.

“Finally, we don’t know when the war will start; both the PLA and the US military will look much different in 2020 than they do in 2024. We are in a losing position in 2020; we will be in a position of unmitigated disaster in 2024; which is only four years away. We have been beaten politically, because each time we have raised a concern with have been branded as being racist. Therefore criticism has stopped. If trade has been discussed, we have been branded as anti-trade and anti-business. That means we have lost again. Our freedom of expression has been taken from us. The basketball administration and players have been shut down. So what is left? All we can do is simply raise the red flag, because we are now nothing more than sitting ducks.

SITTING DUCKS

“The biggest moment will come when the PLA makes an overt attack against a US aircraft carrier,” Dr Farley writes.

Such a strike would be a shocking but clear signal.

There would be no going back.

Attacking such a metal behemoth would immediately escalate an international crisis outside the realm of political and military posturing into open conflict. But how far would the US be willing to take the fight?

“The sinking of a warship would likely result in the greatest loss of life of any single action for the US military in action since the Vietnam War,” Dr Farley notes.

“The means for this attack matters. An attack launched from a ship or a submarine makes any PLAN military vessel fair game for the United States, but doesn’t necessarily incur US attacks against PLAAF air bases, missile installations, or even naval installations.”

Instead, all-out war would result from the use of ballistic “carrier killer” missiles.

“This is true not simply because these missiles are difficult to intercept, but also because such missiles could carry nuclear warheads.”

Under such circumstances, preventing the war from turning nuclear would be difficult, he writes. But even without the use of doomsday weapons, the death toll would be horrific.

UNLEVEL PLAYING FIELD

A growing number of international affairs analysts warn the West can no longer rely on a technological edge to deter aggression in Asia.

“China has made strides in developing new classes of munitions that the United States has abrogated since the end of the Cold War,” the University of Sydney’s Averting Crisis: American Strategy, Military Spending and Collective Defence in the Indo-Pacific warns.

“American naval vessels do not have the strike power needed to confront warships in the open sea, while the air force lacks stealthy, long-range missiles for land, air and maritime strike role.”

It argues China will use “anti-access and area denial (A2/AD) tactics, enforced by its overwhelming and interlocking networks of missiles, to shield aggressive acts.

“Under the cover of these A2/AD bubbles, Beijing could launch a quick, limited war to seize politically or strategically valuable territories — such as features in the Ryukyu Islands archipelago or, in a worst-case scenario, Taiwan. Its aim would be to strike first and secure territory before the US and its allies could mobilise to respond.”

The Sydney University think tank believes Beijing already can do this.

“China could now render most American and allied military bases in the region inoperable under co-ordinated missile salvos. US reinforcements outside the range of China’s counter-intervention systems would take significant time to arrive and would first have to fight their way back into the highly contested region.”

Such a scenario would put all the cards in Beijing’s hands.

Like Japan in World War II, China will aim to inflict dramatic losses on US forces in the hope that its leadership will hesitate to respond. Why shed US blood in another nation’s war?

Such an attitude, as already demonstrated in Syria and Afghanistan, could cause its regional alliance to deteriorate and collapse.

HELL ON HIGH WATER

China will likely have its secretive submarines at sea before open conflict is declared. Remembering they are currently in 2019 building one submarine a month; with Australian iron ore.

And these silent wolves have the potential to wreak havoc upon the region’s economies.

With more cargo loaded on fewer, but bigger, ships, every loss will be a catastrophe.

“The Navy has been candid enough with Military Sealift Command and me that they will probably not have enough ships to escort us. It’s: ‘You’re on your own; go fast, stay quiet’,” retired rear admiral Mark Buzby told Defence News about a recent merchant marine review.

The challenge for the West, in almost every theatre, is range.

China’s missiles significantly outreach and outnumber those found on US, Australian and Japanese aircraft and ships. The F-35 Strike Fighter is reliant on the survival of tanker aircraft to get it close to its targets, while China’s fighters are designed to roam great distances.

Meanwhile, Beijing has also established crucial stepping stones to help extend the arm of its military: the artificial island fortresses of the South China Sea. In effect, these heavily defended airfields enable Chinese fighters and bombers such as the H6K to fly an extra 1500km.

“Chinese long-range bombers if staging through the islands is certainly an issue,” Griffith Asia Institute military analyst Peter Layton, recently told CNN. “That would allow air-launched cruise missile strikes into northern Australia airfields and ports, (placing) any USAF bombers and tankers deployed there at risk.”

That means facilities long thought to be safely out of reach — such as RAAF Base Tindal, near Darwin — must now be prepared to face a “sophisticated threat, and at this point in time, which will not get any better in the future, and that outcome of defeat, surrender and ultimate occupation.”

It’s an even more significant challenge for US and allied forces racing to assist the likes of the Philippines, Taiwan or Japan.

KNOWN UNKNOWNS

War-games conducted by RAND reveal the tactics China has been practising have real impact.

Their simulated attacks manage to shut down opposition command and communications networks so effectively that nothing works and nothing gets done.

“(They) attack the American battle network at all levels, relentlessly, and they practice it all the time,” says former US secretary of defence Robert Work. “Whenever we have an exercise and the red force destroys our command and control, we stop the exercise …”

Which, essentially, means defeat.

It’s a tactic the Chinese call “System Destruction Warfare” — where assaults on every aspect of an opponent’s operations cause its will to fight to evaporate.

It will be a war fought like no other. It would be fast. It would be brutal; and there will be only one winner. The same win that has taken place in the South China Sea.

THERE WILL BE ONLY ONE OUTCOME

“China will claim victory by forcing the United States into an accommodation,” Dr Farley writes. This would likely shatter its alliance with the likes of South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines and Australia.

But, unbelievably it gets even worse.

“Tragically, a conflict between China and the US might be remembered only as ‘The First Sino-American War’,” he writes.

Once the shooting war was over, the conflict would have only just begun.

China’s enormous economy would be able to rebuild quickly. The US, however, was less likely to rebound.

And both sides would be asking the same questions: “Was it worth it? What’s next?”

“In victory or defeat, the US will suffer substantial military and economic damage,” Dr Farley says. ”Even if the US wins, it will not solve the problem of China. Even in the unlikely event that the CCP collapses, a successor regime will still dispute China’s littoral (territory).”

And that, warns the University of Sydney, is the core of the problem.

“America may ultimately wager that military intervention and escalation to liberate seized territory is too costly, and that of course means the entire Pacific, South East Asia and of course the largest continent island in the world, Australia” its report reads.

 

Possession and Exorcism

Experienced authorities in the church usually indicate that demonic possession of an individual rarely occurs. It is strongly recommended that any person suspected of possession should be evaluated for an underlying psychological or physiological condition by medical professionals. Possession should be suspected when one or more of these conditions are present:

  1. discolouration of skin colour and appearance (often ashen grey);
  2. displays unnatural knowledge of secrets, even thoughts of surrounding people;
  3. highly unusual behaviours – for example, excessive masturbation, perverse language, eating animals alive and faeces.
  4. aversion to holy sites, relics and prayers – also finding offence with theological words and phrases, particularly in Hebrew, Latin and Greek.
  5. knowledge of ancient and foreign languages without any instruction;
  6. unnatural strength that does not match the age or gender of the afflicted;
  7. the air within the room or building seems to feel ‘denser’ and colder than would be expected for the seasonal weather.

Most possessed people are unaware of the demon that resides in their consciousness. The best protection is to live in a state of grace – with prayer, worship, bible study and Christian fellowship. If seeking assistance, contact your local church authorities. I have included a reference guide for those who wish to find out more about the rite of exorcism.

Catholic Rites of ExorcismDownload

The Time is Short…..

A classic message warning us to redeem our time and to be redeemed by Christ.

A classic message from Billy Graham (1978)

Billy Graham preaches at a 1978 Crusade in  Kansas City, Mo.

Time is collapsing on us. How brief is time? The Scripture says, “You have made my days as handbreadths, and my age is as nothing before You” (Psalm 39:5). If I live to be a hundred years of age, that’s nothing in eternity.

The Scripture says, “For a thousand years in Your sight are like yesterday when it is past, and like a watch in the night” (Psalm 90:4). A watch in the night was four hours, that’s all. One day with the Lord is as a thousand years, and a thousand years is as one day. The Bible says, “My days are like a shadow that lengthens, and I wither away like grass. But You, O Lord, shall endure forever, and the remembrance of Your name to all generations” (Psalm 102:11-12).

Each of us has the same amount of time in every day—1,440 minutes a day, 168 hours a week. “The days of our lives are seventy years; and if by reason of strength they are eighty years, yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away” (Psalm 90:10).

Let’s think about those 70-some years for a moment. The first 15 are spent in childhood. We spend 20 years sleeping. In our final years, physical limitations curtail our activities. So you’ve only got about 30 years left. Now part of that time has to be spent in eating, and part of that time has to be spent working. So how much time do you have left? “What is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away,” says James 4:14. Just a vapor. It comes up like a vapor and it’s gone. That’s what your life is in eternity, and in the sight of God.

The Bible says, “[Redeem] the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:16). The Bible talks about the “prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2), who is the devil.

Jesus calls him the “prince of this world” (see John 12:31). The Bible talks about the great forces of evil, dominated by Satan, that have been unleashed upon the world. Thank God, someday Satan is going to be bound, and Satan will not trouble us anymore. But “[redeem] the time, because the days are evil.” That means that we are to buy some time. That word redeem is a business word. We are to redeem—we are to buy—the time at any cost to invest it in the Kingdom of God.

Have you ever thought of tithing your time? Every Christian ought to tithe his money. But what about tithing your time? I know about a man on the West Coast who decided he’d give 10 percent of his time to the Lord in witnessing. He went from door to door. In one year, more than 20 different families came into his church as a result of the faithful tithing of his time. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if every professing Christian tithed his or her time, and went out witnessing for Christ and helping others? What a change it would make!

Then there’s the tyranny of time. Time controls us, and we become frustrated. We begin to run here and there doing this and that, because we say we don’t have enough time for everything. Jesus said, “I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work” (John 9:4). Think of what Jesus did in 33 years. That’s all the time He lived on earth. And we don’t know much about His life except the last three years. In those three years, He healed the sick, He fed the hungry, He taught as no other teacher has ever taught.

But that wasn’t the real reason He came. He came to die on the cross for your sins. And when I see Jesus Christ on the cross, tears come to my eyes as I realize the love of God that was being poured out on that cross, and see the blood dripping from His hands and His feet and from His head. I know that He didn’t have to stay there. The angels of Heaven could have come to rescue Him, but He said, “No, I love them. I love them. I love them.”

There are billions and billions and billions of planets and stars. And as far as we know, this is the only planet in rebellion against God. God could have swept us all into eternity and destroyed this planet, but He didn’t do it. He said, “I love them too much.” He gave His only Son to die on the cross, and He took our sins. And I want to tell you this: If it cost Jesus Christ His life on that cross for your sins, you can be sure that you’ll never get to Heaven except by the way of that cross. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).

There are many people who are nominal Christians. You joined a church, you have been baptized. Maybe in your church you were confirmed, but you really don’t know Christ. You’ve never had a real experience with Him so that He dominates your life and controls your life. You have not surrendered to the lordship of Christ.

If you are looking for purpose and meaning in life, give your life to Christ. Get into the cause of Jesus Christ and march in His army under His banner. We could use millions of people marching for Christ all over the world right now, taking love instead of hate to the world, telling the people how to be saved, telling them how they can find forgiveness and newness of life.

Jesus said, “I have finished the work which You have given me to do” (John 17:4). God has given you something to do, too. Are you working on it? Have you finished it? You don’t have much time. Your life is a vapor, it’s a handbreadth, it’s grass that grows and withers. It may soon be over; it may be over at any time.

We never know how long we have to live. That’s the reason the Bible says, “Prepare to meet your God” (Amos 4:12). Be ready at all times. “Be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Matthew 24:44). He’s coming again; but He’s also coming to you in death one of these days. Are you ready?

Redeem the time. You don’t have very much of it. The days are evil, life is very brief, the time is urgent. Don’t waste it. Because, you see, you’re going to be held accountable at the Judgment. There is going to be a Judgment in which every word that you’ve ever spoken, every thought you’ve ever had, every moral choice you ever faced, everything you’ve ever done will be accountable at the Judgment.

Jesus will say to you, “Depart from Me, you cursed; I never knew you” (see Matthew 7:23; 25:41). But you’ll argue a little bit. You’ll say, “But, Lord, I did this. I did that. Lord, I was busy doing a lot of things.” But, you see, you didn’t do the most important thing. You didn’t receive Jesus Christ into your heart as Lord and Savior when you had a chance.

Time calls for immediate action. “Now is the accepted time; today is the day of salvation.” Every time your clock ticks, it’s saying, “Now, now, now, now, now, now, now.”

Hebrews 3:15 says: “Today, if you will hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” You can hear the Gospel and do nothing about it. You don’t make your commitment to Christ. You harden your heart. And after a while you can’t hear His voice any longer because your heart is hard. And without the convicting power of the Holy Spirit, you cannot come to Christ.

Come now! If God is whispering to you, come to Christ. There’s a warning in time. It will someday be too late for your soul. Time is too short for indecision and vacillation. I’m asking you to receive Christ now.

When you come to Jesus Christ, you not only accept Him as Savior from your sins, you accept Him as Lord of your life. You become His follower and He becomes Lord of every phase of your life—Lord of your business, Lord of your family, Lord of your life, Lord of your relationships, Lord of everything. That’s what it means to surrender to Christ. You must be willing for the whole world to know that you are putting Christ first in everything that you do from now on.

Today's Daily Devotion

Are Catholics Christians? Denominational Differences

A person is identified as a Christian based on one’s approach towards, or embrace, of the gospel. Romans 10:13 “For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

A question that has been placed upon my heart is: Are Catholics Christian and therefore saved by the Lord? The very short answer is yes…..but there are some huge caveats and concerns. A person is identified as a Christian based on one’s approach towards, or embrace, of the gospel. Romans 10:13 “For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.”

1 John 4:1-3.

But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Titus 3:4-7.

That is, God has sent his Son to redeem us through His death and resurrection. Any institution that ignores, diminishes, distorts or denies our redemption, justification and sanctification by Christ cannot be called Christian.

My Personal Experience with Catholicism

Although I have been a confirmed adherent to reformed and evangelical churches for more than 30 years, I attended and participated in religious practices within a Roman Catholic boarding school. In hindsight, I did not understand all of the traditions and rituals of the Roman church, but was impressed by the genuine devotion displayed by most of my peers. Some of the teachers in religious orders displayed faith and compassion, and strove to imitate Christ. One Christian Brother, it was retold by the boarding students, had fired a rifle shot at a statue of Mary in the garden because it was seen to be moving, in a demonic manner, in the courtyard. This same Brother was often heard saying that “Mickey Mouse has large, round ears to hide the devil’s horns”. Perhaps this religious brother was well aware of the future trends of the Church and our society. The influence and contact with people in Catholic religious orders was largely positive, and at times, made me seriously consider taking religious vows as a Dominican, Franciscan or Cistercian monk. I had previously told my Catholic associates and friends to remain in the Roman church, in spite of the scandals, but now I am loathe to say this again. It is possible for Catholics to be good Christians and reform the church from within, but this will become increasingly difficult.

Denominational Differences

In the spirit of goodwill for my brothers and sisters in Christ, I will explore areas of contention between the Catholic Church and Protestantism in general terms, providing both perspectives on the issue.

1. Authority

Catholic Perspective: Catholicism bases its authority on apostolic succession, indicated by the statement in Matthew 16:18, “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 19 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” The Bible, church fathers, popes, bishops; Seven Ecumenical Councils; Trent, Vatican, and other Catholic councils also form the basis of Catholic authority.
“The best argument for the Catholic doctrine of Church authority comes from the New Testament itself: the Acts of the Apostles reveals the Church’s self-image as a body at the service of Christ’s saving Gospel, acting in the ways and structures taught to them by Christ himself. The Apostles are keenly aware of the authority that has been given to them by Christ, and of their own need to remain ever faithful to Christ as they exercise that authority. ” http://www.beginningcatholic.com/church-authority

Most Catholics believe that the Bible needs to interpreted by the Church in order to lead followers to Heaven. This in turn leads to the rulings of the Pope and the church as specific teachings, or majesterium.

What Every Catholic Needs To Know About Vatican II
Vatican 2:
https://www.aggiecatholicblog.org/2013/10/what-every-catholic-needs-to-know-about-vatican-ii/

First Seven Ecumenical Councils: https://www.crossroadsinitiative.com/media/articles/the-first-seven-ecumenical-councils/


Council of Trent:

https://www.britannica.com/event/Council-of-Trent

What Every Catholic Needs To Know About Vatican II

Protestant Perspective: Unlike Catholicism, the Protestant tradition is based on Sola Scriptura – Scripture alone. Scripture is seen as infallible and most denominations strive to follow the principles of the apostles and the early church. Catholics tend to disregard this and state that Protestants are a new, heretical church that started after Martin Luther published his 95 Theses in 1517. However, this was due to the moral corruption and unbiblical practices that had become “traditional” within Catholicism, particularly the sale of “indulgences”, or reprieve from temporal punishment from forgiven sins. The reformers tried to reform the Catholic Church from within, but were unsuccessful and consequently excommunicated. Protestantism is essentially a branch from the historic “tree trunk” of Roman Catholicism; yet it regards human traditions as wretched and flawed if they separate humanity from God’s Word. Anything infallible is without error and unable to deceive.

Jesus indicated that he was not going to change the Law and the Word of God: ‘“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. 19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:17-20)

The formulation of the dogma of papal infallibility was introduced during the First Vatican Council in 1870 and rejected by Protestants universally. Some issues arise because of the fallen, sinful nature of man. An example of evil popes are Benedict IX and Urban II
‘Pope Benedict IX: A remarkably cynical pope, Benedict held the position on three separate occasions in the 11th century; in one instance, he actually resigned and sold the papacy to another priest. Known for his supposedly licentious behavior, Benedict was described by a later 11th century pope as having a life “so vile, so foul, so execrable, that I shudder to think of it.” ‘ Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/09/24/7-wicked-popes-and-the-terrible-things-they-did/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.e4053e61035e

pope-Urban-II
Urban II

“Pope Urban II was the benchmark for where the crimes against humanity and God became genocidal. Between the years 1096-1099 Pope Urban II ordered the slaughter of roughly ten million people where there were men and women but mostly children in efforts to procure Belgrade, the Orthodox Church of Constantinople in Yugoslavia as well as Turkey, Syria, Antioch and Palestine. Just for reference, Hitler killed in or around six million Jews during the Holocaust. Wow.” Source: http://www.thelistcafe.com/top-10-most-evil-popes/2

Some modern Popes have also shown how wretched and flawed man is…..such as: Pius XII.

“Taking a note from Pavelic (a Croatian military leader), Pius XII established his own mini form of the Ustashi known as the Catholic Ustashi (guess he liked Pavelic’s work?) and the Catholic organization was responsible for the murder of more than 600,000 people. Not only were the murders enacted but they were done in such hideous ways that it’s probably a sin just to think about how they may have looked. Killings ranged anywhere from excessive torture to another visitation of crucifixion (it’s not just Christ this time), cannibalism (mmm, mmm. Finger-lickin’ good), live dismemberment (remember the saying ‘I’ll cut off your arm and beat you with it?’”) and burning alive (oh so they gave the Jews a few friends to dance on the hot coals with). If all of this is true, this man was not only truly insane, he was quite possible the epitome of evil in the 20th century. ” Source: http://www.thelistcafe.com/top-10-most-evil-popes/2

By stating that the Pope and the church teachings are infallible, a mass of contradictions occur, and Catholicism loses credibility when the church leaders are worse sinners than pagans and non-Christians. The obvious question that Protestants ask is, “How can the church lead sinners to Heaven if the actions of the religious are contrary to the Word of God?” Historically, the Catholic Church has been responsible for the death and torture of countless people during the Inquisition. “Estimates of the number killed by the Spanish Inquisition, which Sixtus IV authorised in a papal bull in 1478, have ranged from 30,000 to 300,000. Some historians are convinced that millions died.” Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/jun/16/artsandhumanities.internationaleducationnews

” In reply, it must be noted that Protestants (including Luther, Calvin, the early English Protestants, Zwingli, Melanchthon et al.) have a very long and troubling list of “scandals” and “inquisitions” as well. As just one example among many, Martin Luther and John Calvin both sanctioned the execution of Anabaptists due to their belief in adult baptism, which they considered to be “sedition.” Thousands of Catholics in England and Ireland were executed (often in very hideous ways) simply for being Catholics and worshiping as their ancestors had done for 1500 years.” Source: http://www.ncregister.com/blog/darmstrong/were-50-million-people-really-killed-in-the-inquisition

In Romans 3:21-26, Paul expounds how all fall short of righteousness: “But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, 26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”

The expectation is that those who share the Gospel, to teach, preach and prophesy, should imitate Christ in their personal life so that people may give thanks to God and encourage others in their faith. Any church stained with sin, deceit and controversy will harm the faith of many. In 2 Peter 2:1, Peter states: “But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.” Those who teach the Gospel but deny it in their lives will be judged harshly.

For more details on Papal Infallibility, please see: https://www.equip.org/article/papal-infallibility-the-catholic-protestant-debate-over-papal-infallibility/

2. The Church

From a Catholic perspective, the Church is the vehicle of faith and is the source from which grace is dispensed through the institution.
“The sole Church of Christ which in the Creed we profess to be one, holy, catholic, and apostolic, subsists in the Catholic Church, which is governed by the successor of Peter and by the bishops in communion with him.” (Catech 870). Grace is preserved and distributed by the Church. All Catholics, even priests, are in constant concern of their state of grace – if they are not in a state of grace, they will not be able to enter Heaven. Grace is dispensed through works and participation in Mass, confession, penance and other sacraments according to the teaching of the church. Priests and those in religious orders are required to undertake vows of obedience and follow the direct commandments of church superiors – bishops, cardinals and the Pope.

At present, scandals have rocked the foundations of the Roman Catholic Church. Over 1000 priests have been accused of abuse against children in the USA and a number of bishops are accused of hiding these crimes.

More than 130 U.S. bishops – or nearly one-third of those still living — have been accused during their careers of failing to adequately respond to sexual misconduct in their dioceses, according to a Philadelphia Inquirer and Boston Globe examination of court records, media reports, and interviews with church officials, victims, and attorneys.

At least 15, including Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, the former archbishop of Washington who resigned in July, have themselves been accused of committing such abuse or harassment. (Source: http://www.philly.com/news/pennsylvania/catholic-church-bishops-sex-abuse-coverup-pennsylvania-west-virginia-wyoming-20181103.html )

Dr Taylor Marshall and Catholic media have aired their concerns that Pope Francis is promoting confusion in the church (see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJZ-NTid9bA) .

Michael Voris, renowned journalist at Church Militant, has repeatedly indicated that, in the US, ‘half of priests and bishops are homosexual’ – see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8-E_lbdslM. 

This has in turn led to high levels of predatory behaviour by priests and scandalous cover-ups which have resulted in criminal investigation and charges.

Another factor causing division is Pope Francis’ focus on social justice – as well as developing and assisting the poor and oppressed, Francis has entered into the discussion of environmentalism and human sexuality rights. At present, it seems that the Catholic Church is less concerned with traditional morals than with contemporary concepts of mercy. Some priests have been actively campaigning for same sex marriage and even a ‘gay rosary’ (https://www.churchmilitant.com/news/article/maker-of-pro-gay-prayer-beads-donates-to-planned-parenthood). These statements and teachings on social justice, against the the teaching of the Bible, have caused great consternation to Catholics – see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3AnX_GBWJw.

Traditional Catholics tend to blame the current woes on the introduction of the New Mass during the Vatican II Council:

The long-term effect of the council has been a complete revolution of Catholicism, one that has been most visible in the changes in Catholic worship, specifically in the Catholic Mass, which went from being a solemn, dignified, and otherworldly rite of Sacrifice being offered to the Most Holy Trinity in the sacred Latin tongue by a priest facing God and therefore having his back to the congregation, to being a pedestrian service in which the priest is reduced to the status of a mere presider over a meal, often acting even as an entertainer, reading dull prayers in English while facing the people. Lots of lay participation in the sanctuary contributes to an already-desacralized service. The results have been catastrophic: exceptionally low Mass attendance, an unprecedented crisis in vocations to the priesthood, and a “Catholic” populace ignorant of some of the most basic tenets of Catholicism.

But the “New Mass” or Novus Ordo Missae, as it is called, is merely one visible symptom of the fundamental problem, which is that the religion you see today as “Roman Catholicism” is not the Catholic religion of ages past but is basically the religion of the Second Vatican Council, usually abbreviated as “Vatican II” (the First Vatican Council, or Vatican I, had taken place from 1869-70 under Pope Pius IX). A great many ideas today promoted as Roman Catholicism, are actually rooted only in Vatican II and were not known or accepted before — and that’s a pretty long “before” — around 1,900 years. Things like ecumenism, interreligious dialogue, interfaith prayer services, opposition to the death penalty, religious freedom as an ideal for every society, the notion of “human rights”, declaring all war to be evil (even the just kind) — all these are examples of Vatican II ideas, not Catholic ideas. Source: https://novusordowatch.org/start-here/

Protestant Perspective:
Unlike Catholicism, there is a distinction between the visible and invisible church. God saves anyone he chooses, or anyone with proper faith, regardless of church membership. One may attend a visible church, even as a priest or minister, but remain unsaved, whereas an invisible church member may be a Catholic or Protestant, who may not always attend church due to external factors, and yet be called, justified and sanctified by the Holy Spirit. A person may be saved and yet outside of the church – but is best to be in fellowship with believers.

The Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary states that the priesthood of believers is a “Christian belief that every believer has direct access to God through Jesus Christ and that the church is a fellowship of priests serving together under the lordship of Christ.
The concept of priesthood is integral to both the OT and the NT and is fulfilled in Christ as Mediator and great high priest. The foundation of the priestly ministry is found in the OT where the priestly ministry is assigned to the Aaronic line of descent and the tribe of Levi (Exod. 40:13, Num. 1:47–54). According to the OT model, the priest fulfilled a representative function—entering the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement and making a sacrificial offering on behalf of the people.
This representational role was fulfilled by Christ, whose offices as Prophet, Priest, and King describe His accomplished and continuing work. As mediator, Christ fulfilled the representational role to which the Aaronic priesthood pointed. The letter to the Hebrews explains this fulfillment by describing Jesus Christ as the “great high priest” who, having accomplished His mediatorial work of substitutionary atonement, has now passed through the heavens (Heb. 4:14).
Christ’s death on the cross is described as a priestly act that once for all paid the penalty for our sin. As priest, Christ did not take the blood of a representative animal into the Holy of Holies but instead entered “the greater and more perfect tabernacle” and shed His own blood to obtain “eternal redemption” (Heb. 9:11–12 HCSB).
Now that Christ has fulfilled the representational role of the priesthood, and since He is the one mediator between God and men (1 Tim. 2:5), there is no continuing need or role for a human priest. No longer does a human priest stand to represent other humans before God.
As the people of God, the church is now a “royal priesthood” (1 Pet. 2:9), ministering together in the name of Christ. Though we do not represent one another before the Father, believers are called to pray for one another, to encourage each other to good works, and to call one another to holiness.
Central to the doctrine of the priesthood of believers is the concept of the gathered church, or congregationalism. Each church is comprised of believers who have been redeemed by Jesus Christ and now serve as priests together. In its purest sense this doctrine refers to believers gathered together under the lordship of Christ, not to individual believers standing alone. The doctrine does, however, rightly affirm that we need no human priest to stand between the individual believer and God. As mediator, Jesus Christ alone fulfills that role.” R. Albert Mohler, Jr.

Catholicism insists on intermediaries between God and lay people – countless saints, Mary (mother of Jesus), and priests are called on for grace and intercession. Catholicism aims at working to mortify the flesh and focus on the unworthiness of human nature, yet still insists on one having to “pull oneself out of the mud by one’s boots”. Yet, this can go horribly wrong – as indicated by the testimony of former nuns and priests.

Horrors_of_life_in_catholic_monastery_exposed_by_Charlotte_KecklerDownload

Most Protestants are unaware of the extent of confusion and decay with the Catholic Church. Though every denomination is imperfect, Protestantism trusts that every stage of their God-given spiritual growth is perfect, whilst the work of man will always be incomplete and imperfect. When the institutionalised church distorts the gospel, engages in carnal behaviour and hypocrisy, true believers should abandon false teachings that rely on human tradition and works. Instead, one should find a Bible-based church that teaches that grace alone can save sinners.

Are-Roman-Catholics-ChristiansDownload

Enter the narrow gate…

Luke 13:24-30: “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 25 When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open for us,’ and He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know you, where you are from,’ 26 then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.’ 27 But He will say, ‘I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.’ 28 There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out. 29 They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God. 30 And indeed there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last.”

On the Coming and Cruelty of the Antichrist (by Rev. Francis Hunolt 1694 -1746)

God of goodness! take me, take me out of the world before those fearful times come! Alas! what would become of us! It is easy for us to say that we would trample on the proffered riches, honors, and pleasures. Now while we are living in peace and quietness and have every opportunity of considering the matter duly, the least temptation is often enough to make us transgress most shamefully and renounce the friendship of the God Who is so worthy of our love. How then can we dare to say that we should be strong enough to resist the attacks of such a monster?

Statim autem, post tribulatimem. dierum illorum, sol obscurabitur, et luna non dabit lumen suum.–Matt. xxiv. 29.

“And immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light.”

(Moderator Note: This historical sermon is from a Roman Catholic priest. Although the emphasis on sacramental acts and some aspects of theology are contrary to reformed and evangelical theology, elements of the sermon are pertinent to our postmodern world.)

Terrible are the signs of which today’s Gospel speaks as forerunners of the day of general judgment, the last day of the world. There shall he many such signs, some of which are to appear a long time beforehand, while others shall immediately precede the final catastrophe. Of the former class are those we have already known and experienced; such as the destruction of the Jewish nation: a people now without faith or king or commonwealth; the conversion of the heathens to the true religion, which has been already preached and accepted in all parts of the globe; the persecution of the Church by so many heretics as precursors of Antichrist; and besides these we have seen wars, famines, pestilences, earthquakes, the increase of wickedness and sin, men growing cold in the love of God, the want of reverence towards God in the churches and towards priests and spiritual superiors, and the fall of the Roman empire, which the Apostle St. Paul alludes to, according to Tertullian, St. Jerome, and St. Cyril. All these are signs of the approaching end of the world and the terrible day of judgment. Therefore St. John writes in his first Epistle: “Little children, it is the last hour.”(1) These are, as St. Ambrose and St. Chrysostom. say, the sickness of the earth which is to precede its death; ” because we are in the dying moments of the world, certain sicknesses of the world must go before.”(2) A sickness of the world is famine, a sickness of the world is plague, a sickness of the world is war and persecution;” by these things God reminds us that it is approaching the end, so that we may not become too attached to it, too fond of it. Other signs of the coming of the last day, besides the fall of the Roman empire, are the advent of Antichrist and the terrible portents in the sun, moon, and stars, and the distress of all nations on earth, of which we read in today’s Gospel. This latter class of signs I shall take as my subject, my dear brethren, today and during Advent, and shall try with God’s help to deduce from them some moral doctrine for our advantage. Today I begin with the first, namely, the coming and the tyranny of Antichrist.Plan of Discourse.

Who shall Antichrist be, and what has he to do in the world? That I shall explain in the first part. What should be our thoughts regarding this? This shall be the moral lesson of the second part.

Give us Thy light and grace, future Judge of the living and the dead, Christ Jesus; we ask it through the merits of Thy Mother Mary and the prayers of our holy guardian angels.

Who then is Antichrist? Of what nature shall he be? In the Scripture the Holy Ghost never gives him a proper name, because, as St. Irenaeus says He did not wish to mention the name of such a wicked man; therefore He calls him only Antichrist, that is, one who is opposed to Christ in everything. The Prophet Daniel names him ” a beast, terrible and wonderful, and exceedingly strong.”(3) St. Paul calls him a man of sin, made up, as it were of vice and wickedness: ” The man of sin, the son of perdition.”(4) In any case he will be a man of the same nature as we, created by God for the same end, and he shall also have sufficient graces and means given him to save his soul, if he only chooses to make use of them. According to the opinion of St. Augustine and St. John Damascene, this wicked man is to be the offspring of adulterous intercourse, and as St. Jerome and St. Gregory maintain, to be born in the Jewish tribe of Dan at Babylon, and to be secretly brought up by people of the lowest kind: sorcerers and witches. It is easy to imagine the kind of training he is likely to get from such teachers.

When he comes to man’s estate he will at first conceal his wickedness and craft under a mask of hypocrisy and apparent sanctity; he will be very zealous for the law of Moses, and pretend to despise all earthly things; to be an enemy of idolatry and a lover of the Sacred Scriptures. Although he will privately wallow in all kinds of impurity, he will outwardly condemn adultery and decry it as most criminal; he will be very charitable to the poor; in a word, he will put on such an appearance of virtue that many nations shall desire to have him as their king. Above all, says St. Anthony, he will try to persuade the people that all that the Prophets have said of the Messias is fulfilled in him. Thus he will draw the Jews to his side in crowds, and they will soon look on him and adore him as their long-expected Messias, when they see that he is a sworn enemy of Christ and the Christian law and an upholder of the Jewish law and its ceremonies, and moreover that they can hope to profit by having him in power.

When he shall thus have raised himself to a high position in the world and secured a great number of followers, then this wicked serpent shall commence to spit out his poison and to spread his authority over the world by craft, promises, and force of arms. Besides Turks, heathens, and Jews, he will attract to his standard and subject to his authority countless numbers of Christians. That he will effect first by the riches, honors, dignities, and sensual delights that he will place in the power of all his followers, as the Prophet Daniel says of him: “He shall increase glory and shall give them power over many, and shall divide the land for nothing.”(5) For besides the immense revenues he shall have from conquered countries, the devil with the divine permission shall discover to him mines of gold and silver, and treasures hidden in the sea: “And he shall have power over the treasures of gold, and of silver, and all the precious things.”(6) Alas! what an attractive bait that will be to ensnare the vain, ambitions, and greedy children of the world, who are already only too willing to grasp at such things! How will they be able to withstand this seductive and powerful temptation?

But when Antichrist finds virtuous souls who will not allow themselves to be turned aside from the love of God by promises, flattery, caresses, money, honors, or pleasures, then he will use against them another terrible weapon, namely, tortures such as the most cruel tyrant has never yet even thought of. “For there shall be then great tribulation,” says Our Lord of him in the Gospel, “such as hath not been from the beginning of the world until now, neither shall be.”(7) So that even many just and pious servants of God shall yield under the pressure of tortures and deny their God. “And it was given unto him,” says St. John in the Apocalypse, speaking of the terrible beast, by which he meant Antichrist, “to make war with the saints, and to overcome them. And power was given him over every tribe, and people, and tongue, and nation.”(8) So that he will overcome even the saints, some according to the body by martyrdom and torturing and putting them to death; and others, which is far more deplorable, according to the soul, by forcing them with cruel torments to deny Jesus Christ and His faith. There will be no choice left between enduring intolerable torture and falling away from the true religion, or else perishing with hunger and want in caverns and deserts.

All that could encourage a pious Christian and console him in such tribulation shall then be removed; for this cruel beast in his daring pride shall set himself up as the true God and claim to be adored and to have churches built in his honor. “And the king shall do according to his will,” says the Prophet Daniel; “and he shall be lifted up, and shall magnify him self against every god.” (9) All the temples consecrated to Our Lord shall be pulled down and desecrated, the sacred images destroyed, spiritual books burned, all preachers and priests made away with, and the use of the holy sacraments and the celebration of Mass utterly abolished: “And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall defile the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the continual sacrifice: and they shall place there the abomination unto desolation.”(10) Such are the words of the Prophet Daniel. Thus for about four years, the duration of the reign of Antichrist, the public celebration of the holy Sacrifice shall be nowhere tolerated in the whole world; not a single crucifix shall there be that one might comfort himself in his sorrows by looking at it. He will give his followers another sign, which they are to wear on their foreheads or on their right hands, and a man who has not that sign may not buy or sell the least thing, or do any business whatever; and the sign shall be the blasphemous words: Nego Jesum–” I deny Jesus.” O truly deserving of compassion shall the Christians be who are to live in those troublous times! Alas! how will it be with them? And how clearly they shall see the words of Our Lord verified “Many are called, but few are chosen.”(11)

And this shall be the case especially when Antichrist shall have recourse to the third and most powerful means he is to use to confirm his false doctrine; for, as St. John testifies of him, he shall by means of witchcraft and sorcery perform countless apparent miracles and wonders. “And he did great signs, so that he made also fire to come down from heaven unto the earth in the sight of men. And he seduced them that dwell on the earth for the signs which were given him to do.”(12) And not only he, but also his servants and followers shall have the power of working those false miracles. Our Lord has foretold that already, as we read in the Gospel: “For there shall arise false Christs and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders.”(13) Alas! how many souls shall be misled when this great and mighty monarch so powerful in the eyes of the world, shall in the presence of Christians, as St. Hippolytus says, cleanse lepers, heal the paralytic, free those possessed by the devil, and even apparently raise the, dead to life, and then all these cured by him shall adore him as the true God! How will it be when he commands the sun in the heavens to stand still, and it will obey his command? when he calls forth storms from the sea, and quiets them again? when, as Lactantius says, he shall cause dumb beasts, infant children, nay, even lifeless images to cry out that all that Jesus Christ has taught is false, that He is not the Son of God, but a traitor, who is damned forever? when he shall call down fire from heaven, to consume those who oppose him, as the Prophet Elias did in former times; or to burn sacrifices in his honor, or to give his disciples fiery tongues, so that they can speak all languages, as was the case with the Apostles when they received the Holy Ghost in the form of fiery tongues? How will it be when, according to the testimony of Albert the Great, he shall appear to die and to come to life again in three days, and afterwards be carried by the demons heavenwards in the air? How will it be when legions of those demons disguised as angels of light shall assist and serve him in visible form, and sing hymns of praise in his honor, as if he were the true God and promised Saviour of the world?

“Alas!” exclaims St. Gregory, imagining what those terrible times must be, ” what a severe temptation that shall be for the human mind! “(14) And in fact it will be so great that, if possible, the elect would be deceived by it, as Our Lord says: ” Insomuch as to deceive (if possible) even the elect.”(15) Thus shall Antichrist draw to his side almost all the world: the wicked and tepid by riches, honors, and pleasures; the pious and God-fearing by the intolerable torments he will inflict on them; the simple and incautious by the wonderful signs and prodigies he shall perform. “And unless those days had been shortened, no flesh should be saved.”(16) Three years and a half shall his reign last, after which this cruel man shall raise himself up in the air from Mount Olivet towards heaven, and there, as some say. Our Lord shall strike him with lightning, or, as others maintain, shall by his mere voice hurl him down to earth and thence body and soul into the abyss of hell. “And then,” says St.Paul, “that wicked one shall be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus shall kill with the spirit of His mouth.” (17) There you have, my dear brethren, a short description of Antichrist as a forerunner and precursor of the last terrible day of judgment, according to the prophets and apostles in the holy Scriptures, and to the holy Fathers of the Church and the commentators on Holy Writ. What do you think of this? What lesson should we draw from it for the good of our souls? That we shall see in the Second Part.

What would you think, I ask again, if, as might easily be the case, Antichrist were to be born soon, so that we should live in his time? For no man knows when that time is to come, as God has reserved the knowledge of it to himself alone. Let us at all events imagine that the cruel man is really in the “world, and that we hear and see all that has been said about him; what should we do? Should we dare to renounce Christ and to side with that monster? Should we allow ourselves to be marked with that odious sign: “I deny Christ”? What! each one of you will say, deny Christ? Side with the demons? God forbid that I should think of such a thing! I would rather die a thousand deaths than be untrue to my Saviour and God, or abjure His faith in which alone salvation is to be found! I would laugh at the pretended miracles, and trample on the proffered delights of the flesh, the honors, and riches; I would heroically resist the torture, no matter how terrible, with the divine assistance; all this I would readily do in order not to lose my one immortal soul and the eternal joys of heaven. Oh, truly, that is a beautiful and Christian resolution! And such should be the determination of each one of us even under such terrible circumstances.

But, alas! poor mortals that we are with all our resolution and professions! God of goodness! take me, take me out of the world before those fearful times come! Alas! what would become of us! It is easy for us to say that we would trample on the proffered riches, honors, and pleasures. Now while we are living in peace and quietness and have every opportunity of considering the matter duly, the least temptation is often enough to make us transgress most shamefully and renounce the friendship of the God Who is so worthy of our love. How then can we dare to say that we should be strong enough to resist the attacks of such a monster? Even now, although we are somewhat humiliated, the breath of human praise and the hope of honor or a high position are capable of so blinding our mind’s eye that contrary to the law of Christ we become puffed up with filthy pride and show it in our dress and outward demeanor. How could we then be true to the humility of Our Saviour, if we were exalted by the whole world? Even now, although we learn by daily experience the transitory nature of earthly things, and how soon and easily we can lose them, we are sometimes so beset by the passion of avarice that we sell our souls and our salvation for a miserable coin, we try to make our profit out of public calamities, and when our conscience or the thought of losing our souls troubles us, we dispatch such thoughts by saying to ourselves: what matter how the money is made as long as I succeed in making it! How then could we hope to be able to trample riches under foot if they were offered to us in abundance? Even now, when we have such frequent occasion to bewail and deplore our weakness, with the Christian law painting to us the abomination and deformity of impure love and carnal pleasure, we allow ourselves to be so infatuated and be fooled by a friendly look, a laugh, a joking word, a caress, that we forget our God, indulge our lust, and sacrifice recklessly our modesty, purity, honor, and fidelity. What should we do if such pleasures were held out to us as lawful and praiseworthy? Oh, may God grant that such a terrible time may never come for us!

It is easy to say that we should laugh at hypocrisy, false doctrine, and pretended miracles. Even now, while we have at hand countless opportunities of doing good, invited as we are to be zealous in the service of God by so many public devotions, having it in our power to frequent the sacraments almost daily, to cleanse our souls from sin in the sacred tribunal, to feed them with the body and blood of Jesus Christ; having our ignorance enlightened by so many sermons which encourage us to good, warn us against evil, exhort us to avoid the occasions of sin and the evil customs and usages of the world; with all this we still remain so tepid and cold in the divine service, so obstinate in the habits we have once acquired, that sometimes we even attach but little credence to the word of God, or at all events believe no more of it than suits our fancies. What the corrupt world preaches, what we learn from the example of others, what idle people say to us, that must be always true, valid, and lawful; to it must yield the maxims and infallible teaching of the holy Gospel, along with the doctrine of the Fathers and Doctors of the Church. If we see one who has the name of being pious, conforming to the customs of the world, we say at once: oh, there can be no harm in it, since such a one does it! If here and there we hear a confessor who is liberal in certain matters in which we do not like restraint, we look on him as if he were as infallible as the Gospel itself, while we laugh at and ridicule all who hold the contrary opinion. So, I repeat, if this is how we act in the full light of day, what will we do when the use of the sacraments is abolished, public devotions prevented, sermons and instructions prohibited, and in the midst of general corruption and perversion, a new law promulgated to flatter our sensuality and pride, and that, too, confirmed by miracles and supported by a false appearance of godliness and by the approval of the whole world? Oh, no! I repeat, may God grant that we have not to live in such. troublous times; we know that we should be too weak for them.

It is easy to talk of resisting torments and braving martyrdom! Ah! how could they give up their bodies to the rods, the scorpions, the leaded clubs, the iron hooks, to be torn and flayed, who are now so delicate and tender that they cannot bear the prick of a needle; who find a fast day intolerable, and are absolutely unable to stand or kneel for an hour in church, or to rise early in the morning on account of the cold? How could they allow themselves to be roasted or boiled alive who, if their beds are the least uncomfortable, cannot sleep for impatience? How could they laugh at torments to whom all crosses are terrible, who sigh and moan at the least trial, and give vent to their feelings in oaths and curses at the most trifling annoyance, expressing their dissatisfaction also by giving up the practice of prayer and devotion and the frequentation of the sacraments? Oh, no! God of goodness! we are not in want of an Antichrist to prove our virtue, our faith, hope, and charity by putting us to the torture! We have daily tribulations enough: more than we wish for, to try our virtue! Would that we could only bear them with patience and resignation for Thy sake and to gain heaven! Every hour, of the day we have abundant opportunity of mortifying our eyes, ears, tongue, sensuality, and evil inclinations; but to do so is often for us a bitter martyrdom that, without any tyrant to compel us, causes us to forget the obedience we owe Thy holy law.

A slight chagrin, a word of contradiction, a cross look is sometimes enough to upset our so-called virtue, and change it into impatience, hatred, and anger. What would then become of us in the midst of a terrible persecution, which many even of the holiest and most innocent shall not withstand?

Finally, it is easy to say that we should prefer rather to die a thousand deaths than deny Christ and take sides with His wicked enemy! Already most men are on the side of Antichrist against Jesus, our Saviour. Hear what St. John says in his first Epistle: “Every spirit that dissolveth Jesus is not of God, and this is Antichrist, of whom you have heard that he cometh, and he is now already in the world.”(18) “Not in person,” says Cornelius a Lapide, “but in spirit; that is, in his precursors.”(19) If you look into the matter, my dear brethren, you will find not one, but many Antichrists. Are not those parents Antichrists, that is, against Christ, who allow their children all license, bring them up to the vanity and filthy pride of the world, to idleness, and keep them from the zealous love of God and true devotion? Is he not an Antichrist who, contrary to the law of God, cherishes revenge against his neighbor and frequents the dangers and occasions of sin? Is he not an Antichrist who tries to lead a maiden astray from the path of virtue by presents and money? Is not that woman an Antichrist who by indecency in dress and dissolute manners leads others into sin? Is he not an Antichrist who gives scandal by sinful talk and bad example? All these, says St. Augustine, are Antichrists and servants of the devil: every one, no matter who he is, priest or layman, who lives contrary to justice and the requirements of his state is an Antichrist and a minister of Satan.(20) What better are you for not denying Christ with the lips, or not denouncing your faith, if you deny Him in work, and lose Him by mortal sin? Of what use will your faith be to you if not to serve for your deeper damnation? What else do you do when you allow yourself to be seduced by the antichrists you live amongst but renounce Christ in work? What is the false oath you have taken but renouncing God for the sake of some trifling temporal gain? When you indulge in impure thoughts and desires, what else are you doing but stamping on your heart the words: “I deny Christ”? When you sin by unchaste touches, do you not bear that same sign on your hand? In a word, every mortal sin you commit in thought, word, or action, is nothing else but a declaration that although you do not abjure your faith in Christ, yet you refuse Him the love and obedience due to Him, and you refuse it for the sake of some wealth, honor, or pleasure that the spirit of the hellish Antichrist offers you. And, alas! how many mortal sins are not committed daily in the world!

Christians! what a responsibility this is for us! Ah, poor, unhappy souls that are to live in those times of Antichrist, how you are to be pitied! But if you, almost forced as you shall be by grievous persecutions, temptations, torments, hypocrisy, and pretended miracles to abandon God, shall nevertheless be condemned by a most just sentence to eternal torments, what excuse shall we have? What sort of a hell awaits us who can so easily enjoy the freedom of the children of God, and who yet allow ourselves to be led astray, to be turned away from God, to be drawn over to the side of the devil, and to live like antichrists, that is, sworn enemies of Jesus Christ?

Innocent souls who have hitherto remained faithful to your Lord, ah, fly, fly with all possible diligence those who would try in any way whatsoever to lead you to do anything contrary to the law of God! Be firm in all temptations and occasions of evil! Think and say with courage against Antichrist and his followers: Away with you! I love Jesus! This sign shall be in my heart, in my eyes, and on my hands. I love Jesus Christ! Him alone will I faithfully serve; His friendship I will not sell for any worldly goods, honors, or pleasures. I love Jesus Christ, and will love Him while I have breath. I renounce forever all that is opposed to Him. And do Thou, Almighty God! grant us all Thy powerful grace that we may forestall the terrible times of Antichrist by a true repentance for all our sins, and by flying all those abuses which shall serve that proud, wicked monster to spread his kingdom! Grant that we may serve Thee with greater zeal, with more patience in adversity, with a more fervent love for Thee, O God and Saviour, in our public professions, in our outward actions and demeanor, so that we may have nothing to do with Antichrist and his followers, but persevere in Thy faith and love till death. Amen.

Preached on the twenty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost. The same sermon with its introduction may serve for the first Sunday of Advent: text from Luke xxi. 25. “There shall be signs,”etc.

1. Filioli, novissima hora est.–I. John ii. 18.
2. Quia in saeculi sumus, praecedunt quaedam aegritudines mundi.–S. Ambr. L. 10, In Luc. xviii.
3. Bestia terribilis, atque mirabilis, et fortis nimis.–Dan. vii. 7.
4. Homo peccati, filius perditionis.–II. Thess. ii. 3.
5. Multiplicabit gloriam, et dabit eis potestatem in multis, et terram dividet gratuito.– Dan. xi. 39.
6. Et dominabitur thesaurorom auri et argenti, et in omnibus pretiosis.–Ibid. 43.
7. Erit enim tunc tribulatio magna, qualis non fuit ab Initio mundi, usque modo, neque fiet–Matt, xxiv. 21.
8. Et est datum illi bellum facere cum sanctis, et vincere eos; et data est illi potestas in omnem tribum, et populum, et linguam, et gentem.–Apoc. xiii. 7.
9. Et faciet juxta voluntatem suam rex; et elevabitur et magnificabitur adversus omnem deum.–Dan. xi. 36.
10. Et brachia ex eo stabunt, et polluent sanctuarium fortitudinis; et auferent juge sacrificium, et dabunt abominationem in desolationem.–Ibid. 31.
11. Multi sunt vocati, pauci vero electi–Matt. xx. 16.
12. Et fecit signa magna, ut etiam ignem faceret de caelo descendere in terram in conspectu hominum. Et seduxit habitantes in terra, propter signa, quae data sunt illi facere.–Apoc xiii. 13, 14.
13. Surgent enim pseudo Christi, et pseudo prophetae, et dabunt signa magna, et prodigia. –Matt. xxiv.24
14. Quae erithumanae mentis illia tentatio!–S. Greg. L. 32. Moral. c. 13.
15. Ita ut in errorem inducantur (si fieri potest) etiam electi.–Matt. xxiv. 24.
16. Et nisi breviati fuissent dies illi, non fieret salva omnis caro.–Ibid. 22.
17. Et tunc revelabitur ille iniquus, quem Dominus Jesus interficiet spiritu oris sui.– II. Thess. ii. 8.
18. Omnis spiritus qui solvit Jesum, ex Deo non est; et hic est antichristus, de quo audistis quoniam venit, et nunc jam in mundo est.–I. John iv. 3.
19. Non in persona, sed in spiritu, scilicet in suis praecursoribus.20. Quicunqne contra justitiam vivit, etc., Antichristus est, minister Satanae.–S. Aug. c. 9. Tract, de Antichristo.Source

THE NUMBER ONE SIGN WE ARE AT THE VERY END OF THE END TIMES!

“Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition…” 2 Thessalonians 2:30NOVEMBER 26, 2018 2:02 PM by Lyn Leahz.

FNN Featured Article by Lyn Leahz

“Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition…” 2 Thessalonians 2:30NOVEMBER 26, 2018 2:02 PM by Lyn Leahz

What is the most obvious sign that, not only is the Antichrist about to be revealed, but that we are standing on the precipice of the start of the tribulation?  And how can we know for sure that this particular sign does indeed mean we are that close?

To answer this question, let’s take a look at 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3:

Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, 2 not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. 3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition,

Verse three specifically tells us “that” Day will NOT come UNLESS the falling away comes first.  Are we seeing the falling away?  I believe so. 

The church has been given over to an ear tickling message and their leaders who preach it.  2 Timothy 4:3-5 tells us, “3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. 5 But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”  (As a side note, I would also like to add, for those of you who feel warning people is ungodly or unbiblical; verse 5 commands us to be watchful in ALL things and DO THE WORK OF AN EVANGELIST, which is warning people and telling them the truth about Jesus Christ!)

We are seeing a deluge of false teachers, preachers, and people who have given themselves over to their ear tickling messages.

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GotQuestions.Org had one of the best, biblical articles on the matter: 

The Bible indicates that there will be a great apostasy during the end times. The “great apostasy” is mentioned in 2 Thessalonians 2:3. The KJV calls it the “falling away,” while the NIV and ESV call it “the rebellion.” And that’s what an apostasy is: a rebellion, an abandonment of the truth. The end times will include a wholesale rejection of God’s revelation, a further “falling away” of an already fallen world.

The occasion of Paul’s writing to the Thessalonians was to correct some of the errors concerning the end times that the believers had heard from false teachers. Among the falsehoods was that “the day of the Lord has already come” (2 Thessalonians 2:2). The Christians in Thessalonica were afraid that Jesus had already come, they had missed the rapture, and they were now in the tribulation. Paul had already explained the rapture to them in his first letter (1 Thessalonians 4:16–17). Paul writes his second letter to assure them that, contrary to what they had heard, and despite the persecution they were enduring, the “day of Christ” had not yet come.

We are seeing a deluge of false teachers, preachers, and people who have given themselves over to their ear tickling messages. 

In 2 Thessalonians 2:3, Paul makes it clear that the day of the Lord, a time of worldwide judgment (Isaiah 13:6; Obadiah 1:15), will not transpire until two things happen. First, the falling away, or great apostasy, must occur. Second, the “man of lawlessness” must be revealed, he who is called the “son of perdition,” also known as the Antichrist. Once this person makes himself known, the end times will indeed have come. Numerous speculations about the identity of the man of sin, beginning in the first century, have included Caligula, Caius Caesar, Mohammed, Napoleon, and any number of Roman popes. None of them were the Anti-christ.

The man of lawlessness, according to 2 Thessalonians 2:4, is the one who “will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.” Clearly, this has not yet happened; no one since Paul’s time has set himself up as God in the Jewish temple. Two thousand years have passed since the epistle was written, and the “day of the Lord” has not yet come. Paul assures us that it will not come until the falling away comes first.

The Greek word translated “rebellion” or “falling away” in verse 3 is apostasia, from which we get the English word apostasy. It refers to a general defection from the true God, the Bible, and the Christian faith. Every age has its defectors, but the falling away at the end times will be complete and worldwide. The whole planet will be in rebellion against God and His Christ. Every coup requires a leader, and into this global apostasy will step the Antichrist. We believe this takes place after the church has been raptured from the earth.

Please pay close attention to the next paragraph here:

Jesus warned the disciples concerning the final days in Matthew 24:10–12: “At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold.” These are the characteristics of the great apostasy of the end times.

Here are important bullet points from the above verse about the characteristics of the great apostasy of the end times:

-Many will turn away from the faith (Would you say that many people have turned away from the truth of God’s Word? Following a watered down, politically correct, corrupt version, which is a lie, instead?)

-Many will betray and hate each other (Have you noticed both in the news, and looking around in your own life at others, that more and more people seem to be betraying one another for their own personal gain or selfish reasons? And, not only are betraying one another, but filled with hatred, bitterness and unforgiveness as well?)

-Many false prophets will appear and deceive many people (How many self-proclaimed prophets have you seen on the internet who are hearing from God with dates, time frames, warnings, messages and more?  Many have similar messages, and many are also different. Have what these people proclaimed come to pass?  Is what their proclaiming something that is also recorded in the Bible almost word for word?  Aren’t many people losing hope and faith as a result of false prophecies that never come to pass?)

-An increase of wickedness (Just turn on the news or look at the news on the internet.  It’s pretty obvious wickedness is on the rise every day. Sexual immorality, murder and abortion, child abuse, hatred, hate crimes, witchcraft, violence, no conscience, love of money, children killing their own parents, parents killing their own children, etc. The list could go on and on.)

-As a result of an increase of wickedness, the love of MOST will grow cold (The world has moved so far away from the true Biblical definition of love it’s not funny.  We live in a narcissistic self-absorbed society. People are in a hurry and do not have time to care about other people.  As the old saying goes, “It’s a dog eat dog world,” which means “ruthless and competitive.”)

I will leave the answer to the question up to you.  Open your eyes and look around at everything going on in the world, particularly the church (and I don’t mean a building). Given all that you see, do you feel the falling away spoken of in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 has taken place? And, if so, according to that same verse, doesn’t it mean the “man of sin, son of perdition (Antichrist), is next on the agenda and at hand?

If you do not know Jesus Christ as your Savior, I strongly urge you today to consider. Here is a plan of salvation from AllAboutGod.Com: 

Plan of Salvation: Rebirth is the Answer to Life’s Most Important Question
Plan of Salvation — We think life’s most important question is “Are you going to heaven when you die?” It is not a question of how good you are, whether you go to church, or how much money you give to charity. God says, in order to go to heaven, you must be born again (John 3:3).

Plan of Salvation: How can we be Born Again?
The plan of salvation is right in the Bible. God gives us His clear plan for being “born again.” 

First, we must acknowledge God as the Creator of everything, and accept our humble position in God’s creation. “You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created.” (Revelation 4:11). 

Next, we must realize that we are sinners. “For all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). 

Because we are sinners, we are condemned to death. “For the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). This includes eternal separation from God. 

But God loved each of us so much that He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus, to bear our sin and die in our place. “God demonstrates His love toward us, in that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Although we cannot understand how, God said our sins were laid upon Jesus and He died in our place. Jesus became our substitute. 

In the Bible, a jailer asked his prisoners, Paul and Silas: “’Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ So they said, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.’” (Acts 16:30-31). 

It’s very clear in the Bible, believe in Jesus as the one who bore your sins, died in your place, was buried, and whom God resurrected. It’s Christ’s blood and resurrection that assures us of everlasting life when we call on Him as our Lord and Savior. “For whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13). “Whosoever” includes each and every one of us. 

Therefore, if you understand that you are a sinner, and you believe that Jesus Christ came as the one and only Redeemer of sin, then you understand the plan of salvation. The question is – are you ready to implement the plan, by receiving God’s gift of His Son, Jesus Christ? If so, believe in Christ, repent of your sins, and commit the rest of your life to Him as Lord:

“Father, I know that I have broken your laws and my sins have separated me from you. I am truly sorry, and now I want to turn away from my past sinful life toward you. Please forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again. I believe that Your Son, Jesus Christ died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send your Holy Spirit to help me obey You, and to do Your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”

“Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38)

If you decided to receive Jesus today, welcome to God’s family. Now, as a way to grow closer to Him, the Bible tells us to follow up on our commitment.

  • Get baptized as commanded by Christ.
  • Tell someone else about your new faith in Christ.
  • Spend time with God each day. It does not have to be a long period of time. Just develop the daily habit of praying to Him and reading His Word. Ask God to increase your faith and your understanding of the Bible.
  • Seek fellowship with other followers of Jesus. Develop a group of believing friends to answer your questions and support you.
  • Find a local church where you can worship God. (Added by Lyn Leahz: make sure you find a good, Bible believing, truth-telling church that preaches the convicting message of truth, not the ear-tickling watered down false love message)

Prayers for Protection

Prior to going to sleep, this memorised prayer will guard you when you are susceptible to spiritual attack:

“Under the authority of Jesus Christ and by the power of the Holy Ghost, I BIND the demonic, any and all familiar or unfamiliar spirits and cast them out. I bind, loose and cast them out of our bedroom, away from our bodies and our minds, and out of our entire home. I cast out any and all demonic spirits in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.”

When dealing with demonic attacks (unwanted thoughts or metal images), one may quickly utter:

“I rebuke you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ”.

Another useful prayer is the Blood of Jesus prayer, also recommended at bed time:

“Heavenly Father,
Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, I have full faith and belief that the Blood of Jesus will  protect and defend me (or….) against Satan and all his evil spirits or demons and all people, places or things that they are using. I declare that, whether familiar or unfamiliar, they have no power in your presence! In the name of and under the authority of Jesus Christ, Yeshua, I plead the Blood of Jesus on …….. (fill in the blank)…. I now Plead the Blood of Jesus against ……………. Or for…………..

Thank you Father. For it is not by my power, but the power of “The Blood” and the Holy Ghost!
Thank you Jesus. Thank-you Yeshua!

If I suspect that I am under spiritual attack, I pray, frequently using the phrase, “through the shed blood of Jesus.” This reminds the powers and principalities that, by killing the Christ, that they actually opened the doors of redemption for the entire world. This must really hurt the demonic realm – it was their stupidity that enacted God’s plan! Also, to really irk them, I then thank Jesus for His love and mercy.

 

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