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UPDATE
TIMES HAVE CHANGED
3/10/10
MY THOUGHTS
Times have changed in America. America used to be a place where the Christian ethic was idolized. It was not always practiced, but idolized. There is a successful assault on that Christian ethic, which not only affects the United States, but the world. There has been a remnant that always kept the Word pure. There were times when this remnant was so strong it affected a whole country, like the United Kingdom in the Renaissance period and during colonial exploration. The United States is another example for much of its history, except in the last few decades. All of this shows that once the United States goes, there is not anywhere else in the world that I believe Christianity can affect so much as to change or direct a country. The world community will not allow that. We are heading toward a godless world quickly, and the news around us shows us that.
The biggest example today is the US Vice President visiting Israel. Israel's greatest friend is turning its back on Israel. Only that nation that possesses a Christian ethic stands by God's greatest nation, and when the United States turns its back, no one else of that stature will ever be with her in this age again. This means that the stage is set for God to move. The international threats to E. Jerusalem, which is Biblical Jerusalem, shows us that the anger over Israel's control over E. Jerusalem is causing a hatred unknown in this modern age toward this holy city. When US Vice President Biden says a contiguous Palestinian state, he means Israel to be split in two and weakened so that Palestine can stand strong.
When Prime Minister Netanyahu put some holy sites on Israel's heritage list it shows that Israel is taking significant steps putting major holy sites under its authority. It has been the teaching that the holy city would be internationalized, but I am beginning to believe that it may not be. If Israel takes more authority over the Temple Mount through certain measures, then that will cause the international community to come down hard on Israel, and someday soon will cause the Antichrist to go into E. Jerusalem declaring that the Temple Mount must stay the status quo or else, which would be the Abomination of Desolation. To declare one God is to say you know more than Him, and the Antichrist will do exactly that.
One last thought, the US Senate is discussing an id card to be issued to protect the nation from terrorists and illegal immigration. The ID card may not be the mark of the beast. In order for an identification be the mark of the beast I believe the Scripture shows us some important measuring sticks in Revelation 13. One, it will be given during the midpoint of the 70th week, probably right after it, and could be linked with the fifth seal. Second, the Antichrist will order it and the False Prophet will force people to take it. Therefore, two people will be involved in the mass marking. It will not be national, just affecting one nation, but global, affecting the whole world. Third, you will have to make a spiritual decision, possibly involving rejecting any extreme religion which will involve rejecting that Christianity, Jesus, is the only way to heaven. Lastly, this ID card will give you a job, a living, and moneys to make it day to day. We are not there yet, and I believe the mark of the beast will be given after a devastating war (Isaiah 17, Ezekiel 38/39, or Daniel 11 to name a few Scriptures) that will come just before, during, or just after the midpoint of the 70th week and collapse the world economy. I personally do not believe a mark is going to be given as a protection of what is to come, but as a necessity after the current world system collapses. This, in my opinion, will happen sometime after the midpoint of the 70th week. Therefore, if the European Neighborhood Policy (ENP) is the prophesied treaty as many have said, then the mark may come soon. So soon that 2010 could be the launching pad. Time will tell.
Bro. Brian
NEWS LINK
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said Wednesday the Palestinians deserve a viable independent state with contiguous territory, in an effort to reassure them of U.S. support after Israel announced plans to expand a Jewish neighborhood in disputed East Jerusalem.
The Israeli move has overshadowed Biden's visit, meant to promote a new round of U.S.-led negotiations, and drawn Palestinian accusations that Israel is not serious about peace.
Israel apologized for embarrassing Biden with the timing of its announcement, but made clear it has no intention of reversing its plan.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1155495.html
ANOTHER NEWS LINK
Under the potentially controversial plan still taking shape in the Senate, all legal U.S. workers, including citizens and immigrants, would be issued an ID card with embedded information, such as fingerprints, to tie the card to the worker.
The ID card plan is one of several steps advocates of an immigration overhaul are taking to address concerns that have defeated similar bills in the past.
The uphill effort to pass a bill is being led by Sens. Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) and Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.), who plan to meet with President Barack Obama as soon as this week to update him on their work. An administration official said the White House had no position on the biometric card.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703954904575110124037066854.html?mod=WSJ_hps_LEADNewsCollection
TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE
3/9/10
WHAT I KNOW
*We all are called to give an account of our love for people, and foremost our love for our God.
*In a world that true love is absent, we must be an example of the love that reaches all groups.
WHAT I DON'T KNOW
*Is the strong talk from Iran all smoke and mirrors or is there something more to it?
*Will Israel pull the trigger to strike Iran?
*How will the US treat Israel in the months ahead, and will that treatment lead to the isolation of Israel?
MY THOUGHTS
I have been away the last few days taking a nice break from the news. My wife and I took a little vacation, and enjoyed time with each other. Looking forward today posting on the news of the days as we may be entering some very tough times.
I am not a doom and gloom person in response to earthquakes, storms, or unusual phenomena in nature. I think nature takes its course and there are times of great upheaval and there are times of great swings in the earth. History records this. However, what we have been experiencing lately is more than just natural phenomena, but a spiritual phenomena. God will use the earth, those things below the earth, and the heavens to point people to the reality that the Coming of Christ is coming soon. There are many sizeable earthquakes happening in this world, and our prayers are with those who are suffering, but is there something really different this time? People are noticing, and if ordinary people are noticing then one of the desired effects of the natural phenomena is to point people to Christ. This does not mean that an unloving God is allowing earthquakes to happen to bring about people's attention, but it is more of our own sin that is bringing on the natural upheavals.
In Genesis, when Adam and Eve sinned all of creation fell with them. As mankind rushes toward Armageddon, so will nature rush in the same direction. We are tied to the earth, not in some mythical way, but we are the stewards of this earth. The makeup of physical man is made up of all elements found on earth, so where the spiritual makeup of mankind goes so does the future of this planet. Therefore, if the earthquakes and weather are getting worse, then it is not as much God, but sinful man waging a losing war against its Maker is to be blamed. This is a Biblical truth stretching through Genesis, the flood, and the earthquake when all of man's sins was put on the shoulders of Christ during Easter. God has allowed the sins of mankind to affect much more than that individual, but everything around him, even to the very world he lives in.
Economies are on the verge of collapse, the earth is making noise, Iran is pushing the world toward war, and all of this is spoken in the Bible. As the world is going through its birth pains before the great 1,000 year reign of Christ is ushered in, we all must show love toward one another. It doesn't matter the sin, the ethnic group, the position of life, love is our battle cry. Love those that need love, and love those that do need love. The world is falling apart, lives are falling apart, and the only One who can put all of it together is God. It is not our prophetic knowledge, our Bible knowledge, nor our church attendance that drives people toward God, but our treatment of each other and the world. As the time is coming to a close in this age, let love be your guide, for when you are in front of Christ, He will ask you if you loved the world as much as He does. Do you measure up?
Bro. Brian
SCRIPTURE
Matthew 24:4-8
"And Jesus answered and said to them, "(F)See to it that no one misleads you.
5"For (G)many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will mislead many.
6"You will be hearing of (H)wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end.
7"For (I)nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be (J)famines and earthquakes.
8"(K)But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs."
NOTE: In order for the earthquakes to be prophetic, you must have all of the other prophecies coming together also. It seems that those things may be coming to pass. If so, then Christ's coming is very close.
Bro. Brian
NEWS LINK
The jolt threw me onto the ground," he told The Associated Press. "When I got up I checked my animals and then I checked on my neighbors."
"Two of them were buried. We pulled them out," he said, adding that they were alive but injured.
Men used shovels and bare hands to dig two bodies out from under piles of dirt, rubble and concrete blocks, video footage showed. Both bodies were covered in blankets and carried away.
One appeared to be a baby or young child.
Women in veils gathered near the rescue scenes, some crying.
http://gulfnews.com/news/world/other-world/hundreds-of-earthquake-survivors-camp-out-in-turkey-s-winter-cold-1.594153
ANOTHER NEWS LINK
JP Morgan economist Malcolm Barr said: ''It is plausible that the snow disruption was more of a constraint on the ability to get UK exports to airports and the dockside than it was on receiving imports.''
The pound came under further pressure today, falling below $1.50s as ratings agency Fitch also reiterated its concerns over the UK's public finances and called for tougher action on the deficit at a London conference.
Experts warned the poor trade figures would continue to act as a drag on recovery during the first quarter of 2010, having knocked off 0.2 percentage points from the UK's 0.3% growth in the final three months of 2009.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/economics/7404682/UK-exports-plunge-threatening-hopes-of-economic-uplift.html
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