MY THOUGHTS

I want to thank everyone who has sent me emails about the situation in Israel.  My take is Israeli people are going about their normal lives, gas masks have and are currently being distributed, and war is in the air.  However, many people seemed oblivious to the fact that war may be imminent.  Some of course are preparing.  In 1 Thessalonians, the people cry for peace and safety, and when they do sudden destruction will come upon the Israelis.  I do not want destruction on anyone, and I do not want people to die, but the Word is the Word, and as hard as it can be, we must trust all of it.  What we can control is our faith in Jesus Christ.

Franklin Graham and Dr. Robert Jeffress of First Baptist Church of Dallas made news on MSNBC.  Both described rightly that a person can only become a Christian if he/she asks Jesus personally in their life.  Many disagree and think if anyone says they are a Christian they are, but they are not.  You must have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  Deception is the first warning of Jesus Christ in Matthew 24, and many may say they are Christ, and I want to say many will say they are Christians, but only those who place their life personally with Jesus are saved.  Also, Mormonism is not a Christian religion, and their other Mormon testament attests to that among other beliefs.

What we are seeing is distaste for Biblical Christianity.  We will continue to see politics and religion meshing together, and we, as Christians, must be careful not to get caught up in the politics or the religion, but stay to the true story.  That story tells of a loving God who sent His Only Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sins, and He raised His Son from the dead so each of us who place our life in Jesus may be raised from the dead on the last day.  The world's hatred of Jews and Christians is increasing all over the world.

Lastly, it looks like war is inevitable in the Middle East.  After March 5^th, we will see more what is transpiring as Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and US President Obama will discuss Iran.  Look for Obama to give a very pro-Israel speech at the powerful Israeli AIPAC Conference, but behind closed doors his message will be greatly different.  The Bible states we must judge people by their actions, not their words, and so many of our leaders' actions show they are not born again believers in Jesus Christ. 

Bro. Brian

SCRIPTURE

1 Thessalonians 5:  1-11

"Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. ² For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord ^[a]will come just like a thief in the night. ³ While they are saying, "Peace and safety!" then ^[b]destruction ^[c]will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape. ⁴ But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you ^[d]like a thief; ⁵ for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; ⁶ so then let us not sleep as ^[e]others do, but let us be alert and ^[f]sober. ⁷ For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night. ⁸ But since we are of the day, let us be ^[g]sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation. ⁹ For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁰ who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him. ¹¹ Therefore ^[h]encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing."

Note:  Notice Jesus comes as a thief to unbelievers, but to us, who are believers, we will know His Coming is soon.?Bro. Brian

NEWS LINK

Evangelist Franklin Graham called President Barack Obama's religious views into question on Tuesday, stating that he does not know for sure if Obama is a Christian.

Graham, who is the son of Billy Graham and the CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, said on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" that Obama "has said he's a Christian, so I just have to assume that he is."

"All I know is I'm a sinner, and God has forgiven me of my sins... you have to ask every person," he said about whether he could say for sure that Obama is indeed of the Christian faith.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/21/franklin-graham-obama_n_1290657.html

MY THOUGHTS

No news articles or Scripture today, just thoughts.

Thought #1?Greece. 

The EU has given Greece enough money so that an orderly default can happen.  No salvation here for Greece, but more grief.  The Greeks are looking down a barrel of a gun that only leads to national suicide.  What is interesting is how the Beast has taken over Greece, and the birthplace of democracy is now a dictatorship from afar.  The Bible talks about three horns being plucked.  I don't know if Greece is one of those horns right now, but if it is, then the Antichrist is working behind the scenes somewhere.  The inflated stock market is working off a drug induced central banking spending high.  When the money dries up or a Middle East war transpires, then hyperinflation and economic collapse will ensue.

Thought #2?Israel.

President Obama invited Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to Washington DC on March 5^th, which is earlier than the dates first reported.  Obama has pressured Netanyahu to not attack Iran.  Netanyahu has so far not taken the advice.  The pressure will be tremendous, but what is not being reported is the lack of class Obama has toward Israel.  Announcing in public Israel should not attack Iran, and not putting the onus on Iran leaves Israel all alone.  Iran has publicly stated if it is threatened it feels confident they can preemptively attack Israel.  Ezekiel 38/39 states Iran and its surrogates, Russia, Turkey, and others will attack Israel so if the prophecy is fulfilled that will be what transpires.  We cannot forget Psalm 83 and other Scriptures in the light of world events.  A Middle East war will make the Greece drama look like a walk in the park for the markets.  A disorder Greek default may come during the war.

Thought #3?US.

I would not be surprised at all if Obama is reelected as President.  Americans are more concerned with what the world system gives them than what God gives them.  At a time when moral absolutes are not popular, and immorality is celebrated, then deception will run amok.  We are living in dangerous times and the few who stand up for what is right need to be prayed over.  

God Bless you for the world is against you.

Bro. Brian

MY THOUGHTS

The news out of Europe is that a deal is being agreed upon so that Greece will not default.  That deal is going to be announced on Monday.  We shall see.  I will write more about a Greece deal, if it comes to pass later this week.  Let's look at the world we live in according to February 19^th, 2012, because it changes by the day and sometimes by the hour.

The economic situation is bleak as the central banks print money as fast as anytime in human history.  Also, at no other time in history has the world been so much together as one entity.  Man can come together as a world to fight its Creator in our days, but the Creator is using some very creative ways to send out His message.  Through the likes of Tim Tebow, Jeremy Lin, and the funeral of Whitney Houston, there has been some Light coming through.  Grant it, especially Ms. Houston, a woman with many problems, it is hard to see the Light.  However, some of the statements at the funeral were encouraging, and of course there were many who stood behind the pulpit that were not God's messengers, but the message of Christ did resonate off and on during the service, so I grant that.  In any case, it is interesting that God is using avenues that seemed foreign to the traditional church member, and it shows that God's pulpit is everywhere, and we are a part of it.

As the world goes into the abyss with the Iranian war looming, economic meltdown with Europe weeks away, maybe sooner, and the moral collapse of society, we are seeing the signs of the times everywhere like no other time in human history.  The lulls are shorter, the birth pains are stronger, and the sense of the Lord's coming is more evident every day.  Stay strong, and take courage He has conquered the world and our sins through Jesus Christ.  He created time for His Glory, and in time we shall know how all things play out.

Bro. Brian

NEWS LINK

There are two possible outcomes of the barrage of words being launched against Iran: a war that starts inadvertently (what, one wonders, would be the reaction today if a British naval patrol in the Gulf were captured by the Iranians, as happened four years ago?); or a war that starts after an attack by Israel. A negotiated climbdown by both sides is the least likely option, although the venue for one still exists. The next round of talks between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN security council plus Germany will be held in Istanbul. Failing any breakthrough there, western policy is caught in a cleft stick.

The British foreign secretary, William Hague, warned on successive days that the Iranian nuclear programme could trigger a Middle East cold war and that Israeli military action to forestall it would be unwise. And yet, if you do not believe that sanctions will deter Tehran from its alleged pursuit of nuclear weapons (and this newspaper talked to senior US officials who do not), one judgment inexorably leads to the other. So competing voices in the US administration are both upping the ante and scurrying every month to Jerusalem to restrain Ehud Barak and Binyamin Netanyahu from doing what they have long promised to do. The latest visitor to Israel is Tom Donilon, Barack Obama's national security adviser. Long before coming to power, Netanyahu said that Israel's date with destiny lay with Iran, not the Palestinians. And there is no reason to disbelieve his intention to attack Iran. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/feb/19/iran-war-israel-us-obama

MY THOUGHTS

The events of the past few weeks have been breathtaking.  I want to focus on the EU's role in the world.  Growing up no one really cared about Europe in Kentucky (sorry Europe).  Most parts of the United States did not follow events because the United States was the superpower, minus the Soviet Union which was in decline in my childhood.  As the Bible states, the unfathomable happened which was the power of the EU's economic engine is mightier than any place on earth.  It seems Greece is heading toward a default and it could be a hard landing.  If the landing is harder than Europe hopes the whole world may go down with Europe, and things will change.

No other time in history could one small country in Europe dictate so much in the world, and it is because the Euro and the EU itself produces and consumes so much of the world's economy.  As God states in His Word, the EU will rise to power to be the last superpower on earth.  It may not be what we think of a military might, but with the United States backing, the EU has become the economic superpower it always wanted to be since the days of Rome.  Europe's strengths and weaknesses move the markets within minutes, and its leader vacuum is causing extreme headaches for world powers.  It is going to take a leader coming up from the EU to take control of the mess when it does get out of hand. 

Greece may be the catalyst.  There is a rumor that a Greek default is March 23^rd because two main Wall Street bankers have been tipped off that is the date.  The dirty little secret is the bailout money is not for Greece, but Spain, Italy, and France to save off contagion when Greece does default.  The EU also wants to bypass Greek elections and install and pro-EU government.  If Greece has a hard default then the world's economies are going to suffer and a new economic system may have to be in place.  You put that with a possible Iranian strike on Israel (Ezekiel 38/39), and Passover Holy Days on April 6^th-11^th, we may have major prophetic fulfillment in the near future. 

Of course all of this is speculation on my part, but as a watcher we all must have our eyes on Greece, Iran and its allies, and Israel's response to the continuing tit for tat.  This morning Israeli authorities revealed that Defense Minister Barak had an attempted assassination the other day.  That in itself raises the stakes.  There are reports gas masks are beginning to be distributed in Israel which gives evidence war is on the horizon.  Anyone from Israel or have knowledge of this please let me know through email.  Time will tell.

Bro. Brian

 Note:  Both sources are not mainstream (which can be very good), and take it for what it is worth.  In time, we will know if the sources below are correct.

NEWS LINK

Foreign embassies in Israel have recently started to formulate contingency plans to evacuate their citizens from the Jewish State in case of a missile attack on Israel. In the framework of the preparations for possible fallout in case of an Israeli strike on Iran, foreign diplomats stationed in Israel requested that the Foreign Ministry equip them and their family members with gas masks.

http://www.nowtheendbegins.com/blog/?p=8481

ANOTHER NEWS LINK (Need to read all of article)

A written document giving firm dates and detailed actions for a planned Greek default has been in the possession of two top Wall Street bank currency trading bosses since the second week in January. The Slog has separate but corroborative sources affirming the existence of the document, and a conviction among senior bank staff that - at least at the time - the plan represented "a timetable, not a contingency". The plan gives a firm date of March 23rd for default to be announced after the close of business.

http://hat4uk.wordpress.com/