Sealed up until the End of Time

Posted on Tuesday, 20 January, 2015 by Richard Barker

Essential reading. Also, its closing song plugs into the Lord’s answer to my personal query upon closing the post about the river running through the nation. Be blessed as you read…

Sons of Issachar

Mike Parsons
with Jeremy Westcott –

Information or revelation?

The enemy does not want the church to know about supernatural things, and through the centuries there has been a battle for truth. At the Constantinople council in 553 there was a lot of argument about what should and should not be included in the canon of scripture. Many books were removed at that time, and some wanted to throw out even the books of James, Peter, and Jude (all with a lot of the supernatural in them). Centuries later, even Martin Luther was unhappy with Hebrews, James and Peter.

During the dark ages, when people could not read the Bible, a lot of truth was lost. God has been restoring that truth over the last 1000 years, and there is ongoing revelation of truth. Please do not just accept everything I say, do not be satisfied with just information but go…

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Heaven Around Us, Heaven Within Us

Posted on Thursday, 8 January, 2015 by Richard Barker

An excellent exposition as follow-up on moving into our inheritance. I concur with Mike’s understanding as to how it directly relates to the return of our ‘blessed hope…the glorious appearing of our God and Saviour, Jesus, Who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own…’ (Titus 2:13-14)

Sons of Issachar

Mike Parsons
with Jeremy Westcott

And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light (Matt 17:2).

The Greek word ‘metamorphoó’ (the same root from which we get the English word ‘metamorphosis’), is translated ‘transfigured’ in this passage and ‘transformed’ in Romans 12:2 (‘but be transformed by the renewing of your mind’).

When Jesus was on the mount of transfiguration he was representing mankind. He was showing people what it would be like if they were fully able to reflect God’s glory through their lives. They would literally be shining. As we are fully transformed into the image of Jesus and mature into becoming joint heirs with Him, we will begin to shine as He did when He was transfigured/transformed. Something of God’s glory will be seen in us.

Our inheritance

And as joint heirs, God wants us to have our…

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Arabs and Jews unite to agree only solution to conflict is Jesus Christ

Posted on Thursday, 4 December, 2014 by Richard Barker

Thank you to Discerning the Times for bringing the following news to my attention. It’s really not the ‘Surprise’ they bill it as!

It is significant news in view of rabbi Kaduri’s prophecy of Messiah being revealed to Israel after Ariel Sharon’s death. (After a massive stroke in January 2006 he was left in a comatose state until passing away last January.) This prominent rabbi is reputed to have met the Messiah and hidden a note of his identity, as reported on this blog in Who are the Jewish people expecting…?

This piece therefore acts as a suitable follow-up to The rabbi’s note, the PM’s death and the angel’s word – Part 1, the second part of which I was unable to complete in view of higher priority material. Its opening section was headed ‘A Matter of Time’, and so perhaps that blog’s Part 2 was awaiting this news?

Put the breakdown of Israel’s ruling coalition into perspective. Forget their flap over proposals to define Israel officially as a ‘Jewish state’ – here’s the only solution for cessation of the current conflict…

David Lazarus’ article published 26 November in ‘Israel Today’ reads as follows:

Arabs and Jews Unite to Proclaim Messiah’s Return

A new generation of Arab and Jewish followers of Jesus met together last week to strategize on how to “turn Israel upside down.”

Two hundred and sixty Messianic Jewish and Arab pastors, youth leaders, evangelists, Bible-school teachers and ministry leaders gathered for a three-day council to discuss, study, pray and work together to effectively bring the word of God in power to Arabs and Jews throughout the whole Land of Israel.

These seasoned men and women of faith embody decades of labor proclaiming the Gospel to local Arabs and Jews. Most have given up everything to preach Messiah to their unbelieving Muslim and Jewish families and friends. Despised because of their faith, they have lost jobs, suffered rejection and endured multiple other hardships, yet their passion to bring the Good News to their people remains unquenched.

“We will keep preaching and teaching the Word of God until it changes the people of Israel,” declared one leading pastor. “We must be willing to suffer for the sake of the gospel and keep going no matter what happens. God will accomplish His will through the power of His word.”

With tensions now raging in Jerusalem and across Israel, it was astonishing to witness firsthand the deep friendships between these Arabs and Jews. Even the cold-blooded murders in a Jerusalem synagogue that took place on the final day of the gathering could not separate these godly men and women from their warm fellowship in Messiah.

In fact, the cowardly acts of terror and violence still raging in Jerusalem only served to move them to stand even stronger together and compelled them to more boldly declare the life-giving Word of God to both Muslim and Jew.

A regular theme throughout the gathering was the need to understand God’s prophetic word concerning the Last Days. (Emphasis added RB)

Scriptures related to the Second Coming of Messiah were studied. There are many signs that we are living in the latter days, particularly the return of the Jewish people to their biblical land, and the leadership of the local congregations in Israel discussed the need to prepare God’s people for the Messiah’s soon return.

All agreed that time is short, and the peoples of this land, both Arab and Jew, must hear the Word of God now.

It was mentioned that some local leaders are not teaching or preaching about the Second Coming. They do not want to stir up controversy or division over what can be a difficult subject.

While there remains much debate in Christianity and among Messianic Jews as to what exactly will happen around the Second Coming of the Lord, all were in agreement that He is coming, and that the Gospel much be preached in boldness, especially in Israel, before it is too late, for He comes this time in glory and in judgment.

According to many New Testament scriptures, the return of Messiah should unify believers, inspiring them to ready themselves in purity and holiness. It is seen as a cunning ploy of the enemy to cause so much confusion and division concerning the Last Days and Messiah’s return.

The leadership of the local Arab and Jewish congregations in Israel prayed for unity of faith in the Messiah’s return and boldness to tell others of His coming Messianic kingdom, the only real solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict and the peace of Jerusalem.

Amen and amen to all those prayers!

[Photo courtesy Israel Today; click photo for link to original and readers’ extensive comments.]

The real reason for the Israel-Palestine issue and anti-Semitism

Posted on Thursday, 16 October, 2014 by Richard Barker

Then the Lord will go forth
And fight against those nations,
As He fights in the day of battle.
And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives,
Which faces Jerusalem on the east. (Zecharia 14:3-4 NKJV)

Only 12 MPs were wise enough to vote in the House of Commons against an opposing 274 (not a full House). As recorded in the Hansard transcript, they voted just before 10pm on 13th October 2014,

“That this House believes that the Government should recognise the state of Palestine alongside the state of Israel, as a contribution to securing a negotiated two state solution”.

That’s fine and all well and good on the face of it BUT it’s utterly farcical. As with many thousands elsewhere, these 274 have been well and truly fooled.

The factual evidence follows below.

This blog’s totally unplanned focus this week is on what’s, in essence, a critical issue.

Few in my opinion know why it’s critical, or the real reason for the prolonged hostility over Israel’s existence and complete lack of a solution to the territorial disputes.

The real reason is; it’s Satan’s objective to thwart God’s purpose, as stated in His above Word given to Zecharia 2,500 years ago. That is, Satan seeks his own self-preservation!

In Zecharia’s prophecy the Lord is to appear in that Middle-Eastern location and thereby bring about the next phase of Satan’s downfall. (The first was when Jesus died and rose from the dead, thereby redeeming humanity from Satan’s authority and thus enabling us to be reconciled to God, our Father.)

The foretold scenario is ‘The Day of The Lord’; the start of which is described in the 12th chapter of the book of Zecharia, as mentioned in Exactly as prophesied….

The Lord foretells in verse 10,

“And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.

In A Rabbi Looks at the Last Days, Messianic rabbi Jonathan Bernis explains how the feast of Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) relates to Jesus’ return and then exclaims,

The clarity of this prophecy is astounding! It declares in detail the day when Jewish people, and specifically the inhabitants of a Jerusalem under Jewish control, recognise that Jesus, whom they previously understood to be the God of the Christians and whom they denied since the days of their ancestors two thousand years ago, is in fact Yeshua, the promised Messiah of Israel. (Page 215)

That is, the Jewish people will have to have returned to live in as well as have control of Jerusalem and thus be in place for Jesus to visit. Chapter 14 answers any question that this event may be just a supra-natural, spiritual or subjective vision by referring explicitly to an objective, tangible presence. That is, Jesus will have physically descended onto the Mount of Olives.

To avoid this happening Satan must therefore ensure there are no Jews in Jerusalem, or its vicinity. In the absence of Jews, Jesus’ return would be pointless and thus not happen. So Satan could possibly avoid his decreed fate, remain ‘safe and sound’ on earth and not imprisoned to be eventually thrown into the ‘lake of fire’. As Jonathan states,

I cannot reiterate enough that anti-Semitism is nothing more or less than Satan’s attempt at self-preservation.

So, Satan is the source of all Jew-hatred, whether it comes from any biblical or modern nation; or from historic Christian churches, as it has for centuries; or from ancient Islam and its modern terrorists. All have been duped and used by the enemy of mankind.

To show the validity of my thesis we need only to look at the history of anti-Semitism and global hatred of the modern state of Israel; especially the disingenuous tactics of the Palestinian leadership, as indicated in Nick Gray and Joel Rosenberg’s reports here and here. But there’s even more tangible evidence for my claim.:

Map of Palestine

Three years ago, in blogging on PM Netanyahu’s address to the UN General Assembly, I referred to Palestinian leader Abbas’ visit to the UN seeking recognition of Palestine as an observer state to the UN. That post shows the model of the land of Palestine Abbas brought to them. I wrote,

When the PLO were permitted to open up diplomatic missions the map displayed on their flags and literature depicts their proposed state as being the whole territory between the Mediterranean, Lebanon, Egypt and the river Jordan – ie. excluding Israel… (emphasis added)

Now they have official Observer Mission status, its website’s ‘About Palestine’ displays a Declaration of Independence which claims Jerusalem as their capital. Deeper down that menu is the ‘PLO’ entry which shows the map of Palestine and Israel as Palestinian territory.

A few days ago I cited Michel Gurfinkiel’s statement that the Oslo Accords and ‘Road Map’ of 2003 explicitly requested the Palestinian Authority to direct its public education towards a pro-peace attitude. Abbas has never complied with that requirement.

Here’s the latest evidence that Palestinians have not – and will never – change what they teach about their supposed state:

Thank you to Palestine Media Watch for publishing this item from Fatah Facebook that shows children learning “Palestine cannot be divided”. It heads a page of documented examples, PA depicts a world without Israel, and explains this one as follows:

‘The text was accompanied by a photo of a teacher pointing to a map of “Palestine” replacing all of Israel drawn on the blackboard, with the explanatory text rejecting Israeli jurisdiction over Israeli cities: “Acre, Haifa, Jaffa, Ramle, Safed, Beit Shean, were and will remain Palestinian cities”.’

So how can any two-state solution ever be negotiated? Parliament’s motion, therefore, is rendered meaningless and needs flushing down the pan, where it belongs!

France

On Tuesday French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius was reported as saying that Paris would recognize a Palestinian state if negotiations between the Palestinians and Israel fail. However, French MP Meir Habib responded by stating France is making a grave mistake,

“Europe and France specifically refuse to recognize the reality and think that if they recognize a Palestinian state, the conflict will end. When will they wake up? The free world must unite and realize that recognizing a Palestinian state without negotiations at this time is a grave mistake that will be costly for Europe”.

Israel

A priest has appealed to the UN and told them to ‘end the witch hunt’ against Israel, as reported by religio-political blogger Archbishop Cranmer,

‘Father Gabriel Naddaf, a Greek Orthodox Priest in Yafia, near Nazareth, appealed to the UN Human Rights Council last month, urging them to end their “witch hunt” on Israel: “In the Middle East today, there is one country where Christianity is not only not persecuted, but affectionately granted freedom of expression, freedom of worship and security,” he testified. “It is Israel, the Jewish state. Israel is the only place where Christians in the Middle East are safe.”

‘And he testified further, confirming that some 120,000 Christians have been killed in the Middle East every year for the past decade: “That means that every five minutes a Christian is killed because of his faith,” he said. “Those who can escape persecution at the hands of Muslim extremists have fled. Those who remain, exist as second – if not third-class citizens to their Muslim rulers.” And he warned: “It is time the world woke up to the fact that those who want to destroy the Jewish state are signing the death warrant on the last free Christians in the Holy Land”. (Emphasis added)

Anti-Semitism in Church

Hold onto your seat here. I’ll be brief and assume you are aware of the Church’s stance against Jewry, especially since the time of Constantine and the Council of Nicea in 4th Century. This was soon followed by the false doctrine of Replacement Theology which originated in Augustine’s seminal work ‘City of God’. This doctrine assumes the Church has replaced the Jews as God’s chosen people and that He’s turned His back on them. This teaching opened the door for over 1,500 years of harsh persecution from so-called Christians.

Proper recognition of the Jews special relationship with God came from Puritans and Non-conformists of Cromwell’s time in 17th Century. They recognised the importance of the Jews returning to their home land and eventual acceptance of Jesus as Messiah, as foretold in Zecharia.

Today, however, anti-Semitism is continued by the World Council of Churches. It also has a key role in mobilizing the BDS (Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions) movement in churches. The WCC promotes and works closely with Palestinian Liberation Theology, and it founded the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI).

William Koenig’s Eye View From The White House dated 20 June 2016 gives a wealth of detail on this deeply disturbing anti-Semitism within so-called churches:

“By claiming that the Jewish people “occupied” Judea, Samaria, and East Jerusalem the global Christian organizations have sided with the Islamic worldview”.

Of many indictments, he cites:

EAPPI frequently uses inflammatory and demonizing rhetoric against Israel and engages in (BDS) campaigns. It presents a one-sided Palestinian narrative, promotes the “right of return,” ignores terror attacks against Israelis, and blames Israel entirely for the conflict.
EAPPI is an important resource for pro-Palestinian activists in various denominations worldwide as “sending organizations (several US/UK examples!!)
A number of European governments, plus the US and Canada, provide funds for these church-based efforts to delegitimize Israel. These tax-payer funds are disbursed as grants to church-based humanitarian NGOs, which then transfer these funds to highly politicized pro-Palestinian NGOs — including Christian groups that promote BDS, the one-state solution and, in many cases, anti-Semitic supercessionist, or replacement, theologies within mainline churches worldwide.
The WCC, an ecumenical body, which claims to represent 590 million Christians worldwide and based in Switzerland, sponsored an event supporting the partition and Islamization of Jerusalem. The “World Week for Peace in Palestine Israel” [began] 22 Sept 2013. (See EXPOSE: Christian Fatwa Against Israel).

Thank the Lord that His shaking and sifting of churches will deal with this falsehood.

[Awaken Your Might – credit; James Nesbit www.jamesnart.com]

Exactly as prophesied: nations set on collision course with God

Posted on Tuesday, 14 October, 2014 by Richard Barker

After yesterday’s vote in Parliament recognising Palestine, as in The Independent, it’s time to recall the Lord’s opinion about the heart of that land. Then we’ll consider a news round-up indicative of our whereabouts on His prophetic timetable.

First, here’s what the prophet Zecharia was told about the future ‘Day of the Lord’ – ie. a specific period in which the Lord deals with humanity’s rejection of and rebellion against Him, and its focal locality in and around Jerusalem:

Thus says the LORD, who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him:

“Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem. And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it. In that day”, says the LORD, “I shall strike…

“It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.” (Zecharia 12:1-3, 12, NKJV courtesy Blue Letter Bible)

Let me quote examples of relevant current events so we can check this out.

First, the header to Bill Koenig’s World Watch Daily this morning:

The nations of the world are on a collision course with the God of Israel.

Bill’s website provides the following subheads with brief covering comments, followed by some on the conflict with ISIS:

Koenig’s fellow watcher and past co-author, John McTernan, reports on these Biblical issues and unequivocally states his opinion in yesterday’s posting. Under the header The Battle for Jerusalem Has Begun, he quotes Zechariah 14:2 “For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle…” and comments:

“The world is now gearing up to force a Palestinian state upon Israel with Jerusalem as its capital. November 16, 2016, is the target date set for this.

“Based on this, there is NO doubt, in my mind, that awesome wars are upon us, and God is about to unleash incredible judgments upon the earth. Look how this threat to Israel is taking place at the exact time Ebola is loose amongst the nations! (Emphasis RB)

“The judgments will match the pressure and attack on Israel. This is not off in the future it is here NOW. The time to judge the nations is about to begin.”

John covers the latest material under As the Nations Have Done to Israel and refers to the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s call to scrap settlements, plus his claim that the ‘occupation’ of territories led to the recent Gaza war!

He also blogs As the EU Has Done to Israel stating,

“The European Union is aggressive against Israel as Jew hating seems to be in most of the Europeans’ DNA. They are now following the path of the Nazis in the 1930s while this time it is the Hard Left united with the Muslims.

“Europe right now is on the verge of an economic meltdown at the very time the EU is trying to economically destroy Israel.” (Emphasis RB)

To back-up his claims John cites:

Readers keeping abreast of these matters will recall I often quote Elliott Abrams’ take on the Middle-East. He’d supervised US policy there under the Bush administration and served as the president’s deputy advisor on the region.

Elliott’s latest blog, A word from Mr Erekat, ably demonstrates that the top Palestinian negotiator with Israel, Saeb Ereket, cannot get his facts straight – not the first time his integrity has been called into question.

The Independent’s report upon yesterday’s parliamentary vote is well-balanced and covers some important points, but the completely clueless naivety of UK politicians is mind-boggling. It is utter folly!

Sweden

There again, as Michel Gurfinkiel taunts in an article on Sweden’s vote, maybe it’s, “far-fetched to expect most political leaders to be thoroughly knowledgeable of the issues… of international affairs; or to expect them to be particularly rational and ethical”.

Michel is founder and president of a French think-tank, the Jean-Jacques Rousseau Institute, and his paper came to my attention through the same source as yesterday’s post on Phyllis Chesler’s interview with Ibn Waaraq – Middle-East Forum.

He makes valid points about the nature of this ‘state’ that all parliamentarians should have born in mind (emphases added):

To be recognized, a state needs a clearly defined population, a clearly defined territory, and an effective government that can maintain law and order. None of the above is true of “Palestine,” whatever the current meaning of that word.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) — an autonomous authority established in 1994 according to a Declaration of Principles between the state of Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (the Oslo Accords), and the closest thing to a “state of Palestine” – does not effectively rule the West Bank and Gaza, the two distinct territories that pass as “Palestinian territory.” As an effective government, the PA should be able to maintain law and order there. Everybody knows this is not the case in Gaza, which has been controlled by Hamas and Islamic Jihad since 2007. Yet this is hardly the case in the West Bank, either.
One must ask how the two-state solution can work if one of the considered states – the Palestinian state-to-be — is openly opposed to it. Hamas and Islamic Jihad clearly say they will never recognize Israel. The nominal PA government and Fatah say they will not recognize Israel as a Jewish state – implying their strategy is to turn Israel into a bi-national state.
Abbas’ PA has never directed education towards a pro-peace attitude. The PA was explicitly requested to do so by the Oslo Accords and the subsequent road map to peace in 2003.

His short paper also looks at the pivotal effects of an increasing Muslim population in Sweden and he concludes,

“Doubtlessly, similar situations will arise in more EU countries, including major countries like France, bringing about further confusion and further political and geopolitical nonsense.”

The United States

The once world-leading nation has sown its own undoing through the anti-Israel stance of its president Barack Obama. With her adroit analysis Caroline Glick surgically dissects Netanyahu’s statements and policies. After extracting and revealing Obama’s game-plan with Iran as inimical to Israel’s best interests, she looks at Secretary-of-State John Kerry’s continuing treachery.

Machiavellian Kerry, as ever dangerously incompetent, ignores and seeks to scuttle the new Middle-Eastern alliance of Israel, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and other anti-jihadist Sunni states established to protect themselves. Deaf to what Netanyahu repeatedly stressed at the UN General Assembly (as here), according to ‘ne-plus ultra’ analyst Caroline,

“…by bringing Qatar, Hamas’s principal Sunni state-sponsor, into the mix. Kerry is reportedly trying to organize a regional peace conference that would coerce Israel into accepting the so-called Saudi Peace Initiative from 2002. That initiative would require Israel to surrender to all the PLO’s territorial demands and accept millions of foreign, hostile Arabs into its shrunken, indefensible territory.

“In light of Obama’s absolute commitment to the anti-Israel, PLO-centric policy model for dealing with the Palestinian rejection of Israel, for the next two years there will be no change in US policy on the issue.”

Readers who are particularly interested in the finer nuances of the Israel-Palestinian issues will find her article is well worth reading.

It will be interesting to see how USA’s plans for the ‘peace process’ will unravel – even so far as the US falling away and being excluded as its authority and power vanishes – for I believe the Lord will bless and encourage the new regional alliance as a means not only of protection from ISIS, but also of peacefully resolving the Palestinian situation.

These events get even more interesting in the light of scripture and the urgency of the words given to Neville Johnson about changes for this new Jewish year over 2014 to 2015 (see point 7 here).

Indubitably, we’re living in Biblical days as they accelerate to fulfil holy prophecy.

Urgent prophetic words about a cut-off date in God’s timeline

Posted on Friday, 19 September, 2014 by Richard Barker

Prophesying into Time was a topic I started blogging about in the first weeks of the New Year. Now I can cover it again, not in analysis but in what’s being revealed about the Lord’s imminent action plans.

The last mention of timing, albeit very brief, was in Paul Keith Davis’ opening remarks at last month’s gathering in Cardiff (as here). In passing, he referred to getting “things and structures such as apostolic hubs and communities in place” between the Days of Atonement 2014 and 2015. That was all, nothing more, nothing less, as it was followed by other matters.

Whilst Paul Keith was in Wales, Australian prophetic seer Neville Johnson was in Lancaster, California. (His website is at The Academy of Light.)

Neville had spoken 18 hours earlier, in a conference’s first session, in detail about prophetic words on what’s in, or scheduled for, the same time frame that Paul Keith had mentioned, ie. after this October’s Day of Atonement.

Upon our return from Wales, our pastor produced notes for our group’s consideration of what Neville had delivered. We all recognised it’s of the Lord and its great import. For example, in view of her wish to change how we ‘do church’, we’d already discussed how to start the Lord’s first point.

Therefore, I’m including a video of the session and his notes of what the Lord gave him for your careful consideration and edification. The notes have been slightly modified for ease of reading and, additional to Neville’s use of upper case, I’ve emboldened points that spoke to me and trust this won’t detract from your study. It’s better, however, to first take time to watch and weigh:

Neville opens by referring to the importance of setting our hearts on things above and the change he senses in the conference atmosphere since last year. Upon standing outside the airport after landing, he’d sensed a gusty ‘whoosh’ go by him and asked himself,

“What’s going on in this nation? Everything is stood up in the spirit realm; both good and bad!

“You know, there’s something going down and we really need to be aware of it because the times and the seasons are very, very important.”

He continues as in the following notes published with the YouTube video:

“We have come to a critical time in our relationship and walk with the Lord. This nation (USA) has come to a critical time in the purposes of God. It’s not ‘business as usual’ – we’ve come to a critical time!

“This year I’ve had more encounters with the Lord than any other year in my life – things have become critical. It is the season of change.

“Hebrews 4 – God limited a certain day – Today if you hear my voice, harden not your heart. He limited a day – a timing factor is involved.

“The time now is limited for an adequate response before all hell breaks loose over this nation; also heaven will come, but the time is limited. When Israel came to Kadesh Barnea and spies went into the land, ten of them came back with the wrong message. There are a lot of wrong messages out there. And they died because of it. God limited the time and said, “No more!”.

“Today, if you hear His voice”…we are on the brink of something great and something terrible.

“Time is running out for us and we have to be prepared for what is coming, particularly this nation (USA), but there are ramifications for other nations around the world as well. We are on the brink of something great.

“A number of things the Lord has given me:

THE LORD HAS LAID A CORNERSTONE FOR A NEW KIND OF CHURCH. It is time for the Philadelphian church to come into manifestation in the earth and fruition in the earth. (The Faithful Church Rev 3:7-13)
YEARS OF PROMISES THAT HAVE NEVER BEEN FULFILLED IN YOUR LIFE ARE INTERSECTING NOW. It is time to take hold of them and bring them into fruition.
THE ISSUE OF SOWING AND REAPING IS BECOMING CRITICAL. Everything is speeding up. The process of sowing and reaping is being shortened over recent times; scary because we don’t always sow the right things, and it is coming back quicker.
WE NEED TO BUILD A KINGDOM (NOT CHURCH) CULTURE. We are heading into the goodness and the severity of the Lord. This year they will begin.
WE MUST MOVE FROM PRAYING FROM THE OUTER COURT IN OUR PRAYERS (“ME, ME, ME”) – WE HAVE TO PRAY AT ANOTHER LEVEL.
INTERCESSION MUST BE TARGETTED – prophets must speak into the target, and intercession must bring forth the purposes of God.
WHAT IS HAPPENING IN ISRAEL AND THE MIDDLE EAST? Israel is setting itself up for a major war – the big one. There will be some skirmishes on the way, but the big one is coming, and the ramifications on the church are enormous.
THE LORD WILL RELEASE THE GIFT OF FAITH IN THIS SEASON. This gift will release the most incredible miracles that we have hardly dreamt of. There is not much spoken of about this gift.
WE MUST SYNC WITH WHAT IS GOD IS DOING.

Yom Kippur: Day of Atonement 2014 is a Cut-Off Point

[Yom Kippur 2014 is from sunset 3rd October to sunset 4th October – read about Its Christian perspective.]

“From the time of the last blood moon to the Day of Atonement is coming – it is a cut off point, something ends. Something is coming. Yom Kippur this coming year – the curtain is drawn on many things. There is no more time. God has delayed out of His kindness some things.

“He is visiting heads of state all over the world and giving them time. God took me to Europe to speak to a queen in her bedroom. God told me to give her a specific word of what she must do and what she mustn’t do…people high up in the financial realm, giving them time to repent, many of them.

“Something is happening God is visiting people right now because time is running out and they have to make decisions. Because the world is going to change next year. Once we pass Yom Kippur things will escalate and change. It will be a different world. Stuff will be released, good and bad.

“There is a definite cut-off point that is going to happen. A lot of things have been held up because God in His mercy has waited and waited and waited (like before the flood came – Methuselah had to die first. So Methuselah became the oldest man ever on this planet because God kept extending His grace and mercy); and God has given us more time and more time. But he spoke to me,

“Neville, it is over. There is no more extension of time!”

“He is visiting people the world over, in the financial sector especially. Most of them will not repent, but He is giving them opportunity. Things are going to get really, really difficult.”

The rest of Neville’s teaching is most instructive, especially about how cultivating the Kingdom’s culture will help us during the coming dangers. He explains the powerful effect of the imagination and how its unsanctified use allows evil that he’s ‘seen’ going on behind the scenes to manipulate it, eg. violent video games. He also covers time travel…!

So, be mightily blessed as you watch and read subsequent connected visions here.

(Readers unfamiliar with Christian prophecy will find this Introduction useful.)

Cont’d in Why September 2015 is special & Last blood moon ushers in new era.

See Fulfilled prophecies: 4 on how this message applies to November 2015 attacks in Paris, France.

Personal Note:

Last weekend I was amazed to receive a personal word at the end of a guest teacher’s message at Dr Stone’s mentoring day. It was, as with Joshua and Caleb, a 40 years-old promise will come to fruition. Also, I’d forgotten – Neville’s remarks on the Israelite spies who returned with a wrong message, except Joshua and Caleb – and point #2 above!

Plymouth Celebration points to prophetic promises

Posted on Tuesday, 22 July, 2014 by Richard Barker

Jude, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James,

To those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ:

²Mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.

Contend for the Faith

³Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. ⁴For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ. [NKJV per BibleGateway.com – emphases RB]

It’s been too long since the exciting time when Nathan Morris ministered in Hull (report) and our watching the Bay of the Holy Spirit Revival nightly. (For brief reports of healing read Video Clips of Testimonies.) The ‘fire in his bones’ makes him a highly charged preacher passionate for Jesus. Whilst the power of the Holy Spirit ministers through him he gets drenched in sweat!

Note my following transcription of his message uses various type founts to try to convey Nathan’s passion and flow whilst speaking.

For those unfamiliar with this British Evangelist and wanting some details, please see ‘Background‘ sub-head in Prophetic word 2012: setting the stage for the End-Times.

Click above photo for Nathan’s Facebook page with photos and comments on the Summer Celebration in Plymouth.

The first evening he taught about landmarks and boundaries of the Christian faith which churches are unwisely moving, thus giving room for the enemy of our souls to advance. The topic for the third and closing evening was fire and anointing. When speaking of God’s power his iPad lost its power, which he took as an indication for preachers to not use well-prepared notes but rely instead on Holy Spirit’s leading and inspiration – which Nathan certainly did.

Extracts from the middle evening follow below. In my opinion, what Nathan delivered is in harmony with what the Lord is indicating as now necessary for the awakening giant to stand on his feet, as mused about in the last post.:

CONTEND, DON’T PRETEND!

“A couple of weeks ago the Lord gave me the title for tonight, it’s just a simple phrase: CONTEND, DON’T PRETEND….Contend; Don’t Pretend!

“I read to you this verse in Jude (above) where there comes this cry from the heart of God, this cry from the Holy Spirit, that says to a generation: in these last days I’m calling a people that will not lay down and accept the norm but they will contend for the Word of God in their lives.

“They will contend for something greater than themselves. We are living in a generation today that is literally watching the final chapters of the Ages come to pass! How can you watch the news today and NOT SEE that every word that Jesus Christ spoke is coming to pass. This is IT!

“Church, nations – THIS IS IT! Jesus said in the last days there will be wars and rumours of wars – nation will rise against nation – there will be pestilence and famine in nations around the world – and the love of MANY will grow cold…the LOVE of MANY will grow cold.

“And yet in the darkest of hours – in an hour when many will run with fear, or tremble – the superpowers of this world are ALREADY trembling because they HAVE NO ANSWER.

“Jesus said that the world, the nations, it will be like a woman in labour, there literally will be times when they will CRAVE, they will desire the Coming of the Lord – THIS IS IT!

“What you’re seeing in Israel…what you’re seeing in Russia and in the Ukraine…across Europe. Something is beginning to rise that NO NATION, NO GOVERNMENT, CAN STOP!

“THIS IS SOMETHING THAT THE WORD OF GOD HAS PROPHESIED WILL BE THE SIGNS –THESE WILL BE THE SIGNS OF THE COMING OF JESUS CHRIST…He will stand AS KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

“I spoke to you last night, Jesus died and rose again. He shed His blood that you might have a hope…you are CHOSEN.

“I CAN’T SAY THAT ENOUGH TO THIS GENERATION, to those who are watching me now that YOU’RE SEARCHING IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES FOR YOUR IDENTITY. Your identity is found in Jesus! He knew you before you were in your mother’s womb. He purposed you, He destined you – He spoke LIFE into your being.

“When you know that you’re Chosen, when you know that God has purpose for your life you realise there’s something that God is doing in your life that is greater than you are – something that’s greater than your own dreams – something that’s greater than a promotion. You know what, I thank God for blessing these people, but I’m TIRED of preachers telling the Body of Christ that a measure of their faith is whether they have a mansion or a Ferrari.

“What really matters is this: Is the life that you’re living COUNTING FOR ETERNITY? Is what you live for, breathe for and you’re willing to die for, going to count for eternity?

“You see what’s happening in this nation and in America right now – I preached to you last night…the hedge, the line of separation (between righteousness and the world) is being removed. MORALITY IS BEING BLURRED. I see across the Body of Christ as I travel around the world THERE’S A CONFUSION because SUDDENLY THERE ARE THINGS HAPPENING – even in the Church – that people say,“I DON’T KNOW…I THOUGHT THAT WAS AGAINST THE WORD OF GOD!”

“But there’s this generation that arises and says, “No, that’s ok..You don’t have to give your all…you go to church, you sing songs but you can have your own sinful life-style. Live how you want to live…Jesus loves you!

“Well my friend, THAT’S NOT THE GOSPEL because JESUS GAVE HIS ALL, HE PAID THE PRICE WITH HIS LIFE – He gave His ALL and He DEMANDS NOTHING LESS FROM YOU!

“He said, “If you give ME your LIFE I’ll come and live INSIDE YOU. ALL THAT I AM, I will be IN YOU!”

“There’s a generation today – we need the FIRE OF GOD TO FALL UPON THE UNITED KINGDOM AGAIN – we need THE FEAR OF THE LORD TO RISE IN US AGAIN..! (Loud cheers across packed auditorium!)

“I talk to young people, I start talking to them about the fire of God – I say to young guys, ‘Listen, when the fire of God fell on me it RADICALLY CHANGED ME!’ – You see we want a notebook with 8 steps of ‘how to’…but I’m not that kind of preacher…I just had AN ENCOUNTER WITH JESUS…the power of God took a hold of my life!

“I talk to them about the power and the glory of God. Oh, I’ve seen the glory of God come down like a mist. I’ve watched people paralyzed get out of wheelchairs – the blind see, the deaf hear…I’ve watched as thousands are touched by the fire of the holy Ghost and I SEE A GENERATION LOOKING AT ME AS THOUGH I JUST FELL OFF MARS!! Staring at me as ‘THIS GUY’S CRAZY!’

“What I began to realise is this: THERE’S A GENERATION TODAY COMING UP THAT KNOW NOTHING OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD – THEY KNOW NOTHING ABOUT THE FIRE OF GOD – THEY DON’T KNOW there’s something SO AWESOME AVAILABLE THAT CAN EMPOWER THEIR LIVES TO CHANGE THE DESTINY OF A GENERATION.

“But we don’t want to contend any more…

“I want to speak to the United Kingdom for a moment. I was born here, I was raised here and I want to say that I love the Church. I love the people of God…but I’m an evangelist. I want to see the lost saved…and the thing is this – you CAN’T PERSUADE people into the Kingdom..THEY MUST HAVE AN ENCOUNTER WITH JESUS.

“WHEN THEY ENCOUNTER THE PRESENCE OF GOD THEY ARE CHANGED!

“But it’s like we don’t want to FIGHT for the things of the Spirit of God ANY MORE – we’d rather have a nice service with nice presentation, but just NO FIRE. Well I’m telling you right now there’s something the Holy Spirit’s placing in my heart,

“It’s time to contend. Time to contend for the Glory of God to FILL our churches, to fill our lives that we might know Him in Whom we have believed!”

Nathan goes on to teach from 2 Kings 4 on the Shunammite woman providing a room for the itinerant prophet Elisha and her faith in the supernatural provision of God being vindicated. She knew despite having been barren and then her boy unexpectedly dying, that ‘all was well’! – indomitable faith had developed because she made room for a man of God and her prayers had been answered.

Nathan tells how, despite having been into drugs, he was saved and filled with holy fire. Then going to church and having read the Bible and about miracles, he realised there was something inside him that made him passionately want to see it happen today. He realised he had to contend for this – not like 1/2 hour ‘fast-food’ Christianity.

“But I learnt I had to abide,. If you want an encounter with God you can’t quit too soon. You’ve got to know what it is to CONTEND, to cry out to God…”I’m here, I’m waiting for You.” He then gives a reminder and word for a viewer who had a prophecy over his life.

“IT’S NOT TIME TO PRETEND BUT TIME TO CONTEND – OUR GENERATION ARE IN THE BALANCE!!

“That’s why I like what Canon Andrew White said. He spoke about suffering and fighting – contending for the faith. YOU CAN’T CONTEND IF YOU WANT TO PRETEND!

“The days of pretending are coming to an end. The days are going to become SO DARK that if you DON’T HAVE THE LIGHT OF HIS GLORY in your life YOU’RE IN TROUBLE!”

On Repentance

“You know why people are against me so much on repentance? It’s because repentance MAKES ROOM FOR GRACE! The devil hates it because the devil knows that if a man responds and says, “Jesus, you have my life, I’ll make room for you. Come and dwell inside”, then he’s in trouble.

“AND I WANT TO SAY THE SAME TO THE CHURCH. People think my ministry’s just about miracles. NO, there’s a message that goes with the miracle – the message is: ‘JESUS DEMANDS YOUR ALL! YOUR LIFE, EVERYTHING YOU HAVE’. And when you make room for Him HE WILL BREAK EVERY CHAIN, every bondage, He’ll wash you, cleanse you – HE WILL SET YOU FREE!

The Problem

“The problem is, when you’ve never encountered the glory of God you don’t even know what I’m talking about ‘cos if you try to understand God in a natural place of your own understanding…one thing God’s got to get His Church to – to get you to – is to a place where you understand that what He wants to do in you is SO GREATER THAN WHAT YOU THINK and who you think you are.

“IT’S SO SUPERNATURAL, IT IS ONLY BY HIS GRACE, HIS PROVISION – HIS POWER, HIS GLORY IN YOUR LIFE – THAT YOU’RE EVER GOING TO MAKE IT.

“You’ve got to look at something that the world says is impossible, that the CHURCH EVEN SAYS IT’S IMPOSSIBLE, and (say) “NO, in Jesus’ name – it IS well”.”

The United Kingdom

“We’re believing God that something will be sparked in these 3 days…I believe God has something for the United Kingdom that is SO AWESOME that the nations will take notice.”

During the Celebration’s final evening one of the many receiving ministry was a severely deaf boy who was then able to hear. Thank you Lord for this and all the healing you are doing. Later, Nathan closed in farewell,

“We’re believing for God to move in our generation in what you’ve seen these last three nights…Can you imagine if the Body of Christ let the Spirit of God move? Not wanting the fake or the strange, but wanting JESUS to be GLORIFIED.

And when you glorify Jesus, young boys who are deaf leave this place hearing, because THAT is the message of the Gospel in the United Kingdom to the nations of the world…”

Hallelujah! More happened than shown on the videos, as reported on Facebook.

Middle-East events and fulfilment of Bible prophecy – 1

Posted on Friday, 11 July, 2014 by Richard Barker

Last August, in Events indicate the Bible’s relevance for today, I referred to what was happening in several Middle Eastern countries.

Although my subsequent coverage has been occasional, changes in the geo-political reality have continued to accelerate. It demonstrates how amazingly scripture has foretold what is unfolding before the world’s eyes.

It’s important for everyone, Christian or not, to appreciate the significance of these times and events.

There is an increasing likelihood of an internecine Sunni v Shite war. However, ulterior, religious goals may make them overcome their differences. This happened in the 1980s Iran-Iraq war when elite units from enemy camps rehearsed the storming of Jerusalem, thereby kick-starting my interest in the prophetic when I wasn’t a Christian! (Details in Welcome.)

The following overview of a couple of experts’ reports will help you understand these developments, especially if you follow the links for more details. Also, a newer slant on interpreting scripture will be briefly considered.

Declaration of an Islamic Caliphate

The Jerusalem Centre for Public Affairs has published an informative document, What does an ‘Islamic Caliphate’ in Iraq Mean? and notes a coincidence that’s of no surprise to Bible students:

On the first day of the month of Ramadan (29 June 2014), the day on which World Pride Day was celebrated as a marker of social and cultural progress, the reestablishment of the Islamic caliphate (state) was declared in Iraq and a caliph was appointed to lead it.

The Centre’s analysis looks at the historical and current state-of-play:

The Islamic State is trying to reinforce its battlefield achievements in Syria and Iraq by creating a new Sunni Muslim religious entity that threatens to overturn the prevailing regional political order rooted in the Sykes-Picot Agreement (1916) which set the borders and carved up the Middle East into European spheres of influence. The rule of the caliphate is applied to the territory under its control….

The declaration of the caliphate poses a challenge to the rival Islamic organizations and particularly to the Muslim Brotherhood, which has tried to promote the concept of a “political Islam” that combines Islam and democracy (according to the Islamic interpretation) and is aimed at achieving the ultimate goal of global Islamic rule in stages.

The stated objectives of the declaration are not surprising to those who understand Islamic doctrine in depth, unlike Western politicians. The objectives are headed; Establishment of an Islamic caliphate…Implementation of Islamic law (sharia)… Fortification of the rule of the Islamic caliphate…The supremacy of the Muslims over the peoples of the world and the goal of an Islamic takeover of the world…Representation of the Muslims all over the world…The rejection of democracy, secularism, and nationalism…On-going jihad everywhere…

Note the goal of totalitarian, global supremacy, violence and inhuman suppression of freedom is no different to 1,500 years ago. That is, a caliphate is a backward step into the barbarism of the Dark Ages.

Providing a thorough overview and warning “The danger of regional instability is greater than ever”, the JCPA document is therefore worth careful study:

Commentaries

John McTernan:

Opinion: ‘The establishment of an Islamic caliphate has the potential to be the most important fulfillment of Bible prophecy since Israel became a state in 1948 and Jerusalem’s unification in 1967. A caliphate would unite all the Arabs and perhaps even all of Islam against Israel. This is exactly what the Bible states is going to happen just prior to Armageddon. What this caliphate needs to succeed and expand is a mass public uprising in its support. A war between Israel and the Palestinians could be this catalyst. It is easy to see Jordan fall to ISIS during a war with Israel and then Egypt. I have said all along that Syria is doomed and when ISIS consolidates power, they will turn on Syria. Syria is going to fall, there is no doubt about this. It appears from here on out that incredible prophetic events will unfold before our eyes.’

John’s Commentary for 8th July then summarises several news sources on that topic.

Following on from the re-blog on Saudi Arabia and ISIS, here’s an analysis from someone with good knowledge of and well-informed contacts in the region…

Walid Shobat:

This ex-radical PLO militant, now a Christian (see bio), brings an interesting viewpoint on the identity of ‘The Whore of Babylon’ as being connected with Saudi Arabia.

Writing about Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s entrance to announce his intentions in the grand mosque in Mosul on 29th June, Walid notes that, ‘Everything, statements, attire, setting and message comes from the Inaugural address to the first Muslim Caliph Abu Bakr and is why Al-Baghdadi chose the name Abu Bakr and even used the same statements of the historic Abu Bakr:

In analysing the recent event, he goes on to state that Saudi Arabia knows it is this man’s main target and Walid offers this scriptural opinion:

‘The Harlot of Babylon, Saudi Arabia is realizing finally that funding the Syrian revolution created a curse, that the same Jihdist fighters in Syria are now about to terrorize Arabia – the nation that allowed the Islamist boogeyman (sic) out of the box is now trying to shove it back in. After all it was Arabia—which Islam emanates from and its harlot religion is spread throughout the entire region. It was Arabia which produced Muhammad, Arabia’s prophet.

‘From a prophetic perspective, we see the impending destruction of Saudi Arabia. The kings stagger in their vomit as a drunkard not knowing what to do. Shoebat.com takes the position that Revelation 17 referenced Arabia as a prostitute “Whore of Babylon”.’

His full analysis in New Muslim Caliph’s eyes are on destruction of Saudi Arabia, relates how the highest authority in Islam, The Haditha, discusses the Ka’ba in Mecca as Babel “The Gate to God”, which is its Arabic term. He claims it’s also depicted as a woman!

This is explained further in ISIS vowed to destroy Mecca along with photographs from which we can see better how that centre of Mohammedanism may be regarded as a Babylon.

Another important aspect for understanding what’s happening and likely to come next is Islamic disagreement over recognition of this caliphate through strong opposition from the Muslim Brotherhood. And all of this centers around Turkey.

In Top Muslim scholar says Caliphate in Iraq is VOID because it doesn’t fit the Ottoman model, Walid reveals this scholar is none other than the MB’s spiritual leader, Sheikh Yususf al-Qaradawi. After quoting his words, Walid reminds his readers:

‘The Turkish based Ottoman Empire is something the Western media and leaders simply refuse to call attention to. Perhaps more noteworthy than al-Baghdadi’s declaration or even al-Qaradawi’s rebuke of that declaration is the admission by al-Qaradawi that the Muslim Brotherhood desires its resurrection. (Emphasis added)

‘This is something we have been maintaining for decades now. Once one understands how prominent al-Qaradawi is within the Muslim Brotherhood, it’s much easier to see what the group’s plans are…’

In Only Turkey can establish the Caliphate, he outlines the reasons for this:

‘As we stated previously, The Caliph must (be) Sufi Muslim, someone who will succeed in reviving the Ottoman glory days, unite Sunni and Shiite and only Turkey has such a model and a major regional presence with significant global standing and respect. The Iraqi model of the Caliphate has set the stage for a Caliphate competition. This is why Al-Qaradawi finally had to declare what he declared.

‘In Istanbul, Turkey a Caliphate nostalgia for the Ottoman Empire has been on the rise as of late. The Ottoman Sultan’s seal can be found on T-shirts, advertisements, and jewelry everywhere in its old imperial capital of Istanbul. More alarmingly, the jihadists of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) are now proclaiming a new Islamic caliphate in former Ottoman provinces.

‘As we have always stated, Turkey and Iran will unite, soon.’

Walid then considers how this may affect Egypt and relates it all to Biblical prophecy. That is, major developments in the Gog-Magog alliance prophesied by Ezekiel.

It is noteworthy this ex-PLO activist’s insights tally with Mark Davidson’s analysis based upon in-depth news reports in Parallels to 1914 Europe. Readers especially interested in the prophetic will find Mark offers fresh food for thought at The Four Signposts.

Daniel Pipes:

Let’s consider the opinion of a secular expert on Turkey, who warned in advance of the 9/11 attacks. In Turkish Support for ISIS Daniel Pipes states,

‘The battle in Iraq consists of “Turkish-backed Sunni jihadis rebelling against an Iranian-backed Shi’ite-oriented central government,” (as) I wrote in a recent article.

‘Some readers question that the Republic of Turkey has supported the “Islamic State in Iraq and Syria,” the main Sunni group fighting in Iraq. They point to ISIS attacks on Turkish interests, within Turkey, along its border with Syria, and in Mosul and a successful recent meeting of the Turkish and Iranian presidents. Good points, but they can be explained….’

He presents several substantiations and concludes,

‘Turkish leaders are finding Syria a double quagmire, what with Assad still in power and the Kurdish entity growing stronger. In reaction, they have cooperated with even the most extreme, retrograde and vicious elements, such as ISIS. But this support opened a second front in Iraq which, in turn, brings the clash of the Middle East’s two titans, Turkey and Iran, closer to realization.’ (Emphasis added)

The version of that article published in Washington Times used the title: “Turkey’s support for ISIS Islamist terrorists. Aiding jihadists could put Ankara at odds with Iran”. Daniel offers nine more proofs that AKP government of Prime Minister Erdoğan stands behind the rise of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria in an updated article.

(Note: Faced with threats, Mr Pipes issued an apology under duress in the Washington Times.)

Not withstanding the present bombardment and defensive action against Hamas by Israel, Daniel also reflects upon Benjamin Netanyahu’s important speech to a security institute. He too refers to the Sykes-Picot secret agreement and notes four great challenges posed by Islamic fanaticism; border protection, stability west of the Jordan River, building regional cooperation and especially to prevent Iran becoming a nuclear threshold state. (See Netanyahu’s Steady Hand).

Daniel admiringly concludes:

‘Going back to 1999, I have often criticized Netanyahu but the excellent analysis in this speech suggests a steady hand at the helm. (Secondly) All the more important to have an American ally that understands security concerns when the Obama administration is clueless.’

‘[Update: A number of readers have protested my describing the Obama administration as “clueless,” insisting that it is malign more than ignorant or incompetent. But this misunderstands what I meant by clueless: I meant mistaken, wrong-headed, foolish, ineffectual; I did not mean to ascribe reasons, whether malign or incapable.]‘

Conclusion

In my opinion, we may be about to witness major upheavals that will affect not only the ancient world’s centres of civilisation but also the modern world’s global petro-economy.

Furthermore, Walid Shoebat’s conclusion is most telling:

As Shoebat.com first reported, al-Qaradawi espouses the Sunni version of taqiyya [religiously directed deception.RB], otherwise known as Muruna. He has written extensively on the subject and until westerners understand this technique, they will fail to understand their enemies.

So, we should expect Turkey and Iran to be at loggerheads, even at war, but behind the scenes they will become allied against Israel and all non-Moslems, thereby manifesting the Ezekiel 37 ‘alliance’ of Gog and Magog.

Keep looking up for, “our redemption draws nigh”.

Parallels to 1914 Europe: Is the Second Horseman About to Ride?

Posted on Tuesday, 8 July, 2014 by Richard Barker

Since the 5th anniversary reprint of The End-Game Is Now In Play my blogging has mainly been upon prophetical developments for the UK, but I’ve continued to keep a ‘weather-eye’ on news from the Middle-East, especially via DebkaFile. Therefore, I’m pleased to re-blog this analysis by Mark Davidson of the prophetical implications of the buried news about Saudi Arabia’s involvement in the war in Iraq. Mark interprets biblical prophecy from a novel, and perhaps more insightful, perspective than the predominant, mainstream one. The ensuing discussion is good reading too.

THE FOUR SIGNPOSTS

If you are familiar with the geopolitical situation as it was in Europe back in July 1914 one could say that there are parallels to the situation in the Middle East right now. Both situations involve several countries in chains of complicated alliances. One major difference though, is that the winds of war in Europe were fanned by nationalism and today in the Middle East it is fanned by sectarian zeal.

In Europe in 1914 one country after another in a chain reaction declared sides and mobilized its armed forces. So we are starting to see the same thing in the Middle East today.

DEBKAfile reports a very disturbing set of developments in the last day or so. As I followed the story I wondered if other news agencies were reporting the same thing, and CNN confirms it.

The DEBKAfile site reports that King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia…

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My King is Coming

Posted on Monday, 3 March, 2014 by Richard Barker

Maranatha! Thank you so much Deborah Ann for this, which you published on the same day as the word from ‘Lion Bites’ about the King cleansing us.

CHRISTian poetry ~ by deborah ann

My King is coming,
He will soon be here
I cannot wait
for Him to near.

He will reign,
upon His throne
the world’s sins
He’ll not condone.

He will take over,
be in complete control
the universe is His
as well as every soul.

There will be peace,
the drying of tears
no longer Satan
will we have to fear.

The father of lies,
will be cast into hell
and his followers
with him will dwell.

But for those of us,
who sins are forgiven
with Jesus we will be
in a new earth and heaven.

My King is coming,
all things will be new
and He wants to be
your King too!

~~~~~~~~~~~

Revelation 21:1
King James Version

“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth:
for the first heaven and the first earth
were passed away; and there was no more sea.”

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5 years ago today: “The End-Game Is Now In Play”

Posted on Friday, 28 February, 2014 by Richard Barker

A lot’s happened in the 5 years since I started writing to friends on 28th February 2009 about current events prophesied in the Bible. The first email opened by explaining my grounds for doing so.:

“Last year, I encountered two conflicting claims about Jesus’ explanation of the parable on the end-time harvest of wheat and tares (Matt 13:36). So I went to check scripture but upon opening my Bible a deep excitement exploded within as I heard,

“This is ALL about to be fulfilled!”

WOW! Hence, my previous remarks about a sifting of the Church – in preparation for a rapid ‘sHifting’?”

My contacts had already been established over the previous year. As they were all familiar with scripture it wasn’t always necessary for me to quote or explain meanings. However, with that change in direction upon my hearing direct from the Lord it was opportune to stress the associated scripture, as follows.:

“Jesus urged His disciples to look out for and observe signs of the times. Regarding their questions about His return at the end of this Age, the earliest Gospel account has Jesus stressing 7 times, “Watch…be alert…on your guard“ (Mark 13). Matthew 24 reports Jesus saying 4 times, “Watch…and when you see…” followed by the parables of the burglar and of the virgins:> “Don’t be caught napping!” [Is the Church still asleep?] Luke’s account has, “Be always on the watch…” (ch21:36) and chpt 12 (NIV) has sections on watchfulness and interpreting the times. In each Gospel Jesus commands, “Learn the lesson of the fig tree…”. Also, the Apostles went on to give more indicators…”

Regular contacts had started over a controversial move of the Lord in 2008 in Lakeland, Florida. This had featured healing evangelist Todd Bentley, whose rather rough, logger background and highly unconventional ways generated a heated debate in Christian circles.

I believe the Lord used it to test which disciples are really committed to applying His command to “Love one another”, which is how “the world may know the Father sent me” (John 17:23). Perhaps this would sift out those who are not yet ready for the more demanding move into this ‘New Season’?

Funnily enough each player involved 5 years ago has also been in direct contact with me this week: ‘Revd’ Bill’ – PK Davis (ace teaching on Matt 13 above) – ‘LL’ in reference to TB and Lakeland !!

That first email of 2009 referred to the increasing politicised provocation against believers within the UK, as well as the surveillance against which a director of MI5 warned. We’re well aware of rapidly discriminatory actions against believers in the last 5 years. But abroad, real persecution and terrorism have rocketed in the Muslim world, being most critical in northern Nigeria. So we’ve had it comparatively easy in Britain, but British and American leaders show an atheistic disinterest and lack of compassion over this dire situation.

We’ve also seen the rapid development of anti-Semitism and the creation of the alliance of Middle-Eastern nations prophesied in Ezekiel 38. I’ve written increasingly on this under the descriptor ‘Ezekiel Alliance’, or Gog-Magog. As Zechariah prophesied about Jerusalem, there have been intensifying discussions and sabre-rattling; the latest being that Mahmoud Abbas erupted in a rage over US Secretary Kerry’s proposal for the Palestinian capital to be located not in Jerusalem but elsewhere! (See Zech 12 and Israel Today report.)

That email read as follows:

The End-Game is Now In Play

Dear Friends – further to Rev’d Bill’s recent request re Christian Freedom, may I offer some observations upon our times and, in another message, suggest a way forward?

[Next 2 paragraphs as quoted in blue text above]

So, let’s watch closely what’s happening here and globally. When I’m by a newstand it’s noticeable that the Daily Telegraph is the only paper to headline matters of Christian concern – several within a fortnight recently. Eg. on 6 Feb it broke the news of Nurse Caroline Petrie’s suspension for offering to pray for a patient with front page headline ‘NHS staff face sack if they discuss religion’. We took exception to this and wrote to N.Somerset PCT saying we were glad their policy wasn’t in effect 3 years ago when Nina was fighting for her life! (I explained it was only because the night-duty nurse prayed that her throat immediately opened and she became peaceful, as shown on her monitor’s read-out.) So, we’re pleased to learn Caroline has been allowed to return to work, but I’m challenging the PCT’s ‘equality’ stance.

However, this is just one instance of the growing persecution of believers, principally through a policy supposedly promoting toleration but that’s now a tyrannical tool of intolerance – Equality & Diversity. There are other powers of suppression. Even the previous director of MI5 warns about UK sleep-walking into a police state (‘Abject nonsense’ responded a gov’t minister who lives on another planet). Rampant lawlessness now exists not only in society but also within legal authorities – laws not approved by Parliament – ‘snoop and snitch’ culture – correction punished and evil behaviour rewarded – ID cards and routine interception of email and phones – etc etc. Clearly, Banking isn’t the only thoroughly corrupt UK institution.//Let us, however, keep our eyes fixed on Jesus as we await the blessed hope of His glorious appearing.

May the Lord bless you and keep you and yours,

This continued in an associated 2nd email, as here.

RESTORATION – today’s stunning Word from the Lord

Posted on Saturday, 8 February, 2014 by Richard Barker

Restoration per ICEJ – VG

To follow rabbi, Sharon, Gabriel on Jesus as Ko’Jews

NB: this post got published as above days in advance of eventual full publication. So please ignore that brief title and ‘garbled’ text. Those were prompts in draft to remind me what/when I was to write – but as I slept it got published and emailed to subscribers as shown above! (Apologies if you’ve already seen it and were unable to access before this rewrite.)

Yet Daryl Stewart of Rio Vista liked it just as that single ‘coded’ sentence!

But his ‘Like’ completely upset plans for my Saturday! My following note left on his blog may explain – AND ONLY NOW in getting that inserted link have I noticed what already heads his blog for today and how it directly relates to what’s happened in the last 4 hours. (That is, it was totally unknown to me – what an awesome way our Lord works.)

This is my note inserted on his blog:

Hi Daryl and this is to thank you…especially for your prophetic appreciation of an item for publication – ie. IN ADVANCE 🙂 BUT it should NOT have been seen!

I don’t know how a quick draft done with abbreviated title and short text of names got on the blog. (I rarely edit by phone but WP’s been upgraded.) It was to remind me to follow up thoughts on the passing of PM Sharon and a couple of prophecies with an excellent piece from Jerusalem on restoration. Yet nothing surprises me any longer…

I was just about to continue with ‘…in my blogging and where the Lord’s pointing me.’ and close by giving you a link to the original item WHEN the doorbell rang downstairs. Postman Tony had a small packet that wouldn’t go through our letterbox, and with it was an envelope from ICEJ.

I knew I had to open it rather than go back to the study/den and finish off this note – IT HAS THE SAME TITLE AND IMAGE AS WHAT I INTENDED BLOGGING ABOUT LATE NEXT WEEK. I just couldn’t stop laughing and as my wife’s at weekend retreat I phoned an elder to relate what’s happened and how it fits into other events of the last 12 hours on my last item and what’s to follow.

My plans were to publish 4 other things in the pipeline first but I guess this matter now comes first – what God has to say has put my plans for the day in total disarray – fantastic, praise you Lord.

Trust this doesn’t ‘blow your mind’ my friend! As it must be for you too, you deserve an advance ‘peep’ at this excellent item > http://int.icej.org/content/word-jerusalem-city-peace-episode-2?

Click on link to ‘More about Restoration’ (for excellent article I was going to re-post).

Now it’s 10am I’d better get on with my late breakfast and shower, which is normally done at 9am on Sat, BEFORE getting Koenig’s Eye View from White House and scanning emails – yours was at the top and has totally changed my day!!!

Just thought you’d like to know – what an immense laugh, and hope it all makes some sort of sense 🙂

Be mightily blessed and many thanks once again…

Here’s a copy of the magazine’s cover that the postman brought. It should facilitate an appreciation of the extraordinary connection with my intended post on Restoration, the note to Daryl and the ICEJ video link.

Therefore, it must certainly be something the Lord wishes us to read and comprehend of His restorative plans for the world, the Middle East and the New Season for the Church.

To read the full text of ICEJ leader Dr Jurgen Buhler’s excellent article, click Restoration. For ICEJ website click on this image >>

So, what God has to say put my plans for the day in total disarray!

I’m reminded of 2 Chronicles 16:9…

For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.

Selah

Turkey and Iran – a conflict of interest?

Posted on Friday, 31 January, 2014 by Richard Barker

According to Reuter’s report of Wednesday, a mutual concern over the rise of al Qaeda in Syria (and Iraq) spurred hopes for this week’s Turkish-Iranian rapprochement.

But couldn’t that claim be ‘dis-information’? Al Qaeda is Sunni Muslim whereas the mullahs running Iran are Shiite and Turkey is a secular Islamic state, although PM Erdogan favours Islamist extremism.

And let’s not forget that even at the height of the Iran-Iraq war between adherents of those two opposing forms of Islam, elite units stopped fighting one another to rehearse the storming of Jerusalem! (See The Invisible Hand Re-appears.)

I’d humbly suggest, therefore, those facts should be kept in mind when considering today’s news of Al Qaeda bases operating openly in Turkey, as reported by Israel’s military intelligence chief. DebkaFile opens its ‘Special Report’ as follows:

Al Qaeda has set up its first bases in a NATO member-country. Wednesday, Jan. 29, the day Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan sat down in Tehran with President Hassan Rouhani, Israel’s military intelligence chief Maj. Gen. Avivi Kochavi revealed that Al Qaeda adherents fighting in Syria had established their first training facilities in Turkey…

The strong impression gained from Kochavi’s briefing was that Turkey is not just home to three al Qaeda training facilities and bases, but that its borders are left open for them to cross in from neighboring countries…

In reading the Intel Chief’s 5-point summary, it’s interesting to note the first refers to the PM’s agenda for “linking the two non-Arab Muslim nations in a new strategic alliance for regional domination” – emphasis mine. This fits the Gog-Magog coalition prophesied in Ezekiel 38.

Also, he stressed that both nations permit, even provide a springboard for, al Qaeda to conduct terrorist operations. Therefore, “Neither of the two new allies…would have any qualms about using al Qaeda terrorism to promote their agendas.”.

His other points on Palestinians and Iran, fallout from the US-Iran nuclear accord and vulnerability of Europe from attack via a fellow NATO member, are well worth noting.

It’s no wonder Chuck Missler’s Strategic Trends analysis refers to this modern-day alliance as ”The Treacherous Trio of Ezekiel 38″ !

On the significance of Turkey’s turn-around

Posted on Thursday, 30 January, 2014 by Richard Barker

Yesterday’s news and announcement on this blog merits a brief explanation. As an ‘alert’, it was dashed off because I was about to close down for dinner but decided to quickly check ‘before-the-media’ news.

In fact, my short window on-line yesterday went in congratulating a friend on his political blog’s news. I mentioned that prophetic material in Ezekiel 38 is increasingly relevant. (As already disclosed, that topic had cropped up in my afternoon meeting.) Hence, my astonishment at reading the news from Debka – I was amazed that what I’d spoken of and referred to in writing had become news on that day!!

Why is this news of Turkey’s prime minster turning against Washington important?

If not the first, Tayyip Erdogan was one of the foreign leaders whom Barack Obama called very soon after taking office. After attending the G20 Summit in London, then with NATO in Strasburg and with the EU in Prague, President Obama went to Istanbul and Ankara on 7th April 2009, “to send a message to the world” (per White House transcript). In making a major speech to the Turkish Parliament on the Middle East, Obama wooed Turkey as “a critical ally”. [Is it a coincidence that Turkey soon moved from being a military ally of Israel to exhibiting great hostility, doubtless encouraged by POTUS’ own inclinations? – see Rewind re. Turkey.]

Two Arabic stations carried Obama’s speech live and Associated Press reported:

Making his first visit to a Muslim nation as president and calling for a greater partnership with the Islamic world in an address to the Turkish parliament, Obama called the country an important U.S. ally in many areas, including the fight against terrorism. He devoted much of his speech to urging a greater bond between Americans and Muslims, portraying terrorist groups such as al Qaida as extremists who did not represent the vast majority of Muslims.

“Let me say this as clearly as I can,” Obama said. “The United States is not and never will be at war with Islam. In fact, our partnership with the Muslim world is critical … in rolling back a fringe ideology that people of all faiths reject.

[Emphases Koenig’s Eye View From The White House, April 9th 2009]

But Bill Koenig, White House journalist, made this prophetically accurate observation:

This will be an incentive for the enemies of the United States to keep going, believing the U.S. has no fortitude to fight, and that they are winning. [Bang on! Emphasis mine]

It was Obama’s opening salvo in moving the goal-posts and he developed his earlier claims during the tour that the US and Europe must change its attitude to the Muslim world. [From thence he went on to cause consternation in bowing to King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia.]

Two months later, the broadside fired in his Cairo speech made his lack of historical and political accuracy abundantly clear to informed observers. In encouraging a move towards principles of western democracy and welcoming the Muslim Brotherhood he sent an even clearer signal that American policy was now taking an about-turn.

The rest is history and confirms the bankruptcy of American foreign policy with the consequential geo-strategic re-alignment of the whole Middle-East. Iran has beaten the US hands down in nuclear negotiations and, after the fiasco over Egypt, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations can no longer trust Obama. Therefore, Russia is now taking advantage of the political vacuum in that region.

Therefore, after a close relationship with Prime Minister Erdogan from the outset of his presidency, the Turk’s turning away from Washington to Tehran is highly significant. This is especially so when we recall Turkey had major differences with Iran over Syria. [See Reuters’ article below for detailed update.]

OR, could Obama have instructed Erdogan to make it up with Iran? Or even to get in so POTUS could have a personal ‘take’ on the Iranians? I wonder…

As prophesied over 2,500 years ago, these peoples are coming together, not in any loose confederation, but in a political and military alliance under Russian dominance!!

EXCEEDINGLY INTERESTING TIMES! The words of the Lord given to His prophet Ezekiel accurately forecasted modern political developments in the region around the tiny state of Israel.

How say you, my reader?

UPDATED 31 Jan: Turkey & Iran – conflict of interest?

Update on the ‘Ezekiel alliance’ – Turkey seeks to join Iran

Posted on Wednesday, 29 January, 2014 by Richard Barker

Last week it was the Palestinians, today it’s Turkey wanting to join Iran and Russia, as in the following Exclusive Report from DebkaFile:

“Turkey’s Tayyip Erdogan has snapped his links with Washington and rushed into Iran’s arms for direct action against US interests. He is spiting the Obama administration in the belief of a US plot to replace him with President Abdullah Gul and discredit him by corruption scandals implicating members of his family in sanctions-busting business with Iran through the state-owned Turkish Halkbank.”

Only this afternoon at church house group did I mention it’s only a matter of time for this next developmental phase in establishing the specific coalition of states, as prophesied in Ezekiel 38!!

Continued in On the significance of Turkey’s turn-around >>

Newsmix – on Palestinians – on Anglicans

Posted on Monday, 27 January, 2014 by Richard Barker

Seasoned watchers of today’s political fulfilment of Biblical prophecies will appreciate the following that came to my attention over the weekend. In spite of the increasing mayhem and madness, events seem to be progressing in accord with the Lord’s achieving His purposes. Headlines are mine not the media’s:

PALESTINIANS JOIN THE ‘EZEKIEL ALLIANCE-AXIS’

So-called ‘peace talks’ being engineered by the US Secretary of State Kerry’s almost manic shuttle-negotiations have always been regarded as doomed to failure by well-informed watchers, especially in the light of America’s abysmal loss of credibility. In Friday’s exclusive report Palestinian leader turns to Putin for Palestinian State etc., DEBKAfile concludes with a most telling insight as follows (emphases mine):

‘…Moscow has already proved it can get away with busting international sanctions by concluding a $1.5 bn contract with Tehran for the purchase of half a million barrels of Iranian oil a day, without incurring a word of complaint from Washington.

‘Two weeks later, Putin and Abbas have acted together to wreck a painstaking US diplomatic initiative actively partnered by Israel for a negotiated peace accord with the Palestinians. They have left John Kerry and Binyamin Netanyahu holding an empty shell. Nabil Shaath, a Palestinian Fatah veteran, could not have put the situation more bluntly when he said Thursday night that it was time to “end the American monopoly on peacemaking, after Washington had proved incapable of imposing agreements on Israel.”

‘Russian tactics for Syria and Iran had proved effective, he said, and there was no reason why Moscow could not perform the same function on the Israeli-Palestinian track. The Palestinians have clearly opted to follow the examples of other Middle East leaders, ranging from Iran… Syria… Saudi… Egyptian… in making tracks, overtly or covertly, to Moscow. They are opening the door for Russia to fill the void left by American disengagement from region under the Obama administration.’

In the light of rapidly changing geo-strategic influences across the whole Middle-East, who may now dare disbelieve the Word of the Living Lord God to his prophets? For example, consider what he delivered through Ezekiel about that anti-Israel coalition under the words addressed to Gog and Magog (Ezekiel 38 refers), which I write about as The Ezekiel Alliance/Axis. The latter may be the better description and should you desire some background information read Koinonia Institute’s Strategic Tends Update, The Treacherous Trio of Ezekiel 38 – Part 1 (Turkey) – Part 2 (Iran) – Part 3 (Russia). Although published some years ago, these briefings provide useful insights.

Also, Daniel Pipes has recently written about Iran gaining a foothold on the Arabian Peninsula in National Review Online.

BLOGGER URGES ANGLICANS TO ‘WAKE UP!’

Out of his deep interest and concern for the Church of England Gillan Scott has written a solid consideration upon growth in that denomination. Its content has generated quite a debate and so I recommend those readers who took an interest in my recent remarks on apostasy within the Anglican church to take time to peruse The Church of England still needs to wake up and smell the coffee over church growth.

Update on the ‘Ezekiel Alliance’

Posted on Thursday, 21 November, 2013 by Richard Barker

World Watch Daily has a couple of leading headlines that could have been taken from 38th chapter of the prophetical book of Ezekiel. Quoting from Jerusalem Post, the lead headline says it all:

Netanyahu, Putin sharply divided over Iran nuclear deal

The article opens: ‘Significant divisions over Iran were on clear display in the Kremlin on Wednesday as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin issued statements after nearly two hours of meetings…’ (Photo below June 2012)

The second headline from William Koenig’s team in The White House quotes The Tmes of Israel and opens as shown below:

France says Iran comments on Israel complicate nuke talks

‘Ayatollah calls Israel ‘rabid dog,’ drawing harsh response from Paris as new round of negotiations begin. The French government spokeswoman says President Francois Hollande believes comments by Iran’s supreme leader about Israel are “unacceptable” and complicate talks between world powers and the Islamic regime over its nuclear program…’

Developments

Further to last Thursday’s post about US appeasement of Iran in Geneva (here), the following links bring detailed news and opinion on developments:

Special Report Tuesday states four new Iranian conditions may block nuclear accord and reveals (emphases added),

…That the radicals are calling the shots in Tehran was obvious to every Iranian from the large blow-ups of the intransigent ex-president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad adorning Tehran newspapers in the last couple of days. President Hassan Rouhani may be elected president, but his campaign of smiles to the West has been superseded by the radical nuclear line espoused by the man he defeated at the polls. Ahmadinejad is riding high again in Tehran.

According to Debkafile there’s, ‘a strange paradox of two leaders, Ayatollah Khamenei and Prime Minister Netanyahu, who are implacable adversaries in all else, maneuvering (sic) with all their might for the same object of taking the wind out of the sails of a potential nuclear deal between the six powers and Iran.
‘Khamenei is confident he can bring President Obama to heel and force him to live with key elements of Iran’s nuclear bomb program. Israel wants that program brought a lot closer to its dismantlement by tougher sanctions. He is seconded in this demand by France in public statements by its president Francois Hollande, and Saudi Arabia, which prefers not to admit to supporting the Israeli campaign….’

Their latest Exclusive Report claims that today,

The Iranian negotiators face the delegations of six world powers in Geneva Thursday, Nov. 21, with strict orders not to give ground on the two major sticking points holding up a first-step deal on their nuclear program: The heavy water reactor under construction at Arak for producing plutonium and Iran’s “right” to uranium enrichment. If Iran gains those two points, whatever concessions its negotiators may come up with are worthless, because they will leave Tehran in possession of two optional nuclear weaponizing tracks instead of one – plutonium as well as enriched uranium.

Debka states Tehran is fighting tooth and nail for Six-Power acknowledgement of its “right to enrich uranium” so Iran can come away with a “historic feat”. This will show the Iranian people that economic hardship suffered under economic sanctions was worth while.

BUT, existing infrastructure would enable Iran to top-up enriched uranium stockpiles to the amount needed for five nuclear bombs in less than 4 weeks! AND a second option of plutonium would also be available when the Arak reactor is finished! Can the Iranians be trusted? Debka then asks,

…what compromise can be expected when Washington failed to challenge Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s avowal on Day One of the Geneva talks that Iran will not step back “one iota” from its nuclear rights, and his grotesquely barbaric rant against Israel as “the roguish, filthy, rabid dog of the region,” whose regime is “doomed to extinction?”

This degraded language, not heard since the Nazi German era, informed the Obama administration in the harshest terms that for the sake of a deal, Iran will not give an inch under pressure, whether from economic sanctions or from Israel and parts of the American Jewish leadership.

Debka states, ‘Khamenei also blasted US government as unworthy of trust. If…Obama was serious in his often repeated commitment to Israel’s security, he ought to have protested in some way against Khamenei’s unspeakable rhetoric, possibly even delaying the proceedings before they started their second day in Geneva. But the Iranian leader apparently got away with it, judging from the Obama administration’s mild response…’

How peculiar that not only Iran’s tip leader, but also those of Israel, Saudi Arabia and Egypt (and more) are all in agreement about the superpower that was, for decades, top-dog in the Middle East? What’s the reason for this change? Could it be because America’s leaders have rejected the God and Jesus Christ, as their president did in his first inauguration by declaring the USA has never been a Christian nation (as here).

I recommend my readers use the above links to learn the rationale behind these claims. It reminds me of the great heavenly conflict with the demonic ‘Prince of Persia’, of which the prophet Daniel was informed by angelic messenger during deep intercession. (See Daniel 10:12, courtesy BibleGateway.com)

Conclusion

These serious matters are simply one demonstration of the Bible’s complete relevance for today. That is, it accurately forewarns of this dangerous situation for the Middle East and world peace.

Billy Graham: “It’s time to take the news (and) Bible and watch…”

Posted on Tuesday, 22 October, 2013 by Richard Barker

At almost 95 years of age, Billy Graham writes in The Reason for My Hope: Salvation

It’s a time to take the news of the day in one hand and the Bible in the other and watch the unfolding of the great drama of the ages come together.

This is an exciting and thrilling time to be alive…I would not want to live in any other period. (emphasis added)

The Apocalypse (the unveiling of the end times) speaks powerfully of trouble ahead with storm warnings that carrying a booming jolt of truth. The warning is clear: prepare to meet thy God – followed by the voice of the gentle Shepherd – “Come.”

A new world is coming, Graham writes. The paradise that humanity lost in the Garden of Eden will be regained. Christ is coming to conquer evil and establish his perfect rule over all creation,

But until then God wants to give everyone an opportunity to know Christ through repentance and faith…Regardless of what society says, we can’t go on much longer in the sea of immorality without judgment coming. We are at a crossroads, and there are profound moral issues at stake. It is time to return to Biblical truth.

Troy Anderson, who wrote the preceding, states Billy Graham has preached to more people – 2.2 billion – than any Protestant in history and who has appeared on Gallup’s list of the most admired men in the world 56 times since 1955, more than any other individual in the world.

How are these quotations from the evangelist’s newly published book relevant to End-times? Anderson as editor-in-chief of World Prophecy Network elaborates under this header.:

Famed evangelist sees signs ‘converging now for the 1st time’

“Just as Noah did in ancient times, world-renowned evangelist Billy Graham is sounding the alarm that the Second Coming is “near” and signs of the end of the age are “converging now for the first time since Jesus made those predictions.”

“Earlier this month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the United Nations General Assembly “Biblical prophecies are being realized”.

“And last week, Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., claimed the world has entered the last days.

“When you see up is down and right is wrong, when this is happening, we were told this: that these days would be as the days of Noah,” Bachmann said.

“The remarks by Graham, Netanyahu and Bachmann come amid a steadily rising wave of public interest in the end times, as demonstrated by recent polls and New York Times and Amazon.com bestselling books such as The Harbinger: The Ancient Mystery That Holds the Secret of America’s Future by Rabbi Jonathan Cahn, and Four Blood Moons: Something is About to Change by Pastor John Hagee…”

He quotes an author I respect as a prophecy expert, Paul Maguire,

I think we’re on the verge of a global awakening in interest in apocalyptic events.

I see a fuse being lit here, between what Billy Graham, Michele Bachman and Benjamin Netanyahu said, and I think there is going to be an explosion of interest in the end times like nothing we’ve ever seen before.

Anderson’s informative article continues under the following headers:

Watching the signs
Acceleration
Blood moons
Haven’t we heard this before?

You can read his full article in Billy Graham Sounds Alarm for 2nd Coming.

Paws-4-thought: on the ‘snatching up’ of believers

Posted on Friday, 18 October, 2013 by Richard Barker

More nourishing morsels to munch in this repost from T.E. Hanna, which is apposite in view of my previous post’s reference to apostasy. If you’re unsure of that connection, check the insights Holy Spirit gave to Apostle Paul on the return of Jesus, as outlined in his two, brief letters to the Thessalonian church (here).

I like his following title’s pun as it refers to the popular Left Behind stories by Tim La Haye. The premise for the whole series was based upon the Pre-Tribulation Rapture, the concept of which, in my opinion, seems to be a particularly American fad. So I greatly appreciate T.E.’s unwrapping of the subject and helpful answers to good questions raised by readers, especially the inclusion of the parable of wheat and tares in the whole scenario.

So enjoy and be mightily blessed…

WHAT THE DOCTRINE OF THE RAPTURE HAS REALLY LEFT BEHIND

This month marks the two year anniversary of Harold Camping’s prediction of when the rapture was to take place. In preparation for that great ascension into the sky, countless numbers of people quit their jobs, sold everything they had, and took to the streets to proclaim the coming day of Christ. The date was set for October 21, 2011, and they wanted to sound the trumpet so that nobody was “left behind”.

On October 22, they woke up to find themselves and their families left destitute, without any savings or means of income, with their shoes still treading the soil of our world. The rapture had not taken place.

Harold Camping was not the first to predict the date of the rapture. In fact, October 21 was not even his first prediction. He had predicted it to happen earlier that same year, on May 21, and before that he had declared September 6, 1994 to be the correct date. Before Camping, there were multiple predictions for 1993, allowing for a seven year tribulation before the glorious appearing in the year 2000. Prior to this, Edgar Whisenant had issued predictions for 1988, 1989, 1992 and 1995. Chuck Smith had predicted 1981, while the Jehovah’s Witnesses predicted 1914, 1918, and 1925.

Perhaps the most impactful prediction, however, was issued by the Baptist preacher William Miller and further popularized by the preaching of Samuel Snow. While Miller asserted 1844 as the year in which Christ would return to rapture His church, Snow narrowed the date to October 22. Much like Camping, the result of this popular prophecy led to a movement whereby his ever-growing following yielded all of their earthly possessions and sat waiting with joyous expectation for the heavens to rend and the Messiah to summon His beloved. So great was the cry that arose on the day to follow that October 22, 1844 became lodged within the annals of Christian history known only as the Great Disappointment.

As best as I can tell, the Great Disappointment was the first prediction of the rapture in Christian history, which is (on the surface at least) a strange event for a faith previously spanning a full 1800 years of history. Even more strange is how common subsequent predictions became. One would expect that, given the mystical history of Christianity, we would see proclamations of the impending rapture long before the nineteenth century. One would expect this, to be sure, until one began to study the doctrine itself. Then, the strange lack of prophetic utterance suddenly makes sense.

Before the nineteenth century, the doctrine of the rapture simply did not exist.

What Lies Behind The Rapture

The church has always looked forward with eager anticipation towards the return of Christ. Christian eschatology has long held that the world would come to be judged, the old things would pass away, the Kingdom of God would manifest in its fullness, and we would celebrate our eternal presence in the midst of the new heavens and the new earth. Heaven would come down as the New Jerusalem, and all things would be made right once more. This has always been a singular event.

Not until the 19th century did we see the return of the King split into two events. At this point, a theologian by the name of John Darby theorized that there were actually two occurrences foretold in scripture: the day of Christ, and the day of the Lord. The former consisted of Christ’s return to gather up His faithful; the latter referred to Christ’s return to judge the world. For the first time in Christian history, Jesus was taught to return not once, but twice.

Another theologian by the name of C. I. Scofield grabbed hold of this idea and ran with it. Around this time, Scofield published the first publicly available “study bible” in history. This consisted of a bible translation with explanatory notes in the bottom half of the printed book, and it became immensely popular. The resulting “Scofield’s Bible” quickly spread throughout the Christian culture, and with it came the rise of Dispensationalism. Dispensationalism not only gave us the doctrine of the rapture, it gave us a new view on our world as well.

What The Rapture Has Left Behind

The appearance of the rapture, within Dispensationalist theology, is foreshadowed by the continuing collapse of our world into sin and destruction. The closer we come to that glorious summoning, the darker and more corrupt our world will get. It is within this understanding that we often refer to “the signs of the times”, usually followed by pointing to some great ethical violation that our culture lauds as virtue. Dispensationalism places the human experience in the midst of a worldly trajectory towards oblivion, identifying ourselves as a remnant of God’s people who are clinging fast to the cross in the hope of persisting until the reinforcements arrive.

In contrast to this, the overarching narrative of scripture does not speak of God abandoning His creation to ever-deepening destruction. The trajectory of scripture is a positive one, one that speaks of a God who is intimately involved with His children, whose Spirit still broods over the waters as He did in the opening pages of Genesis. This is a God who enters into the fullness of the human experience in the incarnation, who proclaims a Kingdom of God that is at hand, who sends forth His children to be emissaries that bring restoration and healing to a world that is suffering and broken. This is about a world that is continuing to get better, not worse.

This is what the rapture ultimately leaves behind: that we are active participants in God’s manifesting Kingdom, agents of mercy who are called into His work and through whom the world is being transformed. This is the image we see in John’s Revelation; not that our world is swallowed up in darkness so that God creates it anew, but that the New Jerusalem descends into our midst, that the Kingdom of God is overthrowing the enemy’s earthly rule, that the glorious creation which He so lovingly fashioned in the opening pages of scripture is one that He is at work restoring.

Yes, there will come the day when the trumpet shall sound and Christ shall judge the living and the dead, separating us into our chosen kingdoms. Yes, we will still face trial and strife and tribulation as we live out our lives in the brokenness of our world. Yes, the King will return for His citizens.

But the glorious hope to which we cling is not a distant one, it is immediate. It impacts our lives in this moment. We are not simply holding fast to the anchor of our soul and waiting for our lives to run out or for Christ to return. The Kingdom is coming, even now, even here. Our hope is for this world, and it leaps from here into eternity.

Many thanks TE for such an excellent, succinct summary which puts the unorthodox pre-trib rapture into its proper perspective.

I strongly recommend the ensuing interesting discussion on Of Dust and Kings – click on link and scroll to foot of TE’s original post.

More in-depth consideration may be found on Your True Christian Journey in::

THIRD SEAL OF REVELATION HAPPENING NOW

Posted on Saturday, 12 October, 2013 by Richard Barker

My friend’s hit a thought-provoking indicator, which I’d heard some time ago in connection with the cause of the ‘Arab Spring’: ie. the inability of Tunisian and Egyptian poor to afford crippling wheat prices. These had escalated because of US demand for conversion of wheat to ethanol fuels!

My Passions

Habakkuk 2:2
[ The Just Live by Faith ] Then the Lord answered me and said: “Write the vision And make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it.

I’ve often pondered the seals of Revelation. I’ve studied and studied them over and over again to find what part of Revelation we are in (because we all know something is coming) and I think we can be pretty sure now where we are on God’s timeline based on something that is happening in Israel as we speak. Although this is a detail of the seals that many skip over because it hadn’t been revealed yet, it is my belief that this little detail was revealed to me (and probably others) the other night and this blog is to bring awareness to it. THIS IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW FOR THOSE OF YOU WATCHING.

I’m sure you will…

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Richard's Watch

Looking for the signs of Jesus' return

Category Archives: End-Times

Sealed up until the End of Time

Heaven Around Us, Heaven Within Us

Our inheritance

Arabs and Jews unite to agree only solution to conflict is Jesus Christ

The real reason for the Israel-Palestine issue and anti-Semitism

Exactly as prophesied: nations set on collision course with God

Urgent prophetic words about a cut-off date in God’s timeline

Plymouth Celebration points to prophetic promises

Contend for the Faith

Middle-East events and fulfilment of Bible prophecy – 1

Parallels to 1914 Europe: Is the Second Horseman About to Ride?

My King is Coming

5 years ago today: “The End-Game Is Now In Play”

Dear Friends – further to Rev’d Bill’s recent request re Christian Freedom, may I offer some observations upon our times and, in another message, suggest a way forward?

[Next 2 paragraphs as quoted in blue text above]

May the Lord bless you and keep you and yours,

RESTORATION – today’s stunning Word from the Lord

Turkey and Iran – a conflict of interest?

On the significance of Turkey’s turn-around

Update on the ‘Ezekiel alliance’ – Turkey seeks to join Iran

Newsmix – on Palestinians – on Anglicans

Update on the ‘Ezekiel Alliance’

Billy Graham: “It’s time to take the news (and) Bible and watch…”

Paws-4-thought: on the ‘snatching up’ of believers

What Lies Behind The Rapture

What The Rapture Has Left Behind

THIRD SEAL OF REVELATION HAPPENING NOW

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Our inheritance

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Contend for the Faith

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Dear Friends – further to Rev’d Bill’s recent request re Christian Freedom, may I offer some observations upon our times and, in another message, suggest a way forward?

[Next 2 paragraphs as quoted in blue text above]

May the Lord bless you and keep you and yours,

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What Lies Behind The Rapture

What The Rapture Has Left Behind

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