Damascus Will No Longer Be A City

In light of recent events in Syria and what appears to be a train out of control in regards to the U.S. and NATO forces’ involvement in the civil war there, I want to touch on the ancient Biblical prophecies of the total annihilation of Damascus in Isaiah 17 and Jeremiah 49.  If you are sitting on the fence at all about whether to believe the God of the Bible, events in the Middle East should be a boost to your confidence in the truth and validity of His reaching out to humanity through this book over the centuries.  We have heard, “Oh, it’s just a book written by a bunch of old geezers” but I declare to you that there is NO book on the face of the earth that has made predictions over and over and over again which have come to pass with such precision.  

 

If you are questioning whether Jesus Christ is who the Bible says He is (the historical record stands) then I strongly recommend that you study the prophetic accuracy of the Biblical testimony concerning nations rising and falling, leaders coming into power and being defeated, and God revealing Himself and dealing with Israel.  Everything that happens in the world, especially in these end times, must be looked at from the perspective of God’s ultimate solution to a world out of control due to man’s arrogance and fantastical idea that he can somehow bring world peace himself – He, Jesus Christ, will reign from Israel as King over the earth, which is the only way that true peace will ever come to pass.  He will, as the angel Gabriel declared to Mary in Luke 1:32 “...be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High.  The Lord God will give Him the throne of His ancestor David, and He will reign over Israel forever; His Kingdom will never end.”   

 

The Bible also declares in Isaiah 9:6-7 (a prophecy about Jesus Christ) that “the government shall be upon His shoulder” and that one of His exalted names is indeed, “Prince of Peace”.  Jesus is going to come back to this earth after a time of great war and suffering that has never been seen in the world to this date.  I urge you, now, to prepare your heart for the coming struggle, looking to Israel and the Middle East for confirmation of the truths contained in the Bible.  

  

Don’t let the lies that you have heard about God’s character prevent you from seeking His truth!  God is holy, righteous and good.  The suffering upon this earth is due to man’s rebellion against God’s sovereign right as Creator to guide our lives, which opened the door to sin’s effects; in other words, we gave our rights over to the one who hates God and His creation - Satan - to have his way in the earth and upon humanity.  The evil in this world is nothing more than the forces of darkness being given dominion for a time, but God will not allow this forever!  We, humanity, are born into a war in which we are caught up in the struggle between good and evil, yin and yang, whatever you want to call it.  Time is winding down to a battle that will end all battles, and Jesus will reign victorious.  Only then will peace come to Earth, and that peace will remain. 

  

You must investigate these things for yourself, honestly seeking God in it.  Pray while you check it out; pray for understanding; pray that God will give you the grace to hear His voice through the thousands of others which seek to distract.  Press in with determination to find answers to the most important question of your life:  Who is God and what does He want from me?

15 Signs That Obama Has Already Made The Decision To Go To War With Syria

By Michael Snyder, on August 25th, 2013

     

  The Obama administration seems absolutely determined to help radical Islamic jihadists that have beheaded Christians, that have massacred entire Christian villages, and that have pledged loyalty to al-Qaeda topple the Assad regime and take over Syria.  Yes, the Assad regime is horrible, but if these jihadist lunatics take control it will destabilize the entire region, make the prospect of a major regional war much more probable, and plunge the entire nation of Syria into a complete and utter nightmare.  It has been estimated that somewhere around 100,000 people have already been killed in the civil war in Syria, and now it looks like the U.S. military and the rest of NATO plan to become directly involved in the conflict.  The Obama administration is actually considering an attack on Syria even though the American people are overwhelmingly against it, Obama does not have Congressional approval to start a war, and he will never get approval for military action from the UN because it will be blocked by Russia.  This is setting up to become a colossal foreign policy disaster for the United States.
A potential war with Syria has been brought to the forefront because of a chemical weapons attack near Damascus last week that killed as many as 1,400 people.  The Obama administration and several other western nations are blaming this attack on the Assad regime.
But others are pointing out that it would make absolutely no sense for the Assad regime to do such a thing.  They appear to be winning the civil war, and Assad knows that Obama has previously said that the use of chemical weapons in Syria would be a "red line" for the United States.
So why would the Assad regime launch a brutal chemical weapons attack against women and children just miles from where UN inspectors were staying?
Why would Assad risk war with the United States and the rest of NATO?
Assad would have to be extremely stupid or extremely suicidal to do such a thing.
The ones that benefit from this chemical weapons attack are the jihadist rebels.  The odds of foreign intervention in the conflict just went way, way up.
We will probably never learn the real truth about who was actually behind that attack.  And even if it had not happened, the U.S. and the rest of NATO would have probably come up with another justification to go to war anyway.  They appear absolutely obsessed with getting rid of Assad, but they have not really thought through the consequences.
The following are 15 signs that Obama has already made the decision to go to war with Syria...
#1 Syria has agreed to allow UN officials to inspect the site of the recent chemical weapons attack that killed up to 1,400 people, but a "senior U.S. official" says that such an inspection would be "too late to be credible".
#2 According to ABC News, the White House is saying that there is "very little doubt" that the Assad regime was behind the deadly chemical weapons attack last week.
#3 Four U.S. warships with ballistic missiles are moving into position in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. If the command is given, they will be able to rain Tomahawk cruise missiles down on targets inside Syria within minutes...
U.S. defense officials told The Associated Press that the Navy had sent a fourth warship armed with ballistic missiles into the eastern Mediterranean Sea but without immediate orders for any missile launch into Syria.
U.S. Navy ships are capable of a variety of military actions, including launching Tomahawk cruise missiles, as they did against Libya in 2011 as part of an international action that led to the overthrow of the Libyan government.
#4 CBS News is reporting that "the Pentagon is making the initial preparations for a Cruise missile attack on Syrian government forces".
#5 On Saturday, Barack Obama met with his national security team to discuss what actions should be taken in Syria.
#6 U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel says that Barack Obama has asked him to "prepare options for all contingencies" as far as a conflict with Syria is concerned.
#7 After a phone conversation with British Prime Minister David Cameron about the situation in Syria, the White House announced that both leaders expressed "grave concern" about the chemical weapons attack that took place last week.
#8 Military commanders from the United States, Britain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, France, Italy and Canada are meeting in Amman, Jordan on Sunday to coordinate plans for upcoming attacks on Syria.
#9 According to France’s second largest newspaper, rebel forces that have been trained by the CIA have been pouring toward Damascus "since mid-August"...
According to our information, the regime's opponents, supervised by Jordanian, Israeli and American commandos moving towards Damascus since mid-August. This attack could explain the possible use of the Syrian president to chemical weapons.
According to information obtained by Le Figaro , the first trained in guerrilla warfare by the Americans in Jordan Syrian troops reportedly entered into action since mid-August in southern Syria, in the region of Deraa. A first group of 300 men, probably supported by Israeli and Jordanian commandos, as well as men of the CIA, had crossed the border on August 17. A second would have joined the 19. According to military sources, the Americans, who do not want to put troops on the Syrian soil or arming rebels in part controlled by radical Islamists form quietly for several months in a training camp set up at the border Jordanian- Syrian fighters ASL, the Free Syrian Army, handpicked.
#10 The U.S. military moved a significant number of F-16 fighter jets to Jordan earlier this year for military exercises, and kept them there afterward "at the request of the Jordanian government".
#11 According to a government document that Wikileaks released back in March 2012, NATO personnel have been on the ground inside Syria preparing for regime change since 2011.
#12 The Times of Israel is reporting that an internal military assessment has concluded that "Washington is seriously considering a limited yet effective attack that will make it clear to the regime in Damascus that the international community will not tolerate the use of weapons of mass destruction against Syrian civilians or any other elements".
#13 U.S. Senator John McCain recently said that if the U.S. military does not hit Syria, it will be like "writing a blank check to other brutal dictators around the world if they want to use chemical weapons".
#14 According to the New York Times, "the NATO air war in Kosovo" is being studied "as a possible blueprint for acting without a mandate from the United Nations".
#15 The White House has released a statement that says that the Obama administration has no plans to put "boots on the ground", but it did not rule out any other types of military action.
This is not a conflict that the U.S. military should be involved in.
And we should especially not be on the side of the rabidly anti-Christian, rabidly anti-Israel and rabidly anti-western forces that are attempting to take control of Syria.
The terrorists that the Obama administration is backing are absolutely psychotic.  Just check out the following example from a recent article posted on the Blaze...
New video posted on YouTube purports to show the graphic murder – execution style – of three Syrian truck drivers who did nothing more than belong  to a minority faith the local Al Qaeda affiliate does not like.
In the video, a small band of Islamist radicals with the Al Qaeda-linked ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria) group is seen waving the tractor trailers off the side of an Iraqi road and then proceeds to interrogate the unsuspecting drivers about their prayer habits, trying to discover if they are Sunnis or members of the Alawite minority in Syria.
When they “fail” the Sunni jihadis’ pop roadside quiz, the truck drivers are seated in a line in the median of the road and shot in the back of their heads firing squad style by the self-appointed law enforcers, jury, judge and executioner.
Why in the world would the United States want to arm such people?
Why in the world would the United States want to go to war to help such people take power?
It is utter insanity.
And as I mentioned earlier, most Americans are totally against getting involved.  According to a stunning new poll, 60 percent of all Americans are against U.S. military intervention in Syria, and only 9 percent are in favor of it.
So in light of all that you have just read, why is the Obama administration so determined to help the rebels in Syria?

Original Blog:  http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/15-signs-that-obama-has-already-made-the-decision-to-go-to-war-with-syria

The Cross-Shaped Key

"People are worried, fearful that the world is soon coming to an end. Listen, for me as a Christian, the “end of the world” occurred the day I gave my life to Christ." (Gal. 6:14)

 I like the above paraphrase of Galatians 6:14 for its perspective.  I think it's really great that it states, "the end of the world occurred the day I gave my life to Christ".  Most who don't know Jesus would likely shake their heads and say, "Yep, that's the very reason I don't want to go that route" when they interpret it from the "world's" perspective.  To those who have never had a real encounter with the redeeming power of the Love of Jesus Christ through the Cross, it seems crazy to give up the world for Jesus (in other words, give up our own rights to live our lives in the way we want).   

Jesus Himself said to count the cost because following Him means taking the "narrow" road, the road less traveled, the road with trouble and sometimes persecution.  Yet, unless we see the value of Him we will never follow.  We must SEE Him, as the one gathering pearls drops his armload of half-rate pearls for that one he suddenly sees as incomparably valuable compared to all others.

I once taught a message entitled, "What is Your Carrot?", which asked people to examine what motivates them in living their daily lives.  Just as some farmers would use an old trick of dangling a carrot from their donkeys’ backs over their heads, in their line of vision but just out of reach in order to keep them moving to plow their fields, we also need to constantly keep something in our sights to remind and encourage us to continue putting one foot in front of the other.  In the midst of a world that offers so many glittering options, we must be, as those donkeys, spurred along in our daily walk with Jesus

There is something missing in the above paraphrase of Galatians 6:14 that is key to living in this world with an eternal perspective.  This person's paraphrase leaves out the word, "cross" twice when compared to most others interpretations. This world is only a stopping point along our forever journey, a training or "proving" ground of sorts; in examining Paul's eternal outlook from another translation we see what motivated him along his path into his destiny:

  "As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world’s interest in me has also died." - Galatians 6:14 NLT.

Here is the NKJV:  "But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world."  (The phrase, "But GOD forbid" suggests strongly that our reliance for living this life must hinge on the grace of God).

The Cross is central to our resurrection life in Jesus.  Although I am sure the writer of the above paraphrase felt that the word "Christian" encompasses the Cross of Christ, we must be reminded more, not less, of it's daily significance and necessity in rightly associating ourselves with every relationship and circumstance in our lives, whether in the Church, at home, or in the world.  As Matthew Henry observed:

 “By Christ, or by the cross of Christ, the world is crucified to the believer, and he to the world.  The more we consider the sufferings of the Redeemer from the world, the less likely shall we be to love the world……And as to those who have truly believed in Christ Jesus, all things are counted as utterly worthless compared with him.”  ~Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible (Concise)

It is interesting to note that an instrument of death such as the cross, with all it’s cruel horrors, is used by the Lord to influence us to live this new life in Him:   

“Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”  -Matthew 16:24  

What an amazing God!  In His great mercy, He spares us the unmerciful punishment of death on the cross by taking it upon Himself, then gives us the symbolism of the cross of Christ, applying as if it is our own, absolving us as if we bore the punishment ourselves!  He asks us to carry it, not as an instrument of our own death, but as a memorial of the life that we have been given through the death that Jesus already endured for us.  We live because He died, and therefore He says: 

“Look!  There lies the key to eternal life; to successfully navigating through this world like the garden maze that it is, before opening into the beautiful, wide-open space of forever.  Quit looking to yourself and your own efforts, Child.  You can never do this yourself, nor should you.  I already did this for you, in your place.  Remember, 'I Am He that liveth , and was dead; and, behold , I Am alive forevermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death' (Rev. 1:18)”  

Could one of the keys Jesus is referring to in this verse be the emblem of death on which He purchased our life, and through which He overcame the enemy and made a laughingstock of him?  I like to believe this is the case.  The cross is a key; the cross is KEY.  We must always keep the Cross of Christ in our line of vision. 

 Like the evangelist, Arthur Blessitt, who carried a wooden cross literally around the world (okay, so it had a little wheel attached to one end to help with mobility) let’s remember to pick up our cross daily.  But we must do something first:  We must let go of everything else to which . we hold so tightly, in order that our hands will be free to grasp our cross.  We must deny ourselves and ignore our "I want, I want" tendencies, sacrificing our rights to ourselves every day, submitting our lives under His authority, Word, and Life.  We are resurrected with Christ!

“Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.  For he who has died has been freed from sin.  Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him,  knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him.  For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.  Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.  And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.” -  Romans 6:6-13

And finally, a closing word of wisdom from Paul:  “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” – Galatians 2:20

When we are made conformable to His death, the resurrection life of Jesus Christ raises us up to live an overcoming life in this world.

UNDERSTANDING WORLD EVENTS: LOOK TO ISRAEL

As unpopular as the subject may be, especially in light of current events, I feel an obligation to address world happenings as they relate to the nation Israel.   I feel obligated because as I have studied end-time events in the Bible for more than twelve years,  I am consistently blown away by the unfolding of prophetic scripture right before our  eyes in these days since Israel became a nation in 1948.  This blog will serve as a forum where I will present my thoughts for your consideration.  I am aware that this is a very controversial subject, with many differing points of view, however; I am willing to "stick my neck out" in hopes that these words may bring some enlightenment, comfort, and peace to hearts and minds as the world seems to be going crazy.  

I do not claim to have all the answers to all the questions, and there are many in my circle of fellowship whose opinions differ from mine on the issue of end-time prophecy.  We, in our discussions, agree to disagree,  not viewing the issue of timing for the destiny of the church as necessarily salvational; therefore, we do not allow it to divide us.  One thing on which we agree is that we are likely going to be with our Lord Jesus Christ sooner rather than later, and most important is that we have our relationship right with Him.  But, as my pastor has said many times, "It is going to happen when and how it is going to happen."  This blog is not only for those who are Christian, for their edification and comfort, but it is even more for those who may not have made a solid declaration of faith and are wondering what in the world is going on....

Actually, the world is going crazy!  It is destined to do so.  Why?  Because man, in his fallen state,  is unable to rise above his sinfulness.  Humanity will never be able to usher in world peace, although there will, in the future, be one man who will claim that he can, and most of mankind will believe him.  Our world is destined for implosion, because human beings are self-centered creatures at the very core, and those are the "good" ones.   I wish I could say I'm just joking, but if we look at our own selves honestly and allow an unbiased assessment without excuses and denial, we will see that we are often motivated by selfish desires.  Even our love can be driven by what we will get or how we feel about ourselves or by an endeavor to justify ourselves or earn favor.  Now, you may say, "That's not true!  I love my children unselfishly," or "I have sacrificed for years for my wife and kids, and you say that's not love?"  No, I am not saying that we are not capable of love,  as evidenced in loving and self-sacrificing acts.  After all, we are made in the image of God, whose very essence is LOVE, and we will naturally exhibit many of the qualities of our Creator; however, we are rebellious children.  The Bible reveals that even the most evil of humankind love their own.  We have consistently and historically tried to deny God and our need for Him, and have attempted to walk independently and opposite of Him.  As a result, we tend to be confused, unfulfilled, and generally make a mess of our own lives; how then can we expect to successfully steward the world as a whole? 

I will be posting my testimony later on this blog, revealing how I came to an understanding of my own rebellion and recognition of my need for divine forgiveness and help, but I felt very strongly that at this time a word needed to be spoken about what is happening in the news today.  It is hardly possible to speak about world events without touching on politics and religion, which can be intimidating, but my focus will be less political and more spiritual.  It is my belief that everything political is spiritually motivated, so if you do not believe in a black and white, spiritual versus natural world than you will probably think I'm speaking alienese, yet.... 

One thing is for certain, whether you believe in a spiritual world or not,  it cannot be denied that forces are causing unrest in this world of unparalleled proportions, and a significant portion of this unrest is centered around the tiny nation of Israel, which is slightly smaller than New Jersey.  I was largely convinced of the truth of the Holy Bible because of the hundreds of prophecies concerning Israel and Israel's Messiah that have unfolded so perfectly and dramatically over several thousands of years, not to mention prophecies concerning other nations and events that have come to pass just as predicted.   


It may seem that I honor and favor Israel over other countries and that everything I post is because I love Israel and hate everyone else, but this is simply not true.  I do love Israel, but I love everyone else too!  I post these things from the perspective of God's great love for and plan for the world through the nation of Israel, and because I am commanded to bless Israel and not curse her.  Why would I not love Israel and her people?  My Saviour is a Jewish man!  My platform is the belief that Israel is the barometer for peace in the world, and the timepiece for the countdown to the return of the Prince of Peace, who will reign from Jerusalem.  My motive is that people would be compelled to decide if what I premise could be true, and if it could be, what should be their practical response to that truth?

With that being said, let us proceed to taking a look at an interview with Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, on NBC's Meet The Press yesterday, September 16th, 2012, which was, incidentally, the beginning of the Jewish New Year, also known as Rosh Hashanah:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pLuzRSFVps&feature=related 

Prime Minister Netanyahu said that the window of time is closing in which Iran can be stopped from launching a nuclear weapon at Israel; in fact, within six months it will be able to do so.  He responded to the interviewer's repeated attempts to draw him into a political debate (as many have accused him of timing his insistence that the U.S. draw a "red line" for Iran with the U.S. elections) by saying that this is a "policy issue, not a political issue" because "Iran puts it's zealotry above it's survival."  This fact is based on the Iranian leader's belief that he is a key player in the ushering in of the "Twelfth Imam" or the "Great Mahdi," who is the Muslim "Messiah," which is exactly why this is such a real threat.  Ahmadinejad believes that he must cause a great war in order to prepare the ground for their spiritual leader to come and set up "world peace."  He believes he must first wipe out the Jews and then when the "Mahdi" comes he will lead Islam in a great world conquest, destroying the West and killing Christians or taking them as slaves. (Which, by the way, corresponds perfectly with the Christian's understanding of the "anti-christ."  The jury is out on whether I believe he will be Muslim.)   If someone with nuclear capability has these kinds of intentions and is unashamed to state them, we must either act or react.  In this case, reaction would be too little, too late.  

Another truth that must be faced:  The U.S. can choose to ignore Israel's pleas for support in standing up to Iran with tough action rather than misguided "tolerance," but if indeed Israel is attacked by Iran with a nuclear bomb and "wiped off the map," the United States is next!  All of the nations that hate Israel hate the U.S. just as much, seeing Israel as the "little satan," and the U.S. as the "great satan."  If Israel does not act, they are facing certain destruction (which will not happen) and then Iran will be free to turn it's guns on us.  We know that fanatical Muslims have taken every opportunity possible to bite the hand that feeds them and turn on us despite our extending the olive branch, whether or not it veils our oil ambitions.  Why would Iran suddenly (and I am speaking of the fanatical leadership, here, not the democracy-loving people) decide, once it gets the bomb, to be our  friend?  They want to KILL us!  The urgency we hear in Netanyahu's pleas is additionally motivated by his knowledge of Iran's plans through Israel's comprehensive intelligence.  This is all Google-able, if you want to research for yourself.  

We must understand:  Right now, there are ships from 25 nations headed to the Straight of Hormuz, which is a crook in the sea linking the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea, off the coasts of Iran and the United Arab Emirates.  35% of the world's oil traded by sea comes through this area, which is 21 nautical miles at its narrowest point.  These nations are reacting to the likelihood that Israel will strike Iran within the next two months, and are rushing to protect their oil interests.  This could be the beginning of WWIII; indeed, war games are taking place this week:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/9545597/Armada-of-international-naval-power-massing-in-the-Gulf-as-Israel-prepares-an-Iran-strike.html#disqus_thread

Regardless of what Israel does, we must realize that the plans of Iran's leadership against Israel will not succeed.  It is my humble opinion that Israel will take out Iran's nuclear capability to the extent that they and other nations will be so infuriated as to attack Israel by land, eventually.  A coalition of nations led by Iran and Russia (who have made a firm alliance) will come against Israel and surround her, but God will arise and fight for Israel.  At that time, the whole world will recognize that Israel was delivered by a supernatural act of God's intervention.  There will be an earthquake then which will be felt in every part of the earth.  (Read Ezekiel 38 & 39)  This is known as the Gog-Magog war (Magog being modern day Russia and Persia being modern day Iran) and is one of the major, as-of-yet unfilled prophecies of the Bible concerning the end times.  The stage is set for these things to take place.  We must open our eyes and look to Israel to "understand the times."  Are you ready for what may come next? 
  
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ezekiel%2038%20-%2039&version=NLT#