DECEMBER 22 2016- Bevan Shields and Latika Bourke A van reportedly carrying gas cylinders has exploded after being driven into the Australian Christian Lobby headquarters in Canberra on Wednesday night,…
September 19, 2015- Posted on World Net Daily
The grand finale of the rare blood-moon tetrad will be a spectacular “supermoon” eclipse, the first in more than three decades.
And the scholar who discovered the correlation between a sequence of four blood moons and events in the history of the Jewish people thinks the extremely rare conclusion of the tetrad with a supermoon is a message from God to the nations of the world: Do not divide the land of Israel.
Pastor Mark Biltz of El Shaddai Ministries told WND the final blood moon of a series of four occurring on Jewish holy days in 2014 and 2015 is “a loud call to Israel and to the nations.”
The coming super blood moon will be seen in Jerusalem.
“The land of Israel belongs to the God of Israel and is on lease to them. They have no authority to sell or give away the land of Israel to another people, as it is their heritage,” he said.
The fourth blood moon comes as the 70th United Nations General Assembly moves to recognize a Palestinian state, which Israel sees as a threat to its existence.
Among the Major Signs, the most anticipated and central sign that Muslims are awaiting is the coming of a man known as, “The Mahdi.” In Arabic, al-Mahdi means, “The Guided One” 1 He is also sometimes referred to by Shi’a Muslims as Sahib Al-Zaman or Al-Mahdi al-Muntadhar which translated mean “The Lord of the Age” and “The Guided/Awaited One.” The Mahdi is the first of the Major Signs. This is confirmed by Ibn Kathir, the renowned Muslim scholar from the eighth century:
After the lesser signs of the Hour appear and increase, mankind will have reached a stage of great suffering. Then the awaited Mahdi will appear; He is the first of the greater clear, signs of the Hour.2
The coming of the Mahdi is the central crowning element of all Islamic end-time narratives. So central to Islamic eschatological expectations is the coming of the Mahdi, that some Muslim scholars do not even refer to “the Minor Signs” as such, but instead, refer to them as, “The signs accompanying the Mahdi”. 3 While there are some variations of belief between the Sunni and Shia’ sects of Islam and while certain quarters of Sunnis reject him altogether, general belief in the Mahdi is not a sectarian issue within Islam, but is universal among most Muslims. According to Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani, chairman of the Islamic Supreme Council of America:
The coming of the Mahdi is established doctrine for both Sunni and Shi’a Muslims, and indeed for all humanity 4
11th July 2014 Daniel K. Norris
Not being able to use the oven as an 8-year-old, I became quite skilled at cooking meals for myself in the microwave oven. Nearly every morning I would make a full breakfast complete with scrambled eggs, bacon and grits buttered to southern perfection. My mom was amused by her little chef and let me enjoy my little space of independence—even if it meant a little extra work for her cleaning up my messes.
One day I found a recipe for microwaved chocolate cake. For this preteen kid I might as well have discovered gold. I was incredibly anxious to try this one afternoon after school. I could already taste the sweet warm soft cake in my mouth with a tall glass of milk. When I arrived home that day I dropped my bags and headed straight for the kitchen and began rummaging through the cupboards looking for the ingredients.
The recipe called for cocoa powder (sweetened). We only had unsweetened but I figured cocoa is cocoa so what difference does it make? Next I needed baking powder. To this day I’m not sure I can tell the difference between a box of baking soda and baking powder. They look the same, so I put a little baking soda in. I couldn’t reach the sugar, but salt looks a lot like sugar and it was conveniently sitting on the table.
I mixed everything up, with the rest of the ingredients and popped it into the microwave, punched in 10 minutes and went to pour my milk as I waited for my fresh cake to come straight out of the (microwave) oven.
You can imagine my expectation quickly became disappointment as I put in my spoon and took a big bite. It was awful! It tasted like a mouthful of dirt. That afternoon I learned a valuable lesson—change the recipe, change the outcome!
Thirty years later I hunger for something different. Not for a natural meal that can be prepared in an earthly kitchen, but for a supernatural move than only comes from the fires of a heavenly altar in answer to fervent prayers. Our nation is in desperate need of such a move. No doubt, the days have grown dark and continue to grow darker. The only hope we have is found in revival!
Thankfully God has provided us a recipe for revival within his word. Like a family recipe passed down from generation to generation it is a favorite passage of scripture that is often quoted in times prayer. But I wonder… is it possible we are guilty of changing that recipe and thus changing the outcome? Are we trying to rush what requires time and patience? Are we substituting our ideas for his proven ingredients?
The late revivalist, Leonard Ravenhill said often, “We will live without revival, as long as we are content to remain without it.”
I see a divine discontent coming back to the body of Christ and hear fresh calls for revival. If we want to see God’s results then we must return to God’s ways. To truly experience revival, we must look to the pattern the Lord gave us in 2 Chronicles 7:14 and throw the following on to the fires of his altar. (more…)
August 26, 2014 | Joseph Mattera
Every church and/or organization has a corporate culture with norms, rules and expectations that pressure participants to conform. Some cultures are good and some bad.
That being said, there are particular attributes that characterize false religions or become the norm during religious decline in a true faith such as Christianity.
The Old Testament prophets such as Isaiah, Micah and Amos decried religious ritual that was without true righteousness, humility and love for neighbor (Is. 1:10-17; 58; Amos 5:21-24; Mic. 6:8). The line of prophets arose starting in the 8th century B.C. primarily because Israel had a tendency to focus more on adhering to the temple ritual worship of the Levitical system than the ethical lifestyle required by the Law of Moses as found in the Ten Commandments. For this, the prophets pronounced judgment upon the nation, and God dispersed the people and, on two occasions, let enemies destroy their temple.
We have the same issue in today’s church, irrespective of the denomination or expression of the body of Christ.
The following are 10 of the characteristics of false religious systems as taught by Jesus in Matthew 23:
1. There are onerous rules and regulations some call legalism (Matt. 23:1-3).
In the contemporary church, there are numerous man-made traditions and requirements that never arose from the Word, which have become an unnecessary burden upon believers. For example, in many Pentecostal churches the emphasis is on outward holiness related to attire, makeup, the cutting of hair, jewelry and other regulations. I have spoken to numerous young people who stopped attending church because these regulations made them feel weird in front of their unchurched friends. Fundamentalists in the past forbade any form of entertainment, including watching movies, listening to the radio, watching television, etc. These are legalistic efforts to bring holiness that have resulted in numerous churches losing their next generation.
By Troy Anderson – World Net Daily – 23rd October 2013
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.
In September, a poll by the Ventura, Calif.-based Barna Group found 4 in 10 Americans – and 77 percent of evangelical Christians – believe the “world is now living in the biblical end times.”
Now, a new wave of end-times predictions for 2014 and 2015 involving blood moons on Jewish holy days and prophetically significant events on the Shemitah – the ancient biblical year of the Sabbath – are igniting even more interest in humanity’s ultimate fate.
Throw in next year’s reboot of the “Left Behind” film featuring Nicolas Cage and the cinematic destruction of biblical proportions in “Noah,” starring Russell Crowe, and last-days fever is back with a mainstream vengeance.
Joel Richardson WND -December 5, 2012 in Updates
On November 29, 2012, 138 nations passed U.N. Resolution 67/19 on “The Question of Palestine”. The resolution expresses support for the right of “the Palestinian people… to their independent State of Palestine”.
In light of this deeply profound and historical event, and in light of the overwhelming emerging global bias against the Nation of Israel, it is essential that all students of the Bible stop to consider what the it says about the future of both the nation of Israel and “Palestine”.
When one surveys the many Biblical passages that speak of the return of the Messiah, it quickly becomes apparent that among the primary issues that Jesus returns to confront, is the persecution, marginalization and unjust treatment of Israel by the nations of the earth. Despite the fact that the anti-Semitic and anti-Zionist propaganda of the age are widely embraced even by large segments of the Christian Church, the Bible is clear that when Jesus returns, he will specifically execute judgment against the enemies of Israel.
According to the prophet Joel, just prior to the return of Jesus, a vast number of nations will invade Israel and surround the city of Jerusalem. Joel tells us that Jesus will execute judgment against all parties involved in this invasion as well as any who force the dividing of His land:
I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat. Then I will enter into judgment with them there on behalf of My people and My inheritance, Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations; and they have divided up My land.
It is clear from this prophecy that a distinct Palestinian State will become reality. The prophet goes on to speak of the Lord executing vengeance against those from Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories who have engaged in violence against the people of Israel:—Joel 3:2
10/26/2011 – Dr Michael Youssef
The clearest answer comes from a statement reputedly made by President Harry Truman during his 1948 presidential election campaign.
One of his supporters yelled out to him, Give em hell, Harry! Truman responded, I don’t give them hell. I just tell the truth about them and they think it’s hell.
That is precisely the reason why there is a war on Christians waged by members of the secular media.
Christians speak the truth about God s best for humanity as it applies to morality, laws and governing principles, but the secular media views these truths as hell. Truth always feels like hell to those who reject, deny or hate the truth.
When Bible-believing Christians share that there is only one true God who is lovingly inviting people to believe in Him and receive His redemption or face His coming judgment, that is hell to those who view themselves as their own gods masters of their own fates. Many of these self-made gods control our media.
As gods, they want no competition. They reject the truth that God is God alone and that He will hold them accountable for mocking Him and His followers. Thus, the truth is hell to them, even before they get there. They express their hatred for God s truth by heaping venom on anyone who declares God s truth.
10/1/2012 – Charisma News
After watching the political conventions of both parties last month, it’s clear that America is quickly hurtling down a road toward God’s judgment.
One party affirms a belief in the sanctity of life. The other party does not. One party supports the traditional, biblical definition of marriage between one man and one woman. The other party enthusiastically endorses and promotes same-sex marriage.
I will not—cannot—vote for a candidate, regardless of their political affiliation, who supports same-sex marriage and advocates abortion. God will judge our nation if we continue down this path.
Here in Charlotte, N.C., near our headquarters building, the Democrats held their convention and made a clear choice to leave God and Jerusalem out of their platform. They caught so much criticism from around the country that they moved to reinsert the words but needed a two-thirds majority to make the change.
The mayor of Los Angeles, Antonio Villaraigosa, who was presiding at that time during the convention, asked all in favor to say “aye.” Many voiced their approval. But when he asked all opposed to say “no,” I watched in horror and absolute disbelief at the deafening roar as delegates rejected including any mention of God’s name. After the mayor called for two more votes, each with the same result, opponents shouted in protest as the mayor wielded his gavel and declared it approved.
I appreciate those delegates at the Democratic convention who stood up by saying “aye.” They were the minority, with the majority clearly rejecting any mention of God. This all happened on national television, and it sent goose bumps up my spine and shock waves across America. When the prophet Jeremiah warned the Judeans of impending Babylonian captivity, he repeatedly reminded them that their exile would take place because they had forgotten God (Jeremiah 2:32; 3:21; 13:25; 18:15).
Billy Graham (Aug 13, 2012)
“The farther we get from God, the more the world spirals out of control.”
Some years ago, my wife, Ruth, was reading the draft of a book I was writing. When she finished a section describing the terrible downward spiral of our nation’s moral standards and the idolatry of worshiping false gods such as technology and sex, she startled me by exclaiming, “If God doesn’t punish America, He’ll have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah.”
She was probably thinking of a passage in Ezekiel where God tells why He brought those cities to ruin. “Now this was the sin of . . . Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. They were haughty and did detestable things before Me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen” (Ezekiel 16:49–50, NIV).
I wonder what Ruth would think of America if she were alive today. In the years since she made that remark, millions of babies have been aborted and our nation seems largely unconcerned. Self-centered indulgence, pride, and a lack of shame over sin are now emblems of the American lifestyle.
Just a few weeks ago in a prominent city in the South, Christian chaplains who serve the police department were ordered to no longer mention the Name of Jesus in prayer. It was reported that during a recent police-sponsored event, the only person allowed to pray was someone who addressed “the being in the room.” Similar scenarios are now commonplace in towns across America. Our society strives to avoid any possibility of offending anyone—except God.
Yet the farther we get from God, the more the world spirals out of control.
Dr. Peter Hammond – July 2012 edition of JOY! Magazine.
The secularisation and paganisation of large sections of Europe is tragic. There are surprisingly dynamic pockets of spiritual vitality and life amidst the general atheism and heathenism, but the general picture in Europe is of spiritual decline.
Missionary Power House
In 1900, Evangelicals in Europe constituted 45% of the world’s Evangelicals. Now less than 4% of all Evangelicals in the world are in Europe. The 19th century was the greatest century of Missionary advance. It was a century of astounding inventions and of spectacular advances in technology. Many countries in Europe experienced dynamic Spiritual Revivals. Christian missionaries from Europe won whole tribes and nations to Christ, in the remotest regions of the globe. For over a thousand years, Europe had been Christendom, the heartland and stronghold of Christian civilisation. The 19th century has seen such staggering growth in numbers, productivity, power and wealth, that most would have imagined that Europe would have continued to dominate the globe for centuries to come. The optimism which had prevailed in the 19th century gave way to profound pessimism after the First World War.
Devastation
However, World War I shattered Europe. An entire generation of young men died in brutal trench warfare. 1914 marked the end of the greatest century of Christian advance and the beginning of what proved to be the worst century of persecution. The consequences of the First World War, continues to have far-reaching repercussions to this present day. Of the 60 million European soldiers who were mobilised from 1914 to 1918, over 9 million were killed, 7 million permanently disabled and 15 million seriously injured.
Times Live – March 11th, 2012
Ask anyone in Zimbabwe who “TB Joshua” is and many can readily list the prophecies and healings with which the Nigerian spiritual leader is associated.
From prophesying the death of Michael Jackson in 2010, to the tsunami in Japan last year and most recently Zambia’s victory in the African Cup of Nations, TB Joshua, born Temitope Balogun Joshua, has risen to world stardom. His renown is bolstered by the humanitarian work done by his Synagogue Church of all Nations (SCOAN).
Yet in Zimbabwe, TB Joshua has been an enfant terrible for President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu-PF party, which has reeled under several unfavourable prophecies.
The most recent was a prophecy given by Joshua of the death of an old African leader in two months, due to a long-time illness.
“I’m seeing a head of state, by that I mean a president. He is not feeling well. He is very old. What is this I’m seeing … sudden death. (more…)
September 23, 2011
“There is a coming shaking of the continent in order for a great awakening. The shakings thus far are beginning to awaken the church.
There is a coming shaking of the continent in order for a great awakening. I saw in a sequence of visions, the whole of Australia as a giant, old-fashioned alarm clock and it was ringing to awaken the church to the hour of destiny.
The next vision in the series was of scales of justice. There were tipping and in the distance I saw a huge storm gathering.
Stones had been dropped onto the scales on both sides. I noted they had the words of past prayers from the generations. The prayers have thus far “balanced” as it were the economy of the nation.
The third and last in the series was of an hour glass. The sands of time that had been allowed to stay the coming storms were slipping fast away while waiting for the church to be a loud voice of righteousness in the nation.
INTERPRETATION:
The shakings thus far are beginning to awaken the church. There will be something of the nature of the American Tea Party that will arise in which the church will have a loud voice.
Friday, 15 July 2011 – Franklin Graham News – Featured News
There has been a lot of speculation about the end times lately, especially in light of recent storms. I saw first hand the devastation and carnage that accompanied the fierce, deadly tornadoes that swept across the South and the Midwest this spring.
I’ve seen lots of disasters in my lifetime, but the scenes that I witnessed in Alabama and Missouri were among the most horrific I’ve encountered anywhere.
Many are asking if the seemingly growing numbers of such catastrophes could be an indication that the return of Christ is drawing nearer. Jesus said that such tragedies—in addition to wars and persecution—are indeed the “beginning of birth pains†(Matthew 24:8), and these certainly appear to be increasing in frequency and intensity.
Just a few months ago, the owner of a Christian radio network forecast that May 21 would be “Judgment Day†for the world. I was amazed at the extensive national coverage given to this prediction, even though the Bible says that only the Father in Heaven knows the exact date of the Savior’s return. It was hard to view a news program or read a newspaper without a prominent reference to this event.
While I’m grateful that there has been some renewed discussion given to the return of the King, I’m afraid that such a superficial focus can divert our attention from the primary thrust of Scripture regarding His coming—are we living holy, godly lives on earth, diligently waiting and working until He comes? (more…)
By Joel Rosenberg – posted on May 11, 2011
Ezekiel chapters 38 & 39, what Bible scholars describe as the coming “War of Gog & Magogâ€
Over the next few days, I’ll share with you some of my notes. Today, let’s start by defining who “Gog†and “Magog†are, when this prophecy will take place, and what countries will be participating in the coalition against Israel:
1. The Hebrew Prophet Ezekiel lived in Babylon (Iraq) more than 2,500 years ago and the Lord gave him a vision of events that would take place in the future.
2. Ezekiel 38:16 specifically tells us these events will take place in the “last days†— that is in the End Times before the Messiah comes to set up His kingdom on earth.
3. Ezekiel chapters 36 and 37 set the stage for the “War of Gog and Magog†by describing that Israel will be reborn as a country in the last days, the Jewish people will come back to the Holy Land from exile all over the world, the Jewish people will rebuild the ancient ruins and make the deserts bloom again. These things have all happened, and this suggests we are getting closer to the fulfillment of the next set of prophecies.