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Turning Up the Heat |
Dear Brethren,
A lot of people
make new year resolutions and predictions of the future at the turn
of the year. Jesus Christ tells us simply to learn to discern the
signs of the times. "Learn a parable of the fig tree; When her
branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer
is near: So ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come
to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors." (Mark 13:28-29)
The economy is
bad and some are predicting that it could get worse. Fortunes are
being lost in the stock market, and retirement funds are being
greatly diminished, if not entirely wiped out. Just how long
have we been saying, “The economic bubble is going to pop?” Just
how bad are things going to get before Christ returns? God is
turning up the heat.
For a while, the
government will try to maintain its size and control with ever
increasing taxes and spending – but those measures will only speed
up the downward spiral. The only light at the end of the tunnel is
the return of Jesus Christ. It is Jesus who prophesied just how bad
things would become before His return. We should be praying, “Thy
Kingdom come.”
“In the last
days scoffers will be walking after their own lusts, saying...[This
is what many in the Church of God are saying]: “Where is the
promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things
continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.”
(2Peter 3:3-4) Let's be wise and understand that all things
definitely are not continuing as they have from the beginning
of creation – but are about to reach a resounding crescendo that
will soon usher in the return of Jesus Christ. God is turning up
the heat.
When God was
delivering Israel from Egyptian bondage and slavery, He dealt with
Pharaoh in a special way. God turned up the heat more and more as
Pharaoh declined to allow Israel to depart from Egypt. The plagues
were acts of God's judgment (Exodus 6:6). God said, "I will
harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply [ ‘ra-bah’ -
increase exceedingly in magnitude as time goes on] my signs and
my wonders in the land of Egypt." (Exodus 7:3) God was
turning up the heat.
In the same way
that Pharaoh refused to listen – that is the way it is with us in
the end-time. Because America and all of Israel have rejected
Him, God is going to turn up the heat. Isaiah 10 shows that God
will use a modern Assyrian king or fuehrer as a tool of His
indignation on the USA and Israelitish nations (vs. 5). But this
modern Beast power will also deal with another situation as well.
It is described
this way: "At the time of the end [of this age today]
shall the king of the south [possibly a radical Islamic
jihadist entity] push at him [the final end-time
"Beast" ruler of Europe – the one who gives his power to ten kings
or sovereigns]: and the king of the north shall come against him
[king of the south] like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with
horsemen, and with many ships; and he [king of the north]
shall enter into the countries [Islamic], and shall
overflow and pass over." (Daniel 11:40, Revelation 17:12-17)
This is a perfect description of a German blitzkrieg.
What kind of “push”
is the world of radical Islam already bringing to bear on Europe,
specifically, and on much of the rest of the world, as well? The
answer in short is their immigrating multitudes, their shariah law,
their religion and their culture, which in the long run has no use for
others not of their faith. We are witnessing immigration and culture
shock of epic proportions descending uncontrollably on the lands formerly
occupied by the Holy Roman Empire. This Muslim demographic
encroachment is a "push" – a population pressure bubble that is going to pop
as assuredly as the housing bubble popped!
Historically, it
has been demonstrated that the Germanic people consider themselves
to be a master race, a notch above the rest of men (Isaiah 10:8),
with an ingrained desire to spread out into the lebensraum
("living space") of other nations. This developing conflict
between Muslim immigration and German ingrained territorial
aggression are like two colliding tectonic plates. It will result
in the clash of two titans, and the result will be Islam vanquished,
and Jerusalem surrounded by those in control of Europe (Luke
21:20).
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| Sermon: |
"Turning Up the Heat"
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