Author: Michael Young, Sr.

I am a practicing Christian, a disciple of Jesus, a husband of over 50 years, a father and a grandfather, a business man, a veteran and a friend to all who will have me. I have served or am serving, at various times, as an Evangelist, a Pulpit fill pastor, an Associate Pastor of Evangelism and as Senior Pastor of a church plant. My passion is for practicing and teaching the Bible, building small groups, reaching the lost with the message of the Gospel of Jesus, recovering the straying Sheep of God and the gathering together the Called of God, in neighborhoods, business settings and in churches by equipping other Christians. I have authored a few small books and I have a background in professional business management, finance and investments. I am glad to meet you, even if it is virtually. Write me at any time and let's become friends.

IS THE BIBLE SCIENCE?

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

SCIENTISM: The science of god.

“Is there a God? Of course not. What is the meaning of the universe? It doesn’t have any. What is the purpose of life? Ditto. Is there free will? Not a chance.

“Scientism is the view that science is our best guide to the nature of reality. Its methods and its findings are our best account of the nature of reality.”  Alex Rosenberg, Philosopher

LET’S BE CLEAR. Science has become a religion for many:

However, God is not a scientist. However, God created science and scientists.

The Bible is not a science book. But it contains countless references to what scientists argue are incomplete scientifically.

The Bible is not a history book. But, it contains innumerable historical accounts. The Bible is not many things people attribute.

However, THE BIBLE IS THE INFALLIBLE, INERRANT, INDESTRUCTIBLE, INDISPUTABLE, INSPIRATIONAL, IMMUTABLE WORD, MIND AND VOICE OF THE ONLY, ONE, TRUE, LIVING GOD.

The Bible is the account of God’s action in the world, and his purpose with all creation.

In addition to all the above, the Bible is:

Useful as a guide for living life to the full. It gives us a road map for the perilous journey of life. Or to put it another way, on our voyage through life’s ocean, the Bible is an anchor.

Useful as a storehouse of wonderful stories for children and grownups. Remember Noah and the ark? Joseph’s coat of many colors? Daniel in the lion’s den? Jonah and the fish? The parables of Jesus? These stories emphasize the triumphs and failures of ordinary people.

Useful as a refuge in trouble. People in pain, in suffering, in prison, and in mourning tell how turning to the Bible brought strength in their desperate hour.

Useful as a treasury of insight as to who we are. We are not meaningless robots, but we are magnificent creatures of a God who loves us and gives us a purpose and a destiny.

Useful as a sourcebook for everyday living. We find standards for our conduct, guidelines for knowing right from wrong, and principles to help us in a confused society where so often “anything goes.” (This paragraph taken, in part and edited, from biblica.com)

So, again, what IS THE BIBLE?

Hebrews 4:12, says, “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

John 1:1, says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

1 Thessalonians 2:13, says, “You accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.”

1 Peter 1:23, says, “for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God”

Ephesians 6:17, says, “And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

THE BIBLE IS

THE INFALLIBLE, INERRANT, INDESTRUCTIBLE, INDISPUTABLE, INSPIRATIONAL, IMMUTABLE WORD, MIND AND VOICE OF THE ONLY, ONE, TRUE, LIVING GOD

The Bible also has a few words to say about the likes of Alex Rosenberg or anyone of Scientism:

Proverbs 18:2, “A fool does not delight in understanding, But only in revealing his own mind.”

Psalms 14:1. “The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”  They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good.”

“The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.”

Comparing the Bible or God to Science is foolish. It is a weak and feeble comparison.

“Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and marked off the heavens with a span, enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance? Who has measured the Spirit of the LORD, or what man shows him his counsel?

“Whom did he consult, and who made him understand? Who taught him the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding? Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are accounted as the dust on the scales; behold, he takes up the coast lands like fine dust. Lebanon would not suffice for fuel, nor are its beasts enough for a burnt offering. All the nations are as nothing before him, they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness. To whom then will you liken God, or what likeness compare with him?

“To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him? Says the Holy One. “To whom will you liken me and make me equal, and compare me, that we may be alike? …remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me… Isaiah 40:12-18, 25; 46:5, 9

Humbled, we bow,

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

PS: Nothing Can Compare, by John Piper (used according to desiring God permissions)

THINK – Part 4 – The Sermon on the Mount

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

(Please note, links are used in place of footnotes for references and citations.  Please review each link in order to get the full teaching on these matters.  Also, you can pause the Audio podcast to follow a link and resume the audio when ready.)

THINK – The Sermon – Part 4

Matthew chapter five contains a sermon by Jesus, which has been aptly named “The Sermon on The Mount”, simply because it took place on a small mount (hill) which overlooks the Sea of Galilee (the lake at Gennesaret.

This sermon has been named the “The Beatitudes”, again, simply because of the repeated use of the word ‘blessed’ in the sermon, which translate as ‘beatitude’, (beati sunt, “blessed are”), of sayings in the Latin Vulgate Bible. 

There are thousands upon thousands of commentaries, articles, published bible studies and more, about The Beatitudes. Most describe this as ‘the greatest moral teaching’ ever.  But, it is much more than that.

The Beatitudes can be found in Matthew chapter 5 and continuing through Matthew chapter 7.  It is presumed that Jesus preached this sermon over a period of several days.  I say it is much more than just ‘the greatest moral teaching ever’, which it is, but it is profoundly prophetic.  Jesus Words are prophetic because of what they do, to and through a disciple of Jesus.

– THE BEATITUDES –

A PICTURE OF SALVATION & THE PROCESS OF SANCTIFICATION

God speaks of people as having a body, a mind, and a soul. (see Matthew 22:37, Deuteronomy 6:5). We live and learn on all three of these levels. Our experience begins in our spirit (pneuma) sometimes called ‘the heart’ and work into our soul (psuché), our will and emotions; next, it works its way up into our mind, expressed in thoughts and ideas, and culminates in our body (soma) where our thoughts and ideas are acted upon.

These Words of Jesus work powerfully on all three levels.

Matthew 5:1,  “When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. Verse 2. He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying,

Verse 3. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

“Poor in spirit” has been described and ‘spiritually bankrupt’, which is like calling the ocean ‘a wet spot’.  ‘Poor in Spirit’ (Greek: ptochos) literally means 1) reduced to beggary, begging, asking alms 2) destitute of wealth, influence, position, honor

2a) lowly, afflicted, destitute of the Christian virtues and eternal riches

2b) helpless, powerless to accomplish an end 2c) poor, needy 3) lacking in anything 3a) as respects their spirit 3a1) destitute of wealth of learning and intellectual culture which the schools afford (men of this class most readily give themselves up to Christ’s teaching and proved themselves fitted to lay hold of the heavenly treasure)

 This definition comes from a root and alternate meaning “to be terrified”, “as a decaying corpse”.

The Jewish audience understood what Jesus was saying.  It should have caused them to wonder, how could they possibly be considered “Blessed” if they are “poor in spirit”.  But, that is exactly what Jesus said.  He goes on to explain what He meant.

 (When was the last time your preacher explained how you could “enter the Kingdom of Heaven”?  Was it when he told you to ‘pray this little prayer’: God, I have sinned…etc.?

Has he ever explained the true definition of being “poor is in spirit” and why you must be 1) reduced to beggary, begging, asking alms

2) destitute of wealth, influence, position, honor 2a) lowly, afflicted, destitute of the Christian virtues and eternal riches 2b) helpless, powerless to accomplish an end 2c) poor, needy

3) lacking in anything 3a) as respects their spirit 3a1) destitute of wealth of learning and intellectual culture which the schools afford. (people of this class will most readily give themselves up to Christ’s teaching and are will to be proved, IN ORDER TO INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 

Has your pastor or preacher explained that this is the first step and the ONLY WAY to the Kingdom of Heaven?  If he has not, why not?  It is the first step and the only way into the Kingdom of Heaven!

(This series contains urgent and vitally important information.  Jesus warns us to not be deceived, for many will come saying “I am the Christ”.  This can come in the form of misinformed pastors, preachers and teachers through INSTITUTIONAL DECEPTION.  Beware!)

Please, pray, read, study, seek God on these matters.

Your Brother and Friend

Mike Young

Coming soon:  “THINK – PART 5 – BE BLESSED”

Previous article:  “THINK – PART 3 – WHERE ARE YOU GOING?”

PS:  When I went into the U.S. Army, basic training gave me the impression that I could handle being a soldier.  But, when you finish the training and begin your life as a soldier – real life in the military – everything changes.  It is nothing like basic training.  It is for real!

“For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food”  Hebrews 5:12

THE TRIBULATION Made EZ – A quick study we must know about

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

(Please note, links are used in place of footnotes for references and citations.  Please review each link in order to get the full teaching on these matters.  Also, you can pause the Audio podcast to follow a link and resume the audio when ready.)

easy.jpg

THE TRIBULATION AND RAPTURE MADE EASY TO UNDERSTAND

“Yeah. Right!”, you say. But, it can be understood. And it is in our best interest to understand. But, we have to get our priorities and chronologies right, first.

For example:

Unless you have received Jesus into your heart as your Lord and Savior, you do not have the capacity to understand what follows. Once your surrender your life to Jesus, then the Holy Spirit will indwell you and will reveal all Truth to you and will guide you in that Truth. Receive Him, today – Now is the time.

(Please, click on each of these images before proceeding)

              

FIRST, in order to understand the Book of Revelation, we need to know WHY God will bring plagues and terror to the earth, also known as “the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord”, which is the End of Days.

SECONDLY, in order to understand the Book of Revelation, we need to know WHEN these things will come upon us.

THIRDLY, in order to understand the Book of Revelation, we need to know HOW God will bring about The End of Days, IN THIS ORDER.

FOURTHLY, in order to understand the Book of Revelation, we need to know WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH ME?

The Condensed Version

WHY? The wickedness of people has become great on the earth

WHEN? When these things are evident throughout the earth

1. Many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many.

2. You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. (See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. )

3. In various places there will be famines and earthquakes. (Matthew 24:8.  But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.)

4. Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.

5. At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. 11 Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. (12 Because lawlessness is increased, [f]most people’s love will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.)

6. This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.

HOW? And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued. But, there will be a shattering the power of the holy people and a purging, a cleansing and a refining of God’s people.

WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH ME? The Bible warns us that “The coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be. Of that day, no one knows the day or the hour, but if you did know, would you be ready?

“Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left … the Master will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour which he does not know, and will cut the unfaithful into pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

(What does it mean to be ready? Go here What does it mean to get ready)

The Expanded, yet condensed version

WHY are these things to happen?

The First example of WHY, can be found from THE GREAT FLOOD: Genesis 6:5 tells us, “Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

Verse 6.  “The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.

Verse 7.  “The LORD said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them.”

So, it is because of the wickedness, the sin, of man on the earth, a global phenomenon.

WHEN are these things to happen?

The Bible tells us that we cannot know “the day or the hour” and that God alone knows the day and hour of the Great Tribulation and the End of Days. But, we can know the season.

Understanding the “When” of tribulation can be complex and confusing. So, let’s suffice it to say that the tribulation has begun when these things happen:

1. Many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many.

2. You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. (See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. )

3. In various places there will be famines and earthquakes. (Matthew 24:8 But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.)

4. Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.

5. At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. 11 Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. (12 Because lawlessness is increased, [f]most people’s love will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.)

6. This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.

Review history, since AD 1, and you can see that all of the aforementioned events as described in the book of Revelation, have occurred.

The final week of “Daniel’s 70 weeks” which will last 7 years, will begin with the “breaking of the 6th Seal of the Tribulation” and will signal the beginning of the Great Tribulation and the Rapture has occurred.

7. Matthew 24:15 says,“Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand),

verse 21. “For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. verse 22. “Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.

Revelation 6:12 tells us, “I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; 13and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. verse 14. The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. verse 15. Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; verse 16. and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; verse 17. for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”

HOW are these things to happen?

1. There will be a time of distress (* ‘How long?’ described below)

Daniel 12:1 tells us, “Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued. verse 2. “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt. verse 3. “Those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. verse 4. “But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time; many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase.”

verse 5, Then I, Daniel, looked and behold, two others were standing, one on this bank of the river and the other on that bank of the river. verse 6. And one said to the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, “How long will it be until the end of these wonders?” verse 7. I heard the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, as he raised his right hand and his left toward heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time; and as soon as they finish shattering the power of the holy people, all these events will be completed. verse 8. As for me, I heard but could not understand; so I said, “My lord, what will be the outcome of these events?” verse 9. He said, “Go your way, Daniel, for these words are concealed and sealed up until the end time.

2. Many will be purged, purified and refined

Daniel 12:10, “Many will be purged, purified and refined, but the wicked will act wickedly; and none of the wicked will understand, but those who have insight will understand.”

Tribulation Judgments lead to the End of the Age (Concern yourself with the first 6 Seals):

  1. 1st Tribulation Seal – International (Global) conquest and political intrigue (has already occurred and continues to occur)
  2. 2nd Tribulation Seal – Wars and Rumors of War (has already occurred and continues to occur)
  3. 3rd Tribulation Seal – Famine (has already occurred and continues to occur)
  4. 4th Tribulation Seal – Death (has already occurred and continues to occur)
  5. 5th Tribulation Seal – Martyrs, persecution, falling away – the great apostasy (has begun – in process)
  6. 6th Tribulation Seal – Cosmic disturbances, blood moon, darkened sun, terror, calamity (yet to occur)
    1. Sealing of the 144,000
    2. The Rapture
    3. Multitude from the tribulation before the Throne of God                      

(For greater detail When does the tribulation begin – page 3 )

7. 7th Tribulation Seal – The announcement of the 7 Trumpet Judgments

8. 1st Trumpet Judgment –Revelation 8:7 says, “The first sounded, and there came hail and fire, mixed with blood, and they were thrown to the earth; and a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.

9. Verse 8. “The second angel sounded, and something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea; and a third of the sea became blood, vesrse 9.  and a third of the creatures which were in the sea and had life, died; and a third of the ships were destroyed.

10. Verse 10.  “The third angel sounded, and a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of waters. verse 11. The name of the star is called Wormwood; and a third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the waters, because they were made bitter.

11,  Verse 12. “The fourth angel sounded, and a third of the sun and a third of the moon and a third of the stars were struck, so that a third of them would be darkened and the day would not shine for a third of it, and the night in the same way. 13Then I looked, and I heard an eagle flying in midheaven, saying with a loud voice, “Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!”

12.  Revelation 9:1, says, “Then the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven which had fallen to the earth; and the key of the bottomless pit was given to him. verse 2.  He opened the bottomless pit, and smoke went up out of the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke of the pit. verse 3. Then out of the smoke came locusts upon the earth, and power was given them, as the scorpions of the earth have power. verse 4. They were told not to hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.

13.  Revelation 9::13 “Then the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, verse 14. one saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” verse 15. And the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released, so that they would kill a third of mankind. verse 16. The number of the armies of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them.

14.  Verse 20. “The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, so as not to worship demons, and the idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk; 21and they did not repent of their murders nor of their sorceries nor of their immorality nor of their thefts.”

15.  Revelation 11:15. “Then the seventh angel sounded; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever.” verse 16. And the twenty-four elders, who sit on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, verse 17. saying, “We give You thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty, who are and who were, because You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign. verse 18. “And the nations were enraged, and Your wrath came, and the time came for the dead to be judged, and the time to reward Your bond-servants the prophets and the saints and those who fear Your name, the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth.” verse 19. And the temple of God which is in heaven was opened; and the ark of His covenant appeared in His temple, and there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder and an earthquake and a great hailstorm.

16.  Revelation 16:2says, “So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth; and it became a loathsome and malignant sore on the people who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his image.

17.  Verse 3. “The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became blood like that of a dead man; and every living thing in the sea died.

18.  Verse 4. “Then the third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of waters; and they became blood. verse 5. And I heard the angel of the waters saying, “Righteous are You, who are and who were, O Holy One, because You judged these things; verse 6. for they poured out the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink. They deserve it.” verse 7. And I heard the altar saying, “Yes, O Lord God, the Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments.”

19.  Verse 8. “The fourth angel poured out his bowl upon the sun, and it was given to it to scorch men with fire. verse 9. Men were scorched with fierce heat; and they blasphemed the name of God who has the power over these plagues, and they did not repent so as to give Him glory.

20.  Verse 10. “Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom became darkened; and they gnawed their tongues because of pain, verse 11. and they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores; and they did not repent of their deeds.

21.  Verse 12. “The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river, the Euphrates; and its water was dried up, so that the way would be prepared for the kings from the east. verse 13. And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs; verse 14. for they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty. verse 15. (“Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes, so that he will not walk about naked and men will not see his shame.”) verse 16. And they gathered them together to the place which in Hebrew is called Har-Magedon.

22.  Verse 17. “Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl upon the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne, saying, “It is done.” verse 18. And there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder; and there was a great earthquake, such as there had not been since man came to be upon the earth, so great an earthquake was it, and so mighty. verse 19. The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. Babylon the great was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of His fierce wrath. verse 20. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. verse 21. And huge hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, came down from heaven upon men; and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, because its plague was extremely severe.”

“How Long?” – This is very complex and confusing for almost every reader. This is meant to be a footnote: There will be 1,290 days of desolation.

Daniel 12:11 , “From the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. verse 12. “How blessed is he who keeps waiting and attains to the 1,335 days! 13“But as for you, go your way to the end; then you will enter into rest and rise again for your allotted portion at the end of the age.”

(Both of these prophecies deal with specific time periods associated with the seven-year tribulation. the tribulation begins with the signing of a peace treaty between the Antichrist and Israel, intended to be for one “seven,” that is, a set of seven years. But the “seven” is divided into halves: midway through the seven years, the Antichrist breaks the treaty and sets up in the temple a sacrilegious object (the “abomination that causes desolation”). The phrase “in the middle” indicates that the first half of the tribulation lasts for 3½ years (1,260 days, using a “prophetic year” of 360 days). Likewise, the second half of the tribulation lasts another 1,260 days (another 3½ years), for a total of seven years.

he 1,260 days of the second half of the tribulation begins as the Antichrist breaks the treaty, occupies the third Jewish temple, and sets up a profane and sacrilegious object of worship. This 1,260-day period ends when the Antichrist is defeated at the battle of Armageddon upon Jesus’ return to earth. At that time, the tribulation will be at an end.

In summary, here is the timeline as we see it:

• Sometime after the rapture of the church, the Antichrist enters a treaty with Israel. This begins the seven-year tribulation.
• At the midpoint of the tribulation (1,260 days later), the Antichrist breaks the treaty, desecrates the temple, and begins to persecute the Jews.
• At the end of the tribulation (1,260 days after the desecration of the temple), Jesus Christ returns to earth and defeats the forces of the Antichrist.
• During the next 30 days (leading up to 1,290 days after the desecration of the temple), Israel is rebuilt and the earth is restored.
• During the next 45 days (leading up to 1,335 days after the desecration of the temple), the Gentile nations are judged for their treatment of Israel.
• The dispensation of the millennium begins, and it will last for 1,000 years (Revelation 20:3, 5–6).

HOW (continued)

2 Peter 3:7 says, “But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.”

(verse 8. “But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. verse 9. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.)

Verse 10.  “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.

Verse 11. “Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, verse 12. looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! verse 13. But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.”

The New Heaven and Earth

Revelation 21:1, says, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. verse verse 2. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. verse 3. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will [a]dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, verse 4. and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”

Verse 5.  “And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He *said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.”  verse 6. Then He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. verse 7. He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. verse 8. But for the cowardly and [d]unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and [e]brimstone, which is the second death.”

Read this page link in its entirety and discover the goal or the end-game of the forces of the Anti-christ and the Beast: When will the Tribulation Begin – page 3

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

Let’s Abide In His Shelter!

Recieve Him and Declare Him as Lord Today
Become a Child of God Today

 

THINK – Part 3 – Where are you going?

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

ANYONE GOING DOWN?

The Gallup organization reported In April 2021, that for the first time since they started polling in 1937, fewer than 50% of Americans claim membership is churches, mosques or synagogues. Sociologists have tracked these burgeoning declines for several decades, with attrition that runs from 70% claiming membership in the 1990s, to 50% in 2019, to 47% in 2021 (with no plateau in sight).

In Gallup’s study, these fissures in religious participation seem evident among every American demographic age group, including “traditionalists,” born before 1945, down from 73% to 66%; “Baby Boomers,” dropping from 63% to 58%; Generation X, from 57% to 50%; and “Millennials” from 51% to 35%, as indicated in 2020 studies.

SO, WHAT’S UP?

The Covid-19 outbreak is being blamed for the recent decline in church attendance, but, that is an anomaly.  Here is some information from a George Barna study reporting on five standing reasons people give on why they drop out of church (the comments are my own):

1. The church is irrelevant, the leaders are hypocritical and leaders have experienced too much moral failure

Yes, I know. That’s three reasons in one. But the Barna study groups all three reasons together as one reason.

2. God is missing in the church

People go to church looking for God, but are having difficulty finding him.

This one hurts, but in an age where perception is reality, you can’t ignore this criticism.  The paucity of personal experience with God is disturbing.

3. Legitimate doubt is prohibited

Honestly, I simply agree with this criticism. It is very difficult to have an honest conversation in many churches today.

4.  They’re not finding community

Sometimes expectations are too high; sometimes expectations are unrealistic; sometimes people really don’t want what they say they want; sometimes a church has metastasized into cliques.  This is a tough one – but can be true on many levels. At any rate, this is not acceptable for the Body of Christ.

5.  They’re not connecting with God

It does not amaze me to hear that people come to church seeking God, and they get some good sermons ABOUT GOD or ABOUT THE BIBLE, then they are discouraged when all they get is a religious pep talk, a religious rock concert or a religious lecture ABOUT GOD or ABOUT THE BIBLE.  They aren’t as interested in knowing ABOUT God, as they what they want to KNOW IF GOD CAN DO, IN THEIR LIVES, WHAT PREACHERS SAID HE CAN DO.  They don’t come to church to get stories about the Bible, they want to KNOW IF THE BIBLE can direct their lives,

Or perhaps, this is what is referred to the “Great Apostasy” (a falling away from the faith) of the Last Days, as mentioned in scriptures?

In either case, you and I need to be very careful because Jesus has warned, “See to it that no one misleads you. “For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many.”  This can be both individual and institutional deception.

HE SAID WHAT?

So, what was your experience in church this past month?  And, what did your pastor or preacher preach on this past Sunday, and how did he preach on it?  Now, be very honest; was it something ‘about the bible’ or ‘about Jesus’?  Or, was it something the Bible or Jesus said to you and for you to do and, you are doing it?

Just for the ‘fun of it’, let’s compare what you are hearing and seeing in Church versus what Jesus taught and did in ‘churches’ and along His way.

Let’s do a little ‘time travel’ and imagine we can go back in time to when Jesus begins His ministry.  Here’s the scene found in:

Matthew 4;12, “Now when Jesus heard that John had been taken into custody, He withdrew into Galilee; 13 and leaving Nazareth, He came and settled in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. Verse 14.  This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet:

Verse 15.  “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—

Verse 16.  “The people who were sitting in darkness saw a great Light,
And those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death,
Upon them a Light dawned.”

Verse 17. From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

The First Disciples

Verse 18. Now as Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Verse 19. And He *said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Verse 20. Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. Verse 21. Going on from there He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and He called them. Verse 22. Immediately, they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.”

Calling and making and sending disciples is what Jesus does.  In fact, that is exactly what He told us to be doing.  (see Matthew 28:16-20)  

Did your pastor or preacher say something even remotely like Jesus when He said, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men” or when He said, “Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that Jesus commanded; and remember, He is with you always, even to the end of the age.”?  Or is this something to be left to the ‘professionals’?  You know, ’you invite your friends, family and neighbors, and he’ll take it from there’.

But, that is not what the Bible says.  It says, YOU GO, and YOU MAKE DISCIPLES, and YOU BAPTIZE THEM.  Is your pastor teaching, training and sending you to DO WHAT JESUS SAID?

Put people on mission and let them run with it.  Let the pastors pastor, the teachers teach, the evangelist evangelize, etc., and watch what happens.

Ministry in Galilee

Matthew 4:23  “Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people.”

Notice that Jesus does not just ‘talk a good game’, He leads by example.  In fact, Jesus’ pattern and method of ministry and of making disciples is to ‘Say the Words; Show the Wonders; Send the Worker”, and this is consistent throughout His ministry.

How about your pastor or preacher and ‘church leaders’?  What do they do?  Are they leading by example, then sending YOU to follow Jesus in like manner?  Remember, it’s all about YOU making disciples who, in turn, make disciples.

WHAT ARE THE RESULTS?

Matthew 4:24  “The news about Him spread throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all who were ill, those suffering with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, paralytics; and He healed them. Verse 25.  Large crowds followed Him from Galilee and the Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judea and from beyond the Jordan.”

THE POINT?

The point is that Jesus did not sugar-coat the Gospel Message nor did He devise slick advertising gimmicks to get people to ‘come to church’.  There were no worship teams, no missions budgets, no building programs.  Jesus just told it straight, did what He said, and made disciples who did likewise.

The point is that, even under constant and severe persecution, the early church grew exponentially because the Gospel Message was preached and practiced!

The point is that, THIS IS OUR MODEL and God will provide the increase.

Now, stay tuned for “THINK – Part 4 – THE SERMON?”

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

Previous article:  “THINK – Part 2 – Repent and Live”

NOTE:  The Gospel of Jesus Christ is about JESUS, first, foremost and only.  He has secured a salvation for you to save your soul from perishing in the most horrible way.  He has prepared a place for you as your eternal home, in His Kingdom.  The other things that happen to and through a believer and follower of Jesus, are the blessing and benefits that follow. – Michael Young, Pastor / Teacher, Whitestone Fellowship.

THINK – Part 2 – Repent and live

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

THINK!  MINDS & THOUGHTS.

*Think, and the God of peace will be with you.

**Think, and you will have abundant life and peace and prosperity.

***Think, and God will reveal His Truths to you.

****Think, and God will give you understanding in everything.

*****Think, and you will be as you are.

In our last article, we discussed psychology and the soul.  This time, let’s take a brief look at what the Bible says about the mind and thoughts.

*Philippians 4:8, says, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Verse 9. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”

**Romans 8:5 tells us, “For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. Verse 6.  For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on and peace.”

***Philippians 3:15 , says, “Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you.”

****2 Timothy 2:7  tells us to, “Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.”

*****Proverbs 23:7, says, “… For as a man thinks within himself, so he is.”

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT OR RELEVANT?

First, no person, with a sound mind, can think one thing and do another.  You cannot say “today I pray to have success”, or “today I will pray to have friends”, or “today I will serve God”, then act in a contrary manner and expect to receive what you desire nor to achieve what you claim.

Secondly, and most importantly, Matthew 4:17, says, “Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”  This is the greatest pronouncement and call to readiness for all Christians:  “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

This is one of the greatest pronouncements and calls to readiness for all Christians:  “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Repent, in the Biblical sense, literally means,

“To change one’s mind; – reversing how you think – to change one’s mind for the better” and it comes from two root words which mean, “Hereafter, have this understanding or perception”.

Repenting is the act of changing your mind which means your mindset, your values, and your worldview is changed.  Some would say you then live by new standards.  But it is much greater than just living by new standards.

Again I say, a person of sound mind cannot simultaneously think one thing and do another, repentance results in a complete change of mind and direction of one’s life.

Another way of saying this is, “As a man or woman thinks, so are they”.

This is not a metaphor.  It is not hyperbole.  It is the literal call from God through His Son, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

BOTH A COMMAND AND A PROPHETIC WORD

Interestingly, Jesus, the Son of God, in fact God Himself, said these very words which is recorded in Matthew 4:17.  Remembering, this is both a Command and a prophetic Word from God.

Jesus said this is what we are to do – Repent – in order to become His disciple and to follow Him, and, this is what will happen is we repent.

The disciples echoed and repeated these very words as they continued to do the Works of God, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is now at hand”.

Jesus says for each of us to Repent as an act of our will and that Repentance will allow the Holy Spirit to come into our bodies, our minds and regenerate our spirits.  We will become One with Him.

Our fleshly desires begin to fade, and our new desires emanate from the Holy Spirit of God.  It is not us producing Spiritual Fruit, it is from The Holy Spirit, and it should pour out of us, liberally.

We begin to desire the Things of God.  We are made new, and we can now walk with certainty, with purpose and power in our New Life.

MANIFESTATION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

Once we Repent, our new desires move us to a new way of living, new actions, which are the direct manifestation of the Holy Spirit.

Repentance means it is no longer you, or I who lives, but it is Christ, literally, living in us.

Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me”

If you are living in the sin of doubt or fear,  “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

If you are living under the oppression of poverty, sickness, lack or want, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Rise up.  Proclaim the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness, help all who are ill, those suffering with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, paralytics; heal them all.  Matthew 4:24

Go and tell others this exceedingly Good News, and let us all, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Let’s stop thinking as the world thinks and see things from a heavenly perspective (Colossians 3:2), let’s have the mind of Christ (Philippians 2:5), and begin to really live!

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

Previous article:  “THINK – Part 1 -Psychology in the Bible? – The Soul”

Next article: “THINK – Part 3 – Where are you Going?”

THINK – Part 1 – PSYCHOLOGY IN THE BIBLE?

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

 

 

Matthew 22:37 says, “And He said to him, “ ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’”

 Also found in Deuteronomy 6:5  says, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”

 These words are both a command and a prophecy from God, to the Israelites, then, and to us, now, so we can “live in the land which God has promised”.

The ‘land’ promised to the Jewish people is described in Joshua 1:1-9 and is actual real estate.  It is a foreshadowing of the eternal “Land” of the Kingdom of God.  (see metaphors such as found in Matthew 13:44, “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”

Matthew 22:37 and Deuteronomy 6:5 tell us how we are to “love the Lord our God”.  These verses describe the entire person:  mind, body and soul.  We are to love God with our entire being and all of our essence in order to obtain His promises.

Let’s focus on the soul.

SOUL:  From the Greek, “psuché”, meaning, breath, the soul (the phonetic spelling is psoo-khay’).  It is defined as the vital breath or breath of life, (b) the human soul, (c) the soul as the seat of affections and will, (d) the self, (e) a human person, an individual, the mind, will and emotions..

‘Psuche’, (the soul), is the root of the English words “psyche,” “psychology”; the soul (psyche); a person’s distinct identity (unique person-hood), i.e. individual personality.

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT OR RELEVANT?

It is to make the point that the Bible speaks volumes about human psychology and is the leading and foremost authority on the matter. Scientists and psychologist are just catching up with the Bible on these matters, but, they still have a way to go. Most psychologists view the Bible as largely mythical or anthropomorphic, and they read it through the biased and ofttimes arrogant lens of scientism.

The main point is, however, is that Matthew 22:37 and Deuteronomy 6:5 tell us HOW we are to “love the Lord our God”.  These verses describe the entire person:  mind, body and soul.  We are to love God with our entire being and all of our essence – in order to obtain His promises.

Deuteronomy 28:28,  “Now it shall be, if you diligently obey the Lord your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth.

Verse 2.  All these blessings will come upon you and overtake you if you obey the Lord your God:

Verse 3.  “Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country.

Verse 4.  “Blessed shall be the offspring of your body and the produce of your ground and the offspring of your beasts, the increase of your herd and the young of your flock.

Verse 5.  “Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.

Verse 6.  “Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.

Verse 7. “The Lord shall cause your enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before you; they will come out against you one way and will flee before you seven ways.

Verse 8.  The Lord will command the blessing upon you in your barns and in all that you put your hand to, and He will bless you in the land which the Lord your God gives you.

Verse 9.  The Lord will establish you as a holy people to Himself, as He swore to you, if you keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk in His ways.

Verse 10.  So all the peoples of the earth will see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they will be afraid of you.

Verse 11.  The Lord will make you abound in prosperity, in the offspring of your body and in the [l]offspring of your beast and in the produce of your ground, in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers to give you.

Verse 12.  The Lord will open for you His good storehouse, the heavens, to give rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hand; and you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow.

Verse 13.  The Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you only will be above, and you will not be underneath, if you listen to the commandments of the Lord your God, which I charge you today, to observe them carefully,

Verse 14.  And do not turn aside from any of the words which I command you today, to the right or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.

Finally, and to be sure, all the promises of God are already ours through the finished redemptive work of Jesus.  But, just like the Israelites wandering in the desert of forty years, though God provided them manna to eat and sandals to wear, the children of God still had to pick up the manna and put on the sandals which would never wear out.

The promises of God are here, but, we must appropriate them by believing and obeying God and taking the promises as our own.  Let’s live the Kingdom, now!

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

(Next Article:  “THINK – The Mind and Thoughts”)

WAS JESUS EVER MOODY? – The Fig Tree

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

Jesus turning over tables in the temple.

“Jesus in the Temple with the money changers.”

I had an Uncle (a much loved, Southern Baptist Pastor and Preacher) who frequently said, “Jesus loves you and so do I”.

I also had a good friend (An independent Baptist Pastor and Preacher) who loved to say, “Remember to be kind and gentle, like Jesus”.

I recently thought of these two men, who had an influence on my life, but, I wondered if these two defining statements are compatible.

What do you think?

Here are some Bible verses which are the words spoken by Jesus or about Jesus. I would like to know what you think, so let’s play a game. OK?

1. Assign ONE WORD to describe Jesus’ apparent mood from the highlighted words in each section of verses.

2. Describe the reason for Jesus’ remarks or actions.

3. Answer the question, “Was Jesus being ‘kind and gentle'” and “Was Jesus being loving?”

(I will do the first one as an example. You may have a different idea or opinion, so use your own ideas.)

I. Mark 11:12-26   “On the next day, when they had left Bethany, He (Jesus) became hungry. Seeing at a distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to see if perhaps He would find anything on it; and when He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. He said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!” And His disciples were listening.

Verse 20.  “When evening came, they would go out of the city. As they were passing by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots up. Being reminded, Peter said to Him, “Rabbi, look, the fig tree which You cursed has withered.”

And Jesus answered, saying to them, “Have faith in God. Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him. Therefore, I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you. “Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions. “But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions.”

Jesus’ mood? ______________________

Jesus’ reason?: _____________________

Jesus found the tree as ‘useless’ and “cursed” it. Was He teaching His disciples, by this act, not to spend their time on things (people?) who were decidedly and purposefully ‘useless’ in the Kingdom.

Was Jesus mood was pragmatic?

He was dealing with this matter based on a practical spiritual application rather than theoretical considerations. He is teaching His disciples how to “do His Works, and greater works”. He was not driven by moods, but by the opportunity to Speak the Words of Truth and to teach the Truth which transcends this natural world, so His disciples could walk in the Spirit and in power.

He also told His disciples, in other scriptures, that if they ever lost their usefulness or ‘saltiness’ they would be good for nothing except to cast out and trod under the foot of men’. Matthew 5:8.

Paul also teaches that God takes no pleasure in those who shrink back, in the sense of being cowardly. Hebrews 10:39 Jesus actions were brave, bold and direct Truth.

Jesus’ acts were always bold. He was not worried about recrimination for destroying the unfruitful tree and teaching it to his disciples. Revelation 21:8 teaches us that “But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” (This is the bold truth.)

In conclusion, Jesus’ teaching is about faith, the demonstration of faith and the obstacles to faith and to overcoming this world.

It is a Spiritual law that “Unforgiveness” will negate your faith. So when the Bible tells us “But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions” it is really saying that you have chosen to abrogate God’s forgiveness toward you and to negate the authority Jesus have given you.

It is our choice, not His.

To wit:

FAITH – Mark 11:23 “Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him.

DEMONSTRATION OF FAITH – Verse 24.  “Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you.

ABROGATION OF FAITH – Verse 25.  “Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions. Verse 26.  “But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions.”

Was Jesus “moody”?

Was Jesus always “Kind and Gentle”?

Was He showing love for others?

How does this Truth apply to our ‘moods’? To our speech, conduct and Kingdom effectiveness?

The ministry of ‘changing the world for Jesus’ isn’t over yet. So, let’s Walk Out our Faith in power and in Truth.

Your Friend and Brother

Mike Young

WAS JESUS EVER MOODY? – The Temple

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

passover.jpg

JESUS, THE LAMB of GOD

Was Jesus “moody”?

John 2:13-17  “The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And He found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. And He (Jesus) made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables;   and to those who were selling the doves He said, “Take these things away; stop making My Father’s house a place of business.”  His disciples remembered that it was written, “ZEAL FOR YOUR HOUSE WILL CONSUME ME.”

Jesus’ mood?:                                               

Jesus’ reason?:                                             

First, let’s recognize that “Passover” Jewish holiday, which commemorates the liberation of the Israelite (The Jews) by God from slavery in Ancient Egypt and their freedom as a nation under the leadership of Moses.

It commemorates the Exodus as described in the Hebrew Bible, in which the Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt.

The New Testament states that the resurrection of Jesus, established Jesus as the powerful Son of God and is cited as proof that God will righteously judge the world. For those who trust in Jesus’ death and resurrection, “death is swallowed up in victory.” Any person who chooses to follow Jesus receives “a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead”.

Through faith in the working of God those who follow Jesus are spiritually resurrected with him so that they may walk in a new way of life and receive eternal salvation.

Easter is linked to Passover and the Exodus from Egypt recorded in the Old Testament through the Last Supper, sufferings, and crucifixion of Jesus that preceded the resurrection.

So, Jesus, the Passover Lamb of the New Covenant with God, comes to Jerusalem for the Passover and found those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables, in the Temple.

NOTE: Jesus took the time to stop and braid some cords into a scourge. This shows that Jesus was very deliberate with His intentions.

Was His purpose just to drive the money changers and those selling oxen, sheep and doves out of the Temple?

We read in scriptures

John 2:18-22  “The Jews then said to Him, “What sign do You show us as your authority for doing these things?”  Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”  The Jews then said, “It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?”  But He was speaking of the temple of His body.  So when He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He said this; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken.”

Jesus’ mood? Serious.

Was Jesus Angry?

NOTE: There is not one word, nor is there one tense of any word, nor is there any root of any word, in all of these New Testament verses that indicates a mood or disposition of human anger in Jesus.

The Bible shows Jesus is Resolute. Decisive. Aggressive and Zealous.

And, therein lies the clue: “ZEAL FOR YOUR HOUSE WILL CONSUME ME.” Zeal in the language used in the Bible means “excitement of mind, ardor, fervor of spirit” and comes from a root Greek word, “zeo” which means “to boil with heat, be hot”. It can be used as a metaphor for “boiling anger for what is good”.

What we are witnessing is also called “Righteous Indignation”.

Read 2 Corinthians 7:11 “For behold what earnestness this very thing, this godly sorrow, has produced in you: what vindication of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what avenging of wrong! In everything, you demonstrated yourselves to be innocent in the matter.”

An “indignation” that produces “zeal” and avenging of wrong, yet found to be innocent in the matter. Righteous Indignation.

Jesus expressed righteous anger over the sins of the people (Mark 3:1–5; Matthew 21:12–13; Luke 19:41–44). But His anger was directed at sinful behaviors and unmistakable injustice. (this sentence comes from Righteous Indignation and Anger – Got Questions .com?)

James also gives us good instruction when it comes to righteous indignation: “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God” (James 1:19–20).

Jesus reason and purpose is to teach Spiritual Truth about

  • FAITH,
  • The DEMONSTRATION of our FAITH
  • The dangers of the ABROGATION of our FAITH (that is, that which negates our faith)
  • Impediments of Access to God
  • Righteous Indignation / anger.
  • Jesus calls every believer to ministry.
  • The Holy Spirit equips every believer for ministry.
  • Jesus sends every believer to the mission fields
  • Jesus calls every believer to serve His Body.

No exceptions. Jesus instructs us to either pick up our cross and follow Him into the mission fields, or go back to where you came from.

  • Let’s FOLLOW Him.
  • Let’s DO as Jesus has done.
  • Let’s KNOW these things
  • FAITH in God
  • The DEMONSTRATION OF our FAITH
  • The ABROGATION (Impediments) TO our FAITH
  • THE COST OF UN-FORGIVENESS
  • THE COST OF DISOBEDIENCE
  • THE COST OF UNRIGHTEOUS ANGER

Now I ask you, was Jesus being “Kind and Gentle”?

Was He showing love for others?

How about You? Does your life and walk demonstrate these Truths? Do you apply them to your speech, conduct and Kingdom effectiveness?

Let’s all master these things as we follow Jesus.

Let’s all Walk in the Holy Spirit and nothing will be impossible to those of us who believe (Mark 9:23)

Please, pray for me. I know that by writing these things I will be held accountable. Let’s pray for one another as we Follow Jesus.

Your Friend and Brother

Mike Young

AVOID THE PIT

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

AVOID

The Pit.png

ESCAPE THE PIT

WE SHOULD KNOW THIS. IT WILL SAVE OUR LIFE AND OUR SOUL.

(We can actually DO this for our benefit – and for God’s glory.)

Psalm 103:1, says, “Bless the LORD, O my soul, And all that is within me, bless His holy name.  Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget none of His benefits;  Who pardons all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases;  Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with loving kindness and compassion;”

So, what exactly is THE PIT, God rescues us from?

The Bible defines “THE PIT” as

  • corruption,
  • destruction,
  • a ditch and
  • a grave.
  • It is also referred to as a “pit of hell”.

This definition is from the Hebrew language and comes from a root word or meaning

  • “to sink down,
  • be bowed down,
  • be humbled;
  • depression of the mind.

(definitions taken from the Hebrew of Psalm 103:4)

What is the PIT we can fall into which becomes our corruption, our destruction, a ditch a grave and a “pit of hell”? What are these PITS which cause us to sink down, to be bowed down, humbled and depressed in our mind? Here are a few:

The PIT of fear.
The PIT of anger.
The PIT of poverty.
The PIT of hatred.
The PIT of anxiety.
The PIT of lack and want.
The PIT of revenge.
The PIT of selfishness.
The PIT of resentment.
The PIT of addiction.
The PIT of lust and perversion.
The PIT of self-pity.
The PIT of envy.
The PIT of pride.
The PIT of self.

These and many more can become (or have become) a snare to our soul and mind. They can dictate our every thought and act and lead us into daily captivity of depression, destruction. A living hell. An above ground grave.

ESCAPE THE PIT

Avoiding the PIT takes discipline and work on our part. You must consciously tell our soul to Bless the LORD. The Bible tells us to bless the LORD, with your soul, and with all that is within you, bless His holy name. Bless the LORD, with all your soul, and forget none of His benefits”

If we follow this command – in other words, actually DO this – God redeems your life from the pit, and will crown you with loving kindness and compassion

Do it now. You will see.  SPEAK THESE THINGS, ALOUD, NOW and frequently.

“I Bless you LORD with my soul,

“I Bless you LORD with my mind, will and emotions.

“My soul says, I Bless you LORD for you have rescued me, and You give me Your peace.

“You give me Your Joy.

“Today, I am full of Your Peace and Your Joy.

“Today, I am redeemed.

“Today, You have given me a strong and sound mind. I bless you LORD for You are my redemption.”

I am FREE of fear.
I am FREE of anger.
I am FREE of poverty.
I am FREE of hatred.
I am FREE of anxiety.
I am FREE of lack and want.
I am FREE of revenge.
I am FREE of selfishness.
I am FREE of resentment.
I am FREE of addiction.
I am FREE of lust and perversion.
I am FREE of self pity.
I am FREE of envy.

I am crowned with the courage of God.
I am crowned with the peace of Jesus.
I am crowned with all of God’s provisions of plenty.
I am crowned with God’s Love.
I am crowned with the confidence with comes from knowing God.
I am crowned with all the riches of Christ Jesus.
I am crowned with God’s reconciliation.
I am crowned with freedom in from the flesh.
I am crowned with God’s contentment.
I am crowned with a pure heart and a clean mind.
I am crowned with God’s satisfaction in my soul.
I am crowned with the gift of giving.

Bless the LORD, Oh my soul, and all that is within me. Bless His Holy Name.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

KEEPING IT SIMPLE

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

 

(Please note, links are used in place of footnotes for references and citations.  Please review each link in order to get the full teaching on these matters.  Also, you can pause the Audio podcast to follow a link and resume the audio when ready.)

“And there are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written.”  John 21:25

There are millions and millions of books, articles, commentaries and opinions describing and defining “What is a Christian”, and, how a Christian should think, behave and what they should do.  It can be a bit daunting and confusing, but, it need not be.

The Bible, if read in context of itself and read at face-value (except for the obvious metaphors, idioms and similes) the Truth clearly emerges.

Here is an example of KEEPING IT SIMPLE when asking…

1. What is a Christian?

2. How does a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ, think?

3. How does a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ, behave?

4. What is a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ, to do?

Here are some, out of numerous scripture verses, that may help answer this important, but basic, questions – all without opinions.

1. WHAT IS A CHRISTIAN?

Acts 11:21-26 ” And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord.  The news about them reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas off to Antioch. Then, when he arrived and witnessed the grace of God, he rejoiced and began to encourage them all with a resolute heart to remain true to the Lord; for he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And considerable numbers were brought to the Lord. And he left for Tarsus to look for Saul; and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. And for an entire year they met with the church and taught considerable numbers; and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.”

John 13:34  “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Acts 1:8  “but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”

John 15:5  “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me, you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.”

 

 2. HOW DOES A CHRISTIAN, A FOLLOWER OF JESUS CHRIST, THINK?

Philippians 2:5  “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death [h]on a cross.”

 Philippians 2:1  “Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any [a]affection and compassion, make my joy complete [b]by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.  Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;  do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.”

 

3. HOW DOES A CHRISTIAN, A FOLLOWER OF JESUS CHRIST, BEHAVE?

 John 5:19  “Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever [e]the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner.”

 John 5:30  “I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.”

John 12:49-50  “For I did not speak [s]on My own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a commandment as to what to say and what to speak. I know that His commandment is eternal life; therefore the things I speak, I speak just as the Father has told Me.”

 

4. WHAT IS A CHRISTIAN, A FOLLOWER OF JESUS CHRIST, TO DO?

 John14:10  “Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you, I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. 11 Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves. 12 Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.”

 MY CONFESSION

(To memorize and repeat as your confession, and be strengthened)

I WILL THINK LIKE THIS:

 Philippians 2:5  “I will have the attitude in me which is also in Christ Jesus, Who, although existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. I, TOO, WILL TAKE ON THE ROLE OF A BOND-SERVANT OF CHRIST. Being found in appearance as a man, Jesus humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. I too, will humble myself and become obedient to the point of the death of my fleshly desires and passions.”

Philippians 2:1  “Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, I will make Jesus’ joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose, just as Jesus. I will do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind I will regard others as more important than myself; I will not merely look out for my own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.”

I WILL BEHAVE THIS WAY:

 John 5:19  “Therefore as a follower of Jesus, I confess that, “As the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing, I will do the same; for whatever the Father does, these things I will also do, in like manner.”

 John 5:30  “I can do nothing on my own initiative. As I hear the Holy Spirit, I judge; and my judgment will be just, because I do not seek my own will, but the will of God through the One He sent, that is Jesus.”

 John 12:49  “For I will not speak on My own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Jesus has given me a commandment as to what to say and what to speak. I know that His commandment is eternal life; therefore the things I speak, I speak just as the Jesus has told me.”

I WILL DO THESE THINGS:

 John14:10  “I believe that Jesus is in the Father, and the Father is in Him, and He is in me.  The words that I say, I will not speak on my own initiative, but I will allow the Father, Who is abiding in Me do His works through me. I believe it when Jesus says that He is in the Father and the Father is in Him, and He is in me; otherwise I believe it because of the works themselves. Truly, truly, I say to you, I believe in Jesus, so the works that He does He will also do through me; and greater works than these He do through me, because Jesus has gone to the Father. Whatever I ask in Jesus name, that will He do, so that the Father may be glorified.  If I ask Jesus anything in His name, He will do it.”

Let’s pray for one another and hold one another up, until that day – may God find us faultless when He comes.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

More valuable resources at these links:

Knowing and Doing the Will of God.  Do you ever wonder about “The Will of God for your life” or for your life’s circumstances?  It is recognizing and continually doing God’s Will in the course of my life that determines the outcome of His Will for my life

Experiencing God’s Will.  Have you heard this ‘funny definition’ of Insanity: “Doing the same thing over and over, but expecting different results.”  I guess it is sort of funny, but because it bears so much practical truth, it’s really not that funny, especially if you are struggling with an issue. Sometimes it seems, the harder we try, the worse it gets. We might have success for a while, but then we slip back into the same old patterns. We try to lose weight, or we try to stop a habit, over and over and over, we keep using the same old methods, and nothing changes, permanently.   The Bible says to “…be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”

What We Believe.  Our saving faith in Christ Jesus and our Biblical Christian World View determine how we approach all ares of life. We express our Christian World View through politics, theology, art, sociology, philosophy, ethics, anthropology, the humanities, science, history, law and government. But, in the end, this music video (creed and confession) captures the essence of what we believe.

The overthrow of America by Social-Marxism and a grassroots response

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

(Please note, links are used in place of footnotes for references and citations.  Please review each link in order to get the full teaching on these matters.  Also, you can pause the Audio podcast to follow a link and resume the audio when ready.)

I was watching a video of a fellow trying to lure a lion cub, abandoned by its mother, into a container, so he could perhaps adopt it.  This man would lay morsels of food leading to the cage. The hungry cub would eat one morsel after another, but, upon reaching the door of the cage would turn and run away.

The man’s attempt to capture the cub, apparently, went on for several weeks, until finally the lion cub entered cage. The door was shut and thus began a process of ‘taming the cat’ so they could be friends.

The cub grew into an adolescent lion. But, his captor-foster parent, had plans to tame and transform this lion into a house pet so he could make certain the cat could be well cared for.  He had a plan.

Things were going according to plan. This young lion was never allowed out on his own and never allowed to go near the wild from which she came – lest she might remember and return to who and what she was.

She had been able to adapt to her captivity and to obey commands of her owner, until one day, while walking his “pet” on a leash, she suddenly turned on him, killing him, regaining her freedom.

Some animals, such as elephants and even some felines adapt to captivity.  They live in zoos or the property of a circus, but, they never seem to show the same vitality and longevity as those in the wild.  They just grow old, lethargic and die.

This reminds me of America.  Our early history was of a vibrant people who were willing to take risks in order to find a life with liberty, in their pursuit of happiness.  They were taking full advantage of the pledge of our declaration of independence.  Many would endure hardships and trials, and, in many ways, they were wild and unrestrained – except by the choices they made. The result of this pioneer and free enterprise spirit, was that America grew to be the richest, kindest, most generous and most powerful nation the world had ever seen.

Then came the captors, dropping morsels of food and goodies, leading to the cage.

The year was around 1930.  The timing was perfect.  People were suffering at the height of the Great Depression.  A limited form of the Social Security program began as a measure to implement “social insurance” during the Great Depression of the 1930s, when poverty rates among senior citizens exceeded 50 percent.

The Social Security Act was enacted August 14, 1935. The Act was drafted during President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s first term by the President’s Committee on Economic Security, under Frances Perkins, and passed by Congress as part of the New Deal. The Act was an attempt to limit what were seen as dangers in the modern American life, including old age, poverty, unemployment, and the burdens of widows and fatherless children. By signing this Act on August 14, 1935, President Roosevelt became the first president to advocate federal assistance for the elderly.

The Act provided benefits to retirees and the unemployed, and a lump-sum benefit at death. Payments to current retirees are financed by a payroll tax on current workers’ wages, half directly as a payroll tax and half paid by the employer (self-employed people are responsible for the entire payroll tax). The act also gave money to states to provide assistance to aged individuals (Title I), for unemployment insurance (Title III), Aid to Families with Dependent Children (Title IV), Maternal and Child Welfare (Title V), public health services (Title VI), and the blind (Title X).

Then, slowly but surely, the Beast grew and gained strength.

Then on August 10, 1939 the program broadened to include benefits for workers’ dependents and survivors.

January 31, 1940: Ida M. Fuller became the first person to receive a monthly benefit. Her first check was for $22.54, the inflation-adjusted equivalent of $420.15 today. Fuller lived to the age of 100.

October 1950: Congress authorized the first cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), an increase of 77 percent.

August 1, 1956: Social Security Act amended to provide benefits to disabled workers ages 50-64 and disabled adult children.

September 1960: President Eisenhower signed a law amending the disability rules to permit payment of benefits to disabled workers of any age and to their dependents.

June 30, 1961: All workers now allowed to take early retirement at age 62, albeit at a reduced Social Security benefit.

July 1975: First annual automatic COLA, an 8 percent increase, was paid. Before 1975, each COLA required authorization by Congress.

July 1980: Beneficiaries received the highest annual COLA increase ever — 14.3 percent. The inflation rate in 1980 was 12.5 percent.

April 20, 1983: Comprehensive changes to Social Security, based on recommendations of the National Commission on Social Security Reform (also known as the “Greenspan Commission”) were signed into law, making sweeping changes to shore up the program’s shaky financial footing. The changes included raising payroll taxes and raising Normal Retirement Age (NRA).

October 1, 1988: A nationwide toll-free number was implemented for people to contact the Social Security Administration (SSA).

May 17, 1994: The SSA official website was launched.

October 1, 1999: The annual mailings of Social Security Statements began. About 125 million statements, showing workers’ earnings and projected benefits, were sent to all workers ages 25 and older.

April 7, 2000: The Senior Citizens’ Freedom to Work Act of 2000 was signed into law, eliminating the Retirement Earnings Test (RET) for those beneficiaries at or above NRA. (The RET still applies to those beneficiaries below NRA.) The RET was an original feature of the Social Security Act.

February 12, 2008: Kathleen Casey-Kirschling, the first boomer to apply for Social Security retirement benefits, received her first monthly benefit payment.

May 1, 2012: The Social Security Statement became available online after most paper statements stopped being mailed out in 2011. Today, paper statements are mailed only to workers 60 and over who are not yet collecting benefits and who have not set up an online My Social Security account.

March 17, 2020: Social Security field offices shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Most services continued to be offered online or by telephone, rather than in person.

April 22, 2020: The annual report from the Social Security trustees projected the combined trust funds would be exhausted in 2035, after which only just over three quarters of benefits could be paid.

September 17, 2021:  SOCIALISM, is hiding in the United States, in plain sight. Take a look at the U.S. Budget and where the money goes.

Today, sixty-nine percent of the U.S., budget goes to some form of Socialist program such as medicare, medicaid, social security and income security.  Let that sink in:  69 PERCENT of our budget – your money, confiscated through taxation.

Here’s where the fraud begins:  Like all things Socialist-Marxist-Communist, they are a fraud, a lie hiding behind false promises.

Social Security has a trust fund, and that trust fund is supposed to have $2.6 trillion in it, according to the Social Security trustees.

Social Security benefits are entirely self-financing.  They are paid for with payroll taxes collected from workers and their employers throughout their careers.  These taxes are placed in a trust fund dedicated to paying benefits owed to current and future beneficiaries. The democrat controlled government has told us that even though Social Security began collecting less in taxes than it paid in benefits in 2010, the trust fund will continue to accrue interest and grow until 2025, and will have adequate resources to pay full benefits for the next 26 years.  (as reported by President Obama’s budget director, Jack Lew, in February 2011, in USA Today.)

The problem in 2021 is that our captors toppled the U.S. system of government “Of a people and by the people”, confiscated our wealth, perverted our system of justice and has polluted our sense of morality – and the Socialist-Marxist federal government fully emerged.

In the grandest of all acts of fraud, thievery and evil, the Marxists in our U.S. Congress ‘borrowed’ all of that trust fund money and spent it.  And the only way the trust fund can get some cash to pay Social Security benefits is if the federal government draws it from general revenues or borrows the money—which, of course, it can’t do because of the debt ceiling. The result being, we are completely and entirely dependent on the government to supply our needs – we are in the cage.

Another glaring example is Nancy Pelosi, a democratic leader of the House of Representatives, the speaker of the House, and a Socialist-Marxist democrat.  She has said, “the disparity in our country of income, where the wealthy people continue to get wealthier and some other people are falling out of the middle class when we want to bring many more people into the middle class. But that disparity is not just about wages alone. That disparity is about ownership and equity. It’s all about fairness in our country.”  (see the video here Pelosi on Capitalims, or see the transcript, here.)

The hypocrisy and the lies are hidden in the details, yet in plain sight:  Pelosi, Democratic party member makes an annual salary of around $223,500 as of the Speaker of the House of Representatives. It’s been around two years since she took on the role, and her bank balance has just been on the rise since then.  As of 2021, Nancy Pelosi’s net worth is estimated to be roughly $120 million.

The median household income in the US for the ‘average American” in 2019 was $68,703.   According to Pew Research, middle-class households are those with an annual income in 2018, ranged between $48,500 and $145,500.  In another research of 2019, the income range for a middle-class household of three was between $53,413 and $106,827.  And, Pelosi makes at least twice that amount off your back – the taxpayer.

The net worth of the American middle class is between $29,760 and $191,900.  Nancy Pelosi’s salary exceeds $223,000 and her net worth exceeds $120,000,000 – made off the backs of middle class America!  Yet she has the temerity to denigrate Capitalism and the American Way and to say that the middle-class is being treated unfairly.  She advocates Communist economics and policies, “each according to his need”, which throughout its history has always lead to poverty, lack, resentment and death!

So, where do we go from here?  Nowhere.  That’s where we are going, nowhere – unless “We the People”, act, now!

It is time to break out of our cages and to turn on our keepers!

The Communist manifesto claims that “Socialism is just a necessary step to Communism and then must be done away with”.   “Nowhere” is a place, it is a state of being and it is defined as Communist-Marxism.  It is the same ideology which murdered over two hundred fifty nine millions (259,000,000) people worldwide since 1900.

Socialists and communists say Globalism is the key to worldwide prosperity. But, the truth is that Globalists are Marxists and they know Global Marxism is the key to controlling people under the dictatorial rule of godless communism.

“The task before UNESCO,” said its first Director-General Julian Huxley in 1946, is “the emergence of a single world culture by transferring full sovereignty from separate nations to a world organization.”

The “new world order” will be a socialist, authoritarian global government and court with “global rule of law” and a “one-world economy,” according to the Commission for Global Governance.  When implemented, the New World Order will bring all the people of the world into a global neighborhood managed by a world-wide bureaucracy, under the direct authority of a minute handful of appointed individuals, and policed by thousands of individuals, paid by accredited NGOs, certified to support a belief system which contains ideas that are foreign to the American experience, and ignores other values and ideas that are precious to the American experience.

Both, our federal and state governments have been compromised.  As of this date, August 31, 2021, these Globalists, have been embedded in our government, in our legal system at every level, in our religious systems, in our churches, in our school, colleges and institutions of higher education. Over 528 American cities are members of “Local Governments for Sustainability”, which is the Agenda 21 program at the local level.  Also known as “ICLEI”, an international Marxist and Socialist leaning sustainability organization, that helps to implement the Agenda 21 and Local Agenda 21 concepts across the world. The United States has nearly half of the ICLEI’s global membership of 1,200 cities promoting sustainable development at a local level. (Former presidents, Bill Clinton and George Bush, were responsible for promoting and implementing these Marxists programs in America.)

We have lost this war for the hearts, minds, souls and the sovereignty of the once great United States of America. The coup d’état is complete.  We, as a nation, have been swallowed by the Socialist Beast.  We are now a nation practicing Socialism and controlled by Socialist-Marxists.  But, this is only the beginning.

The ultimate aim of this Global Marxist Movement can be found, amazingly, in documents that date back over 2,800 years – in the Bible.

Now, at the time of this writing, September 17, 2021. there is a convergence and concurrence of global events, as never been seen before, in alignment with Bible prophecy. ”The branch of the olive tree has become tender and is putting forth its leaves, so, you know that summer is near; so, too, when you see all these things, recognize that Jesus is near, right at the door!”

Please click the following link titles to read what you and I must know and what we can do – must do – as a response:

  1.  American Under Siege.
  2. Most people will not fight back.
  3.  Go on the Offensive, part 1.
  4.  Go on the Offensive, part 2.
  5.  Go on the Offensive, part 3.
  6.  How to deal with Marxist in the Church.
  7.  Be ready for the coming judgment and the return of Christ.

I realize this is a fairly long article.  But, please take you time to study each link and the information provided.  Then, write to me.  Let’s put our RESPONSE into action.

I am wanting to starting meeting in person to get with you and others to discuss organizing, encouraging one another and moving forward!  IT IS TIME TO TURN ON OUR KEEPERS and get our freedoms back!

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

NEXT:  AGENDA 2030 – THE U.N. – GLOBAL MARXISM- THE DEMOCRAT PARTY’S ASSAULT ON AMERICA

SO, WHAT’S WRONG WITH SOCIAL SECURITY AND SOCIALISM?

It is a method of despotic control. The Church – that is all Christians – is / are tasked with the responsibilities of caring for one another, the less capable, widows and orphans.  All this has taken over by a secular anti-Christian government because the Church – Christians – have failed to continue the works of Christ, Jesus.

SAVING FAITH and the Demoniac

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

 

(Please note, links are used in place of footnotes for references and citations.  Please review each link in order to get the full teaching on these matters.  Also, you can pause the Audio podcast to follow a link and resume the audio when ready.)

SAVING FAITH – THE DEMONIAC – Episode 4

Matthew 17:14-20  says, “When Jesus, Peter, James and John his brother came to the crowd, a man came up to Jesus, falling on his knees before Him and saying,  “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is a lunatic and is very ill; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water.  I brought him to Your disciples, and they could not cure him.

” And Jesus answered and said, “You unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him here to Me.”  And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him, and the boy was cured at once.

Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not drive it out?”  And He said to them, “Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.”

This important event gives us a visual of what Spiritual Warfare can look like.

First, this man describes his son as “lunatic” which translates from the Greek word, “seléniazomai”, to be moonstruck; lunatic, to be epileptic (epilepsy being supposed to return and increase with the increase of the moon).  We find out a few verses later, when Jesus heals him, that his symptoms are because this boy has been possessed by a demon.

The disciples had tried to heal the son, but, were unable to drive the demon out of the boy because of ‘the littleness of their faith’.

It is obvious that Jesus is displeased with his disciples, to say the least.  He chastises them, saying, “You unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you?”

Note that the word “unbelieving”, translates as, incredulous, without Christian faith; not to be trusted, perfidious; heathen), and the word (“perverted” translates as to distort, misinterpret, corrupt).  A harsh indictment, indeed.

It is both interesting and frightening that although Jesus uses the word “generation”, it is apparent that His angst is directed primarily at His disciples.  It is also interesting that Jesus, knowing His time is short on earth and that He will soon face a humiliating and excruciating death, says “how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you?”, as if to say He would rather be gone than to have to deal with this incredible absence of faith and earthbound, twisted and corrupt understanding of God and His ways.

Jesus concludes His remarks with, “for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.” The phrase “for truly I say to you” (‘say’, from the Greek word ‘lego’) is emphatic.  Jesus was not calmly teaching His disciples as much as He was reproving them and admonishing them to embrace faith in Him, do the impossible and “move some mountains”.

This is not just a story for us to read, to muse over or get excited about.  It was, and is, a message from Jesus to His disciples, both then and now.

His words were spoken prophetically and emphatically (and, in the aorist tense), which means that this is a command and an action which has no regard for the past, present or future, it is an ongoing action; i.e., it was true yesterday, it is true today, and it will always be true!  This means that these words were not just for the disciples or for the people of that generation, His words were for all people of all time.

These Words are for you and for me:  “Have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this or any mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.”

This is how we – you and I – will engage the enemy, Satan and his demons and beasts – with faith the size of a mustard seed.

You and I will silence the ignorance of foolish men, we will pull down strongholds of darkness, we will destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.  We will be ready to punish every disobedience.

We will put armies of the darkness to flight and will destroy the devil’s works of sickness, disease, fear, doubt, calamity, poverty, loneliness.  This is how we cast out demons, vanquish evil from our land and cause the devil and his legions to flee.

He has given us – you and me, as His disciples – authority

  • Over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and
  • To heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness
  • To Heal the sick,
  • To raise the dead,
  • To cleanse the lepers,
  • To cast out demons.

“And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’  Freely you received, freely give. (Matthew 10)

As important as the foregoing message is to us, let’s be mindful that it is not the “MAIN THING”.  The primary message for us is,

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.  For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God.”

Jesus Christ was crucified, died, and was buried; He descended to hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

Everything else follows the primacy and the Name of Jesus.

Dear brothers and sisters and friends, let’s please enter into His service and be about doing what He has called, commanded and commissioned us to do.

The following chapters in this series are Biblical teaching on the exercising of your faith and the outcomes. This is not just for reading, but, for you and me to learn to exercise our faith and to see these outcomes in our own lives.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

Go to the Next Episode, ASK IN FAITH BELIEVING

 

AMERICA UNDER SIEGE – On the Offensive, Part III

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

(Please note, links are used in place of footnotes for references and citations.  Please review each link in order to get the full teaching on these matters.  Also, you can pause the Audio podcast to follow a link and resume the audio when ready.)

​

AMERICA UNDER SIEGE

Going on the Offensive, Part III

“Fighting Back”

NOTE:  If you are a Conservative or a Christian in America, every issue that runs counter to your mores or is in conflict with our existing laws, traditional social norms, our Constitution and our Christian faith, including plain decency, can be attributed to the Democrat Party or any Leftists activist organization’s drive to divide our nation in order to complete their implementation of the One World Marxist Government.

When we try to extinguish each and every political, social or religious ‘brush fire issue’ ignited by the opposition, it only serves to distract us from fighting the Beast orchestrating this evil, and cutting off his head.

Please take a minute and go back a few years in time with me, before the COVID-19 pandemic. The Democrat party in America and many Republican co-conspirators, have been working for the past 75 years to complete and implement Socialist-Marxists ideologies and practices into the fabric of our nation at the federal, state and local governments levels though our legal systems, our primary, secondary and university level educational systems, the media, our health care systems, our religious institutions and more.

Then, in November 2019, a mysterious virus began infecting people in Wuhan, China.  Investigations and subsequent reports show this virus had most likely escaped from a virology research lab in the same city. Coincidental?  Most experts think not. China, the clear leader in promoting and implementing communism around the world, using any and all means necessary.

Furthermore, China has been uncooperative in revealing any information about this virus, how it escaped the lab, why they were doing such biological testing and has refused help in containing the virus. The COVID disease quickly spread around the globe.  One has to wonder if this was a planned event.

The Biden administration refuses to hold China accountable and, in fact, is working with China to find new alliances, potentially giving up strategic U.S. advantages.

Several high ranking Democrat members of Congress (Rahm Emanuel, former Obama advisor; Nancy Pelosi, Maxine Waters, Chuck Schumer and House majority leader, Eric Cantor and sitting president Joe Biden), have brazenly used the pandemic as an opportunity to pass legislative spending bills and executive orders which are in clear violations of the constitution and existing laws.

Thus began, the politicization of the COVID-19 pandemic using questionable, if not illegal, methods unrelated to any emergency or crisis at hand.  Democrats in Congress are now regularly using crises or national emergencies to manipulate public opinion and as opportunity to foment unrest and violence to reach their globalist agenda.  They, like Rahm Emanuel, seem to be saying, “Never let a good crisis go to waste” when it comes to promoting Socialist-Marxism in America and around the world.

FIGHTING BACK

There are an increasing number of grassroots movements fighting back politically.  There are some state and local governments passing legislation to fight Agenda-21’s Marxist attack on our Nation and her sovereignty.  As good as this sounds, they are still just fighting “political brush fires”.

Our goal is to resist and counter-attack the Beast by joining God in Spiritual Warfare!

Satan, also known as the serpent, the devil and the dragon are one-and-the-same, and he is behind all the evil which as ever been on this earth.

The New Testament book of 1 John 4:3 tells us, “every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.” 

If you don’t know by now, let me assure you that Marxism, in all its various forms, (Socialism, Leninism, Communism, etc.) is a manifestation of the works of the Beast.

Chapter 13 of the book of The Revelation, John introduces and describes in great detail two beasts: one beast coming up out of the sea and one beast coming up out of the earth.

Maybe you have asked, ‘what are the two beasts in Revelation chapter 13’.  The short answer is they represent the Antichrist and the False Prophet. These two, empowered by Satan, set out with a mission to deceive many during the Great Tribulation. Let’s consider the roles these two will play in End Times prophecy and our preparation and methods to fight back!

HOW TO GET READY

I have been studying eschatology and the End of Days in particular, for the last fourteen years. I have wondered if the conclusions I was making were Biblical and accurate. But, the things I concluded and taught, are coming true before our eyes.  Today, some prominent and mainline preachers are revising their End of Days views and are coming to the same conclusions as I.

I have written extensively about “What it Means to Get Ready” and “How to Get Ready”, but, to keep this brief, I am attaching a PowerPoint presentation with the Bible’s conclusions. Just click on the image to go to the presentation.  The last page of the presentation will summarize “what it means to be ready”.

Matthew 24:32 tells us,  “For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will. Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in charge of his household to
give them their food at the proper time?”

Again, please pay particular attention to the last page of this PowerPoint presentation.  Much of what it proposes must be done and can be done through your local Church.  But, should the day come – and I believe it is close at hand – when the Church will be forced underground, we must still come together and accomplish His Work. 

We have equal vested interest. We are the Body of Christ.

  • Prepare the Storehouse for the Saints
  • Come Together in Community
  • Make Disciples
  • Find and connect with Christians
  • Plan and coordinate with families
  • Organize “readiness” training classes, and more…

HOW TO FIGHT BACK

First, we must know, that although we may be engaged in the battle, it is God Who does the fighting, giving us the victory, and it is He, Who decides the outcome.

We may be called to a variety of task, such as leading someone to Jesus, calling out and rebuking evil wherever it is found, giving sound Biblical counsel, laying healing hands on the sick and infirm, taking care of widows, orphans, the destitute or a myriad of other things God may put in our way.

Scriptures tell us that although God is protecting us and fighting for us, some of us will give our life in service to Him.  Revelation 12:11 tells us, “And they overcame the devil because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.”

There are dozens and dozens of verses that give us assurances. Here are just three.

Deuteronomy 1:30 tells us, “The LORD your God, Who goes before you, will Himself fight for you, just as He did for you in Egypt before your eyes.”

Psalm 20:6-8, says, “Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed; he will answer him from his holy heaven with the saving might of his right hand. Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand upright.”

Joshua 1:5-6, tells us, “No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them.”

Again, for brevity, here is a sermon and message from Pastor Trent Casto of Covenant Naples Church, Naples, Florida, from the book of Deuteronomy on the subject of “THE PROBLEMS OR THE PROMISES?” Although this sermon is not about eschatology, it gives us the answer to HOW TO FIGHT BACK.

Jesus has told us what is coming.  And, in Matthew 24:9-13, He warns, “Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.  At that time, many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another.  Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. “Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. “But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.”

We will fight and overcome the enemy ‘because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of our testimony’.   You and I must prepare through study, diligence and steadfastness in prayer.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

Click this link to the previous Episode:  Going on the Offensive, Part 2

AMERICA UNDER SIEGE – Going on the Offensive, Part II

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

(You can listen to this audio while you read along, then, you can stop the audio to follow a link, then, resume the audio when you are ready)

AMERICA UNDER SIEGE

Going on the Offensive, Part II

“I Have the Full Armor of God – Now What?” 

(Please note: There is no ‘shortcut’, no easy 1-2-3, to defeating our enemy. It takes discipline and training and preparation.  You need to read, study, pray and prepare.  And, you cannot get the complete detail or a complete understanding of the steps we can and must take, unless you read the related links on each of these pages)

A war to resist and overcome the evils enveloping America and the world can be fought in four basic ways:  (1). Conventional or guerilla warfare, using conventional weapons of war, economic weapons, psychological warfare, the weapons of the media; (2). Political weapons; (3). Changing and winning the hearts and minds of the people through Spiritual Warfare; (4). Pulling down strongholds, taking every thought captive, destroying arguments.

The first two methods have been in use since creation and have brought only temporary periods of peace or limited prosperity for the few.  But, the “unsaved” people among us who are share our Christian ideals, but have not received Christ as their Lord and Savior, are still our allies and co- conspirators, and they will continue to wage war against our enemy using traditional methods.  However, we have been fighting wars throughout our history, which have murdered billions of people and cause destruction at unimaginable costs in dollars and human suffering, so the first two methods have not brought any measure of lasting peace or prosperity, except to a few.

The last method mentioned, Spiritual Warfare, the spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and the pulling down and destroying the strongholds of rulers, authorities,  cosmic powers, and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places, is the only way to defeat and eradicate evil and usher in worldwide lasting peace and prosperity.

Spiritual Warfare and spreading the Gospel is the method, mission and ministry to which God has called us.  It is through Spiritual Warfare, that, in the end, God will judge the entire world, defeat the forces of evil in the bloodiest of all battles.  It is through this warfare that Satan and the Anti-Christ will be cast in the lake of fire for all eternity.)

If you cannot, or will not, believe that this is your mission and that He will  accomplish these things through you, then you are not yet His disciple.  And you cannot know how and are unable TO EFFECTIVELY ENGAGE THE EVIL ENVELOPING OUR NATION AND THE WORLD IN SPIRITUAL WARFARE.

Engaging in the Spiritual War raging across America and the world, requires that you know Jesus as your Lord and knowing what He requires of His disciples (a.k.a., Christians).  It is the indwelling presence of God that enables you to understand what God is saying and to gain the wisdom and abilities to fight this war.

Our relationship with God requires more than just knowing about Him. We must know Him, believe Him and we must follow Him, which requires our FAITH in ACTION. 

Pastor and author Henry Blackaby points out, in his study “The 7 Realities For Experiencing God”, what we should know about God’s ways, His plans and His purposes. It illustrates how we can follow Him. :

      1. God is always at work around you.
      2. God pursues a continuing love relationship with you that is real and personal.
      3. God invites you to become involved with Him in His work.
      4. God speaks by the Holy Spirit through the Bible, prayer, circumstances, and the church to reveal Himself, His purposes, and His ways.
      5. God’s invitation for you to work with Him always leads you to a crisis of belief that requires faith and action.
      6. You must make major adjustments in your life to join God in what He is doing.
      7. You come to know God by experience as you obey Him, and He accomplishes His work through you.

I.   JESUS’ MINISTRY IS OUR MINISTRY

Our relationship with Jesus is more than ‘Just Knowing’; it requires Believing and Doing.   Jesus has

(a) The plan for us to follow,

(b) The purpose which becomes our purpose, and

(c) The ministry for us as His disciples.

For example, in Matthew 10:2, we are told that “Jesus sent these twelve out after (a) instructing them (b) He gave them authority

      • over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to
      • heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness
      • “And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
      • “Heal the sick,
      • raise the dead,
      • cleanse the lepers,
      • cast out demons.
      • Freely you received, freely give.
      • “Do not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your money belts, or a bag for your journey, or even two coats, or sandals, or a staff; for the worker is worthy of his support.
      • “And whatever city or village you enter, inquire who is worthy in it, and stay at his house until you leave that city. “As you enter the house, give it your greeting. “If the house is worthy, give it your blessing of peace. But if it is not worthy, take back your blessing of peace.
      • “Whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake the dust off your feet. “Truly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city.

If you cannot, or will not, believe that this is your mission and that He will  accomplish these things through you, then you are not yet His disciple.  And  you cannot know how and are unable TO EFFECTIVELY ENGAGE THE EVIL ENVELOPING OUR NATION AND THE WORLD IN SPIRITUAL WARFARE.

II.  JESUS’ MISSION IS OUR MISSION

After Jesus’ death and resurrection and just before His ascension, He said:

Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

So, Jesus was sent by His Father and was on The Mission of His Father.  If you are a disciple of Jesus (His follower) this is your mission, and He will do this work through you.

If you cannot, or will not, believe that this is your mission and that He will  accomplish these things through you, then you are not yet His disciple.  And  you cannot know how and are unable TO EFFECTIVELY ENGAGE THE EVIL ENVELOPING OUR NATION AND THE WORLD IN SPIRITUAL WARFARE.

III. JESUS’ PURPOSE IS OUR PURPOSE

1 John 3:8 “The one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, TO DESTROY THE WORKS OF THE DEVIL.”

These are the WORKS of the devil, the thief comes only to STEAL and KILL and DESTROY (John 10:10)

The devil is the accuser, a liar, a thief, a murderer, the author of disease, pain, despair, loss, lack, fear, hopelessness and the like.

IV.  JESUS’ METHOD IS OUR METHOD

Revelation 12:11 “And they overcame him (the devil) because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word (logos) of their testimony (Maturia -> Martus), and they did not love their life even when faced with death.”

Here is how Jesus destroyed the works of the devil.  And, how He will continue to destroy the works of the devil, through His yielded and obedient disciple:

  • Condemns a Fig Tree Matthew 21:17-22
  • Feeds More than Four-Thousand People Matthew 15:32-39
  • Stills the Storm
  • The Catch of Fish
  • The Second Catch of Fish
  • The Temple Tax Money Obtained from a Fish’s Mouth
  • Walks Upon Lake Galilee
  • Water Converted Into Wine
  • Cleanses the Leper
  • Cures a Man With Dropsy
  • Cures the Woman With the Issue of Blood
  • Healing of the Immobile Man
  • Heals a Demoniac
  • Heals Peter’s Mother-In-Law
  • Heals the Daughter of the Non-Jewish, Syro-Phoenician Woman
  • Heals the Demoniac
  • Heals the Ear of Malchus
  • Heals the Epileptic Boy
  • Heals the Nobleman’s Son
  • Heals the Paralyzed Man
  • Heals the Woman With the Spirit of Infirmity
  • Opens the Eyes of a Man Born Blind
  • Restores a Blind Man
  • Restores Sight to Two Blind Men Near Jericho
  • Restores the Centurion’s Servant
  • Restores the Deaf-Mute Man
  • Restores Two Blind Men to Sight
  • Restoring the Withered Hand
  • Throws Demons out of Two Men of Gadara (Gerasa)
  • DEFEATED DEATH
  • Raises Lazarus from the Dead
  • Raises the Daughter of Jairus from the Dead
  • Raises the Widow’s Son to Life at the Village of Nain
  • “Miracles in the Name of Christ”

If you cannot, or will not, believe that this is your mission and that He will  accomplish these things through you, then you are not yet His disciple.  And  you cannot know how and are unable TO EFFECTIVELY ENGAGE THE EVIL ENVELOPING OUR NATION AND THE WORLD IN SPIRITUAL WARFARE.

V.  OUR THREE-FOLD RESPONSE & OUR MISSION

1. Philippians 2:5 Have this attitude in yourselves, which was also in Christ Jesus,

2. John 14:12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.

3. Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

When you ‘hear His Voice’, submit yourself to Him, obey and spring into action!

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

Previous Episode:  Going on the Offensive, Part 1

Next Episode:  Going on the Offensive, Part 3

AMERICA UNDER SIEGE – footnotes & helps

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

The third ‘help’ is some examples of Jesus, speaking The Word.  You can find many more examples by doing your own Bible study.  You will find several examples, below here:

Example:  Matthew 22:15-17, tells us,  “Then the Pharisees went and plotted together how they might trap Him in what He said.  And they sent their disciples to Him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that You are truthful and teach the way of God in truth, and defer to no one; for You are not partial to any. “Tell us then, what do You think? Is it lawful to give a poll-tax to Caesar, or not?”

​Jesus responds

​Matthew 22:18 says, “But Jesus perceived their malice, and said, “Why are you testing Me, you hypocrites.”

​The result

​Mathew 22:22  says,  “And hearing this, they were amazed, and leaving Him, they went away.”

​Example:  Matthew 17:15, tells us of a man who calls on Jesus, and says, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is a lunatic and is very ill; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. “I brought him to Your disciples, and they could not cure him.”

​Jesus responds

Verse 17.  “And Jesus answered and said, “You unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him here to Me.”

The result

Verse18.  “And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him, and the boy was cured at once.

Verse 19.  “Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not drive it out?” Verse 20.  And He said to them, “Because of the littleness of your faith.”

​Example:   John 18:33 tells us, “Therefore Pilate entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?”

Jesus Responds

​Verse 34.  “Jesus answered, “Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?”

Verse 35.  “Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?”

Jesus Responds

​Verse 36.  “Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.”

Verse 37.  “Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?”

Jesus Responds

​Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”

The Result

​Verse 38.  “Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?”  And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews and said to them, “I find no guilt in Him.”

​​Example:  John 4:7, tells us, “There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” Verse 8. For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. Verse 9. Therefore, the Samaritan woman said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask me for a drink since I am a Samaritan woman?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)

Jesus responds

​Verse 10.  “Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”

Verse 11.  “She said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep; where then do You get that living water?  Verse 12.  “You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself and his sons and his cattle?”

Jesus responds

Verse 13.  “Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; Verse 14. but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”

​ Verse 15.  “The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, so I will not be thirsty nor come all the way here to draw.”

Jesus responds

​Verse 16. He said to her, “Go, call your husband and come here.”

Verse 17.  The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.”

Jesus responds

​“Jesus said to her, “You have correctly said, ‘I have no husband’; Verse 18.  for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; this you have said truly.”

Verse 19.  “The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. Verse 20. “Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.”

Jesus responds

​Verse 21.  “Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. Verse 22.  “You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. Verse 23. “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. Verse 24.  “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Verse 25.  “The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us.”

Jesus responds

​Verse 26.  “Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”

​The Result

​Verse 28.  “So the woman left her water pot, and went into the city and said to the men, verse 29. “Come, see a man who told me all the things that I have done; this is not the Christ, is it?” Verse 30. They went out of the city, and were coming to Him.”