Spiritual Warfare - The "Tug of War" For Your Soul

Make no mistake, Satan is alive and well on planet earth.  As Christians, believers in the Truth, this is a fact that we must all face.  There is a very real war going on, not one we can see with our natural eyes, but a war nonetheless and it's taking place right now in the heavenly realm.  The apostle Paul warned us about this in his letter to the Ephesians:

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Ephesians 6:10-13

There are 3 main actors in this war: God, Satan and You.  To put it another way, there is the lover of your soul (God), the enemy of your soul (Satan) and, Your Soul!

Satan has been hard at work, since the beginning, trying to interrupt God's Divine Plan.  Now, that we are in the last of the last days, he knows he is running out of time.  The battles, attacks, evil and wickedness in general in this world will continue to worsen.  As Christians we need to prepare ourselves and not have a spirit of fear but the knowledge that If God Is For Us, Who Can Be Against Us!

Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

1 John 4:4

There is a constant battle going on for your soul.  Satan does not "go after" lukewarm believers....so, if you are not experiencing this tug of war for your soul, that's probably not a good sign.  One thing we can expect as believers, followers of Christ, is that the closer we become to the Lord and the more we promote the Kingdom of Heaven and work to promote the Word and win over souls for the Kingdom...well, the more we can expect to be attacked by the enemy!

“If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.” (John 15:19)

We are hated by the world because we stand for the truth and this world is the devil's domain.  We are simply passing through, pilgrims in a sense, traveling on our way to our True home in Heaven!

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”

1 John 2:15

"Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves."

Matthew 10:16

Personal Note:
What's tricky about this (but gets easier the more you deal with it head on and become a stronger, better equipped fighter) is being able to recognize the "attacks" in the first place.  What I mean by that is when the apostle Paul told us "we wrestle NOT against flesh and blood", he meant just that.  There may be a person / people in your life who you "seem" to be arguing with, almost out of the blue!  That was the case for me.  In my case, and this was a tough one, it was my own family!  I had about four family members turn against me in a matter of days.  When I sat back, took a minute and looked at the situation (gave myself time to calm down), I could see CLEARLY that none of it made any logical sense!  Since the time I was saved, "the enemy" has attempted to knock me off my feet, so to speak, in a variety of ways (mostly health related), but none of them worked.  He found my weak spot in my family!  

What I did in this particular situation was speak to my family members and share my thoughts with them on WHY we were arguing/disagreeing so much.  Eventually all was resolved!  There was a lot of prayer as well.  My point here is that what we may perceive in the natural/flesh as someone simply being mean/nasty, etc., etc. may REALLY be satan USING that person to come after US.  Of course this may not always be the case but as I've mentioned, the better informed we are as Christians, along with the help of the Spirit, the better we will be at identifying an attack from the enemy.

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There is a book that I've recently discovered and in my opinion is a MUST READ for every Christian.  Pastor Patrick Winfrey details how satan, the master deceiver, has infiltrated society throughout the ages...how he accomplishes his goal without us even being aware of it.  This is an excellent read and as a plus, all proceeds from this book will be used to literally feed orphans in the Philippines (one of Pastor Patrick's ministries...Joshua's Ministry).  The link to this book can be found below as well as in the "upper right" section of this page and the title of the book is "Final Boarding Call".  

7 YEAR TRIBULATION & CHRIST RETURN!

Below is a short film produced by Bob Barber (End Time Dream and Vision), that he recently uploaded to YouTube.  He did an amazing job animating highlights from the book of Revelation:

If you have not accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savoir,

pray the prayer below.  If you pray this prayer sincerely, 

from your heart, it will be the best decision 

of your life!

(click on prayer card to enlarge/print/download and share)

(click prayer card to enlarge/print/download and share)

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HERE with your name and address and I would be happy to 

send you a bible free of charge!

Watch Ye Therefore....

“Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” 

Luke 21:36

It is becoming more and more difficult to discern the truth these days when attempting to follow the news.  The deception in the mainstream news media is overwhelming at this point and is only going to get worse.  It is essential, for the Body of Christ, to KNOW what is in the Word and allow the Holy Spirit to guide you with His discernment.

The following are just a few excellent sources of current news from a biblical perspective.  We are called to KEEP WATCH and these are just a few of the sources I "lean on" (or God has provided) to do it:

For a FREE BIBLE, send me your name and address

HERE and I'd be happy to mail one to you, free of charge! 

LET NO MAN DECEIVE YOU

"Be not deceived" and "Let no man deceive you" were not simply suggestions by God the Father and Christ Himself, this is a commandment.  We are not to allow ourselves, as part of the body of Christ, to be deceived by the enemy (who is alive and well).  It's becoming more and more apparent that satan's agents (the beast system) are working in full force at this point. Almost everywhere we turn we can see it, hear it and for those filled with the spirit.....we can definitely feel it!

1 John 3:7-9
Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.8He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. 9Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

Matthew 24:4
And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.

Ephesians 5:6-7
Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.7Be not ye therefore partakers with them.

2 Thessalonians 2:3-4
Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

As exciting as it is to be living in "this generation", where we are seeing prophecy being fulfilled before our eyes, it is also a very frightening/shocking time as well.  We are not to have a spirit of fear however...

I assume most have seen or heard about this but for those who have not, I'll include the video here.  The following statement made by the pope, this past week, is a perfect example of what Christ was warning us about.  The BEST way we, as believers, can equip ourselves against such blatant blasphemy and deception is to KNOW the Word and make sure we are filled with the Spirit....the Spirit will provide the discernment we need (which is crucial now).  

It get's even worse (if that's possible) and this is the part that is frightening to me....

Galatians 6:7

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

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7 Divinely Appointed Days To Fulfill Christ's First and Second Coming - Part 1 Passover

And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years.

Gen1:14

And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the Lord, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts.

Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings.

These are the feasts of the Lord, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.

Lev23:1-4

Many people are probably familiar with both of the above scriptural references but at first glance it may not be absolutely clear what God is trying to tell us in just these few words.  If we take a closer look at the verse in Genesis, when God states that he created the lights in the firmament of the heaven (the sun, moon and stars), he is telling us that the FIRST reason he created these heavenly bodies was for SIGNS.  The very next reason he created them was for SEASONS and THEN they were also to be for days and years (for use in keeping time).  Why? The only logical reason is because the Lord God Almighty, our Creator, was telling us "this is how I am going to communicate with you".  

Note:     seasons does not describe or refer to the seasons that we typically think of such as winter, spring, summer and fall, rather the word used in the original Hebraic text is mo`ed. The definitions given for mo`ed are the following: appointed place, appointed time, meeting, an assembly (as convened for a definite purpose); technically the congregation; by extension, the place of meeting; also a signal (as appointed beforehand):—appointed (sign, time).

So, what God was telling us, from the very beginning, was to look to the sun, moon and stars (keep watch) for any signs (or signals) from Him.  He was also letting us know that He, our creator, has His own divine, appointment calendar!  What makes this point even further is the fact that in Leviticus, chapter 23, the same exact word, mo`ed, is used for the word feasts and seasons (this can be seen in the original Hebraic text here.   God is telling Moses, "this list of "feasts" I'm going to give you are already booked on MY calendar.....keep watch, pay attention and follow the instructions I give you, according to each "feast".  

These are the 7, ONLY 7, days of the year that God told us to "keep" (not including the Sabbath, of course).  He was in essence saying "make sure you mark these 7 days on YOUR calendar too because they're REALLY important!" (of course I'm paraphrasing here).  

The following are THE FEASTS OF THE LORD:

1. Passover
2. Unleavened Bread
3. Firstfruits
4. Pentecost/Shavuot (Weeks)
5. Yom Teruah/Feast of Trumpets/Rosh haShanah
6. Yom Kippur/Day of Atonement
7. Sukkot/Feast of Tabernacles

The first three feasts are set in the first month (the Biblical first month, which is Nisan).  The fourth feast, Pentecost is set at 50 days after Passover and the last three feasts are set in the month of Tishri (the 7th month on the Hebrew calendar). 

The following is what I would consider the absolute Perfection, Mystery and Completeness of God, all wrapped in one:

1. Feast of Passover:  Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying, 'On the tenth of this month they are each one to take a lamb for themselves, according to their fathers' households, a lamb for each household. Now if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his neighbor nearest to his house are to take one according to the number of persons in them; according to what each man should eat, you are to divide the lamb. Your lamb shall be an unblemished male a year old; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. (Exodus 12:3-5)

Jesus, OUR Passover Lamb (The Lamb of God) physically entered through the gates of Jerusalem and was greeted by the multitudes who were shouting "Hosanna to The Son of David" (Matt 21:1-11).  At the same moment, at another gate in the city, the passover lambs were being lead through the gate and assembled for selection by each Jewish family for that Passover.  Jesus then entered the temple and with authority drove out those who were buying and selling! “My house shall be called a house of prayer,” he proclaimed. These events correspond with taking the Passover lamb into the house on the tenth of the month (Exodus 12:3).

The Israelites were to take a year old, male lamb into their households until the fourteenth day of the month in order to inspect it for flaws. It had to be a lamb without blemish (Exodus 12:5). Jesus, the Lamb of God, had come into the house and over the next few days the chief priests, the scribes, the elders, the Pharisees and the Sadducees would all confront and question Him, but they would find no flaw (Luke 20:1-8, 19-26; Matthew 15:22-40, 21:23-27). Even after they arrested Jesus and brought him into the house of the high priest, they could only bring false witnesses against Him (Mark 14:53-59). And finally, when they brought Jesus before Pontius Pilate to have Him condemned to death, Pilate could only state the truth saying, “I find no guilt in Him” (John 18:38). The Lamb was indeed unblemished (Hebrews 4:15).

You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month, then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel is to kill it at twilight. (Exodus 12:6)

At the very time that the Passover lambs were being killed, Jesus was being crucified (Matthew 27:46-50; Mark 15:34-37; Luke 23:44). While all of Jerusalem was busy preparing the Passover meal with the lambs that were being sacrificed, Jesus was uttering His last words, “It is finished” (John 19:30). What was finished was God’s plan for the salvation of all people through the death of His Son. All that the Passover represents had been fulfilled in Christ (1 Corinthians 5:7).

For I will go through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments—I am the LORD. The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. (Exodus 12:12-13)

Just as the blood of the Passover lamb saved the Israelites from the judgments of God and redeemed them from slavery, so does the blood of Christ save all who believe from the judgment of God and redeem them from slavery to sin (1 Peter 1:18-20). 

Jesus said, "Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill” (Matthew 5:17).

God Is Trying To Get Our Attention...Are We Listening?

“And God said: ‘Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years.” (Genesis 1:14)

One of the most talked about and highly anticipated events of this past year was the occurrence of the Blood Moon Tetrad.  These "Blood Moons", as they are referred to, are actually lunar eclipses which just happen to fall exactly on the first and seventh feast days of the Lord, which are Passover and Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) respectively.  

Lunar eclipses are not in and of themselves a rare event. On average, a total lunar eclipse can be seen from any given location, every 2.5 years.  That being said, seeing just two total lunar eclipses (Blood Moons) in one year is that much more rare or significant.  Take that a step further and the Blood Moon Tetrad, which is four Blood Moons appearing over a one and a half year period is very, very rare.  What sets the 2014-2015 Blood Moon Tetrad, and only 8 others, apart is the additional fact that the four eclipses appear on biblically significant days.  In Judaism these feast days are considered High Holy Days.  Since Messiah's first coming, there have only been 9 instances in which the world witnessed four Blood Moons, back to back, over a one and a half year period, where they fell on the Lord's feast days.

So what's the big deal about "Blood Moons" appearing on Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot)?  Well, if we look at when this has happened in the past we see that it's a VERY big deal...for the nation of Israel:

• 1492 - The Spanish Inquisition - Spain expelled the Jews which lead to Christopher Columbus' discovery of America (a refuge for the Jewish people).
• 1948 - 1948 was the year the State of Israel was founded, the first Jewish commonwealth in 2,000 years and the miraculous return to their Biblical inheritance. That same year the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered, the earliest Biblical manuscripts to be unearthed.
• 1967 - 1967 was the year of the 6 Day War when Israel defended herself against the attack of 5 Arab nations, liberating Jerusalem and the Biblical lands of Judea and Samaria. Against ominous military challenges, the Jewish State greatly enlarged her small borders.

These three prophetic events occurred during Blood Moon Tetrads which began in tragedy but ended in victory or triumph for the Jewish people!  

What's more astounding about this particular tetrad is that midway between the four Blood Moons, on Friday, March 20,2015,  the day of the Spring Equinox which coincides with the beginning of the Hebrew month of Nisan, the first month in the Biblical calendar year, there was a total eclipse of the sun for two minutes over the North Pole, a solar occurrence that has never happened before in human history.  The year 2015, however is unique in that the Vernal Equinox, or first day of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere, the day that days and nights are of equal length everywhere on earth, occurred on that very same day!  A Total Solar Eclipse at the North Pole on the first day of Spring has a likelihood of once every 100,000 years. 

“The concurrence and rarity of this natural event, together with the times in which we live, indicates the finger of God,” said Gidon Ariel, an Israeli Orthodox Jew and co-founder of Root Source. A total solar eclipse at the North Pole on the first day of spring occurs once every 100,000 years. For it to occur on the first day of the first month of the Biblical calendar year is, however, entirely unprecedented since this is only the year 5775 according to Jewish tradition, meaning that there has never been such a solar occurrence in human history. 

I think, considering all these facts, it's safe to assume that God is trying to get our attention.  Blood Moons and a "blackened sun" are mentioned in scripture as things to look out for in End Times.  As John Hagee says, "Something's About To Change" and I have to agree.  Something very significant is coming, not only to the nation of Israel but I believe to rest of the world as well.  Are you ready?

7 Highly Anticipated Events That Are Going To Happen By The End Of September

Is something huge going to happen? For quite some time now, individuals have been speculating about the events slated to occur in the second half of this year, for different reasons. For some, the biggest concern is the "not so covert" Jade Helm Military Exercises and the remarkable deployment of military vehicles and hardware that we have been seeing everywhere, throughout the US. For others, it's the arrival of the 4^th Blood Moon and the end of the Shemitah cycle.

Yet others are most worried about political "activities" in Washington D.C. as well as the United Nations. One can't deny that we are seeing an unprecedented culmination of monetary, political and spiritual "events" coming to a head, so to speak, in the second half of this year. So what does this mean? Is life as we know it about to change? Only time will tell. The following is a list of 7 noteable events that WILL happen before the end of September...

June 26, 2015 – The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 on Friday, June 26, 2015 that it is legal for all Americans, no matter their gender or sexual orientation, to marry the people they love. Many people believe that this historic decision will mark a turning point for the US.

July 15th to September 15th – The much anticipated "military training" exercise known as "Jade Helm" will commence on the fifteenth of July and run for two full months, through September 15th. Over 1,000 armed, military personnel will take part in this training. The rundown of states slated to be included in these drills includes: Texas, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, California, Mississippi and Florida.

May 28th – Reuters reported on May 28th that nations in the European Union were being given a two month due date to adopt "bail-in" legislation. Any country that does not have "bail-in" set up at that point will be facing legal consequence from the European Commission. Some believe this is an indication that the EU "elites" may be anticipating yet another financial crisis.

September 13th – This is Elul 29 on the Biblical "Hebrew" Calendar – this is also the last day of the current Shemitah year. Many are concerned or at least keeping a watchful eye on this day considering the fact that we've already witnessed two enormous market crashes during the previous two Shemitah cycles (to the day)! The first was on September 17, 2001 (which was Elul 29 on the Hebrew Calendar) and a week after 9/11. That day the Dow Jones dropped 684 points. Exactly 7 years later, to the day (on the Hebrew Calendar, Elul 29), September 29, 2008, the Dow Jones fell 777 points and to this day remains the largest, one day crash, of all time.

We are roughly one month away from the end of this current Shemitah cycle. As Jonathan Cahn has pointed out in his book on the Shemitah, the "crash" or fall may occur just prior to the end of the cycle or and occasionally just after the cycle ends. That being said, the prior two market crashes were spot on. Nevertheless, it would be prudent for all to pay attention to this date.

September 15th – The 70th session of the UN General Assembly starts on this date. One of the "Hot Topic" issues being presented this year is a resolution which would result in a formal recognition, by the UN Security Council, of a Palestinian State. Traditionally, the US has blocked any such resolution, however Barack Obama has indicated that may not be the case this session.

September 25th to September 27th – The United Nations will be launching a new "sustainable development agenda" for the entire planet. This has been dubbed "Agenda 21 on steroids". However, unlike Agenda 21, this "new agenda" is not JUST about the environment. It will also encompass economic, agricultural, educational and gender equality "issues". This September 25th, Pope Francis will attend, and he will be a key speaker at the conference.

September 28th – This will be when the last, or 4th Blood Moon, of the 2014/2015 Blood Moon Tetrad Appears. Moreover, this last Blood Moon will fall precisely on the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles (Succoth). This last Blood Moon will also be a supermoon (much larger than normal in appearance) and be visible over the city of Jerusalem!

What do these seemingly rare and/or supernatural events signify? It's difficult to say with any certainty. At times such as this, one must rely on his or her faith as a compass and a grounding force.

Is The Rapture Real?

 One of the most world renowned Bible Scholars of our time and someone I hold in high regard, had once described "The Rapture" as: "The Most Preposterous Belief of Biblical Christianity".  However, he goes on to explain (and I agree) that the more you study your Bible, as a whole, you come to the understanding that "The Rapture" is an essential part of God's plan.

When I first heard about "The Rapture", many years ago, my initial response was "Where does the Bible mention a rapture?" "That word isn't in MY Bible!".  Isn't it funny (or not), how defensive we can be about "what OUR Bible" says or doesn't say, especially when we haven't studied it...or for some, even opened it up to read it?

Something important to keep in mind is that whatever language the Bible we're reading is written in, it's a translated version of the original text, which was Hebrew and then Greek.  That being said, a lot can be "lost in translation".  Anyone that can speak or read more than one language knows this.  So, if we are to be diligent in our study of scripture, it's important to have the tools available that allow us to "dig down deeper" into the true meaning or root of certain words.  You'd be amazed at the difference in meaning or context when you compare say, an English translation of the Bible, with the original Hebrew or Greek.  

One tool that I like to use  is Strong's Concordance (The Blue Letter Bible): http://www.eliyah.com/lexicon.html

So, when we look at the passages in the Bible that reference the Rapture, this is what you'd see using the Blue Letter Bible (Strong's):

1 Thess 4:16 For G3754 the Lord G2962 himself G846 shall descend G2597from G575 heaven G3772 with G1722 a shout, G2752 with G1722 the voice G5456 of the archangel, G743 and G2532 with G1722 the trump G4536 of God: G2316 and G2532 the dead G3498 in G1722Christ G5547 shall rise G450 first: G4412
1 Thess 4:17 Then G1899 we G2249 which G3588 are alive G2198 andremain G4035 shall be caught up G726 together G260 with G4862them G846 in G1722 the clouds, G3507 to G1519 meet G529 the Lord G2962 in G1519 the air: G109 and G2532 so G3779 shall we G2071 G0 ever G3842 be G2071 with G4862 the Lord. G2962

After each "English" word (in this case) you see a letter G followed by numbers.  If we look at 1 TH 4:17, we can read in the English that "we which are alive, and remain, shall be CAUGHT UP together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air".  Drilling down deeper, if you click the "number" after the phrase "caught up", you will be brought to this page: http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/Lexicon/Lexicon.cfm?strongs=G726&t=KJV  On this page you can see that the phrase "caught up" comes from, or originates from the Greek word "Harpazo".  You can also see the definition of this original Greek word Harpazo as: 1) to seize, carry off by force (without the consent of the owner),  2) to seize on, claim for one's self eagerly,  3) to snatch out or away. The word "Rapture" is derived from the Latin language.  In the Latin Vulgate translation of scripture, the word "Rapiemur" is used in place of Harpazo.  The translation of Rapiemur is "suddenly caught up".

Another clear reference to the Rapture can be seen here: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+15%3A51-53&version=KJV

These passages that speak about the Rapture are clearly a separate "event", if you will, from the Second Coming (described in Revelation) where Christ returns to this earth and will literally stand on the Mount of Olives (as opposed to "the church" meeting Him "in the air") at the Rapture.

For a comprehensive explanation of the Rapture see the following video:

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