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MARCH 2009
WHY IS EVERYONE SO ANGRY?
Every Monday and Thursday night Jim, Lourdes and I are on the Remnant Call room and we see a variety of different people coming into the room. If you ever want to see how much anger and hate there is in this world then visit our chat room and you will see. We often get people who hold to replacement theology who come into the room and bash us because we believe in a literal “Israel,” populated by actual descendants of Abraham. In their mind, the Church replaces Israel and Yahweh has forsaken the literal Israel because of their rebellion. Ignored are myriads of scriptures that refute their mistaken idea. I always like to pose this question to them. “If the Church replaces physical Israel, and Yeshua is coming back to redeem the Israel, then are you telling me that you aren’t redeemed?” That often causes them to leave. Also visiting our room are people who think that we need to forsake grace and live under the law. Of course, they begin by attacking the Epistles written by Paul as they foam at the mouth to debate any sane notion contrary to their ideas. Continuing on with the list, we occasionally get a witch or a Satanist visiting the room and just when you think things will get boring, we get a visitor who will pop in and say something of a pornographic nature. Of course we bounce all of the above, especially when they become abusive, which they almost always do. The visitors that really bring a tear to my eyes are the good everyday Christians who have gotten so angry about politics, especially the recent election outcome here in the States. It would be an understatement to say that something evil happened on November 04, 2008. The following day there was some sort of sense of anxiety by almost everyone I came into contact with. This feeling wasn’t just felt in the Christians that I know, but also in the secular people who I deal with at work, at the store and other places. It was as if people sensed that we had moved from one age into another and they were uncertain of what this means for their lives and the lives of their loved ones. Of course there were some liberals around who applauded the result of the election and they flaunted their win in front of their conservative associates for a short time, but even they seem to fall silent. I’ve listened to radio talk shows for many years; conservative ones I have to admit. During the Clinton years many of the callers to the conservative shows were liberals who called in to defend Clinton and this never abated for the full eight years of his term. But with the election of Obama this is not happening. Here in California one can still find a car or two with Clinton bumper stickers (our cars don’t rust out here). For most of last year the majority of cars I encountered out on the freeway had Obama bumper stickers on them. Now, very few of the cars sport those stickers. Could it be that many have realized that they were taken in and made a mistake? Are they ashamed of the choice that they made? We’ll probably never know the answer to those questions. I think that the condition of our nation today is a great indictment against the Church of Messiah Yeshua. If you’re wondering why I can say this then let me explain. Yeshua constantly told us that we should be on our guard. In Matthew, the 24th chapter he warns us: And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any man deceive you Matthew 13:5 KJV Now we know that Yeshua was telling people to keep on their guard when it comes to false prophets and the like and that is an important thing to do. Of course the only way that we can know what is false is to spend time and good fellowship with the real article. That means that we are to keep in his Word all of the time. In the banking realm it is the practice of some institutions to cause their new employees to handle large amounts of paper currency. They are encouraged to handle as much as they can so that they can get a feel of the original article. When a teller knows what real money feels like they are more likely to discriminate between it and counterfeit money. In like manner, when we spend copious amounts of time with Yahweh and study His word frequently, aided by the Ruach Ha Kodesh, we know the real Yeshua and it is quite simple to spot anyone who makes false claims that they are Mashiach. It is pretty simple really. So why did I make such a big deal about being able to distinguish the real article from something false? I did this because this is part of the indictment against Christians. As I mentioned above, this whole New World Order thing hasn’t been sprung upon us unawares. It has been coming for a long time and Christians have just stuck their heads in the sand each and every time, ignoring the problems. They either hoped that the other guy would take up the fight against unrighteousness, or they just thought that the unwholesomeness was just a fad that would pass when people got tired of it. I have news for those people; sin never takes a holiday, and just as a loaf of bread becomes infested with leaven so does society with sin. People very rarely get sick of sin on their own, and when people are left to their own devices, sin will always conquer. In the early part of the 20th century there was something called the Scopes Monkey Trial. When the trial was over the Church had been victor but only for a little while. When a battle is over in warfare it is wise of the victor to sweep the field and look for enemy combatants who might have survived the battle. Failure to do so could leave enemy soldiers who will recover and come back to fight you all over again. Not only that, but they now know your battle tactics and they can report to their superiors and inform them of how you won. The next battle could result in a loss for the former victors because the enemy could rout them. Sure the Church won the Scopes Monkey Trial, but they failed to kill the enemy (evolution) and walked away as the enemy got up, dusted themselves over and prepared for the next battle. They just waited for the Church to become fat and complacent and forty years later they introduced a more reformed “evolution” that a corrupted society could embrace. Even then the Church did nothing. Nobody did much to fight this travesty and it was too late anyway because evolution was entrenched in almost every school curriculum and every science textbook. Then when the Church decided to fight it was too late because evolution had become the scientific religion that was taught in every classroom. The same things can be cited with a variety of societal ills including but not limited to, pornography, homosexuality, drug abuse, feminism, abortion and a myriad of other things. It has never ceased to amaze me how a football stadium can be filled every night for a week when a famous evangelist comes to town, but try to get the same people to march against unrighteousness in Washington DC or any state capitol and all of a sudden nobody is interested in attending. Now these may seem like harsh words, even condemning but they need to be said. The Church of Yeshua Ha Mashiach in America has been impotent for a long time when it comes to social issues and because of that fact the very things that we didn’t want to contend with are the things that have banded together and have turned against us in force. Churches are filled today with people who think that evolution might have been used by Yahweh to bring about the creation that we see today. They fully ignore scripture that teaches emphatically that this notion is from hell and disproves evolution vehemently within its pages. Churches are filled with people who think that homosexuality isn’t really a sin; that it is a sickness or even worse, that it is a life style; and who are we to speak against such things. Churches are filled with people who think that there could be intelligent life on other planets and some even think that the fallen angels who appear in the guise of “extraterrestrials” might even be friendly and beneficial to mankind. Yes people are mad today, and this is because they see an unsure future on the horizon. One friend said to me one day, “where are all the men in America anymore. How come we can’t find anyone who will stand against all of this New World Order stuff.” My response to this is, “were were all of the Christians who could have stood up and protested abortion. Don’t get me wrong; many have, but evidently not enough people have because the abomination still covers our land. Where were all of the Christians who could have fought against evolution before it got a foothold in our land. Where were all of the Christians who could have stood up and said, “no, we’re not going to allow homosexuals to force their lifestyle down our throats?” The list goes on and on and like I said there are many other things that we could list; things that we failed to cry out against. In many ways we are like Yerushalayim when Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon had the city surrounded almost six centuries before our Savior was born in Beit-Lechem. At first they heard that the enemy was coming, but they swore that Yahweh would come to their aid, although none of them knew him. Then they heard that the enemy was surrounding the city, but they trusted in the fortifications of their walls and still did nothing. It then came about that they saw that it was hopeless that they knew that their demise was at hand, and they still didn’t repent of their sins and humble themselves before Yahweh. In the end, of the hundreds of thousands of those of the Tribe of Judah, only 4,600 remained. A terrible price to pay for refusing to do the sensible thing. So now we here in the States are faced with an uncertain future. When the cancer was in a few small spots of the body we didn’t excise it, we just ignored it. Now the cancer is spread throughout the whole nation. And now people are mad at the cancer because it has infested the body; but it is not the cancer’s fault. The cancer was allowed to live and thrive and the choice to ignore the cancer will be our demise. We were warned by the cancer itself (Communism) that they wouldn’t conquer us from the outside, but would vanquish us from the inside and what did we do, we laughed at them and said never. We have seen the election of a president who had questionable origins and the media complex and even the Supreme Court ignored it. Over the years we have seen the gradual rise of a shadow government inside of our own government and it went ignored. We seen the hammer and sickle of groups like the ACLU and other subversive Communist types chipping away at our Constitution and everyone just pretended that it wasn’t happening. We’ve seen the attitude that conveys “It can’t happen here,” on the faces of people who knew in their hearts that it was happening here and now I proclaim, “IT HAS HAPPENED HERE.” WHAT WILL CHRISTIANS DO? Well, basically, me and a few others think that believers will splinter into three groups in these last days. The first group is the survivalist group. These brothers and sisters will take to the hills where they have stockpiled food and other supplies. They will escape and always be on the run and they will probably use force to preserve the peace and protection that they feel they have acquired. The second group are the fighters who have acquired weapons and they will fight the enemy, thinking that they will gain something by their resistance. I want to make it clear that I am not including the current day militias in this group. While there may be some people in the militias who fall into this category, I believe it will only be a small remnant of those groups who will be fighting with true righteous intent. The third group is the martyr group. These are the people who be led to the slaughter and will spill their blood for the Lamb. While they are alive they are living sacrifices for Yeshua, and when they are killed they will be martyrs for Yeshua. It may come as a surprise to anyone reading this that I cannot find any fault in any of these groups and I can’t with any conscience say that anyone who falls into any of these groups is not following the commandments of Yeshua. Now I realize that I have probably made quite a few enemies by saying that. After all, there can only be one correct approach, right? Well, not necessarily. The Fighters: Probably the biggest contention to what I have said will come from those who advocate peace and only peace. Well, there is no problem with living that sort of life, and we are to live at peace, but two scriptures come to mind which refute this: And he said unto them, When I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye anything? And they said, Nothing. Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one. Luke 22:35-36 KJV And: I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them. Daniel 7:21 KJV And: And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. Revelation 13:7 KJV A word study of “war” in both the Aramaic text in Daniel and the Greek text in Revelation shows the meaning to be war and battle. The same study showed that the word for “sword” in the passage in Luke actually means a large knife or short sword. There is a tendency on the part of some to only “spiritualize” the words of scripture, and while we know that there is a spiritual meaning to every word of scripture, there is a literal meaning too. The word “sword” in the sense of these scriptures doesn’t denote the Bible, but in this context it means an actual sword. The question then arises if the “war” that is mentioned in Daniel and Revelation is a physical war or a spiritual war and to that I answer yes; it is both. The spiritual part of this equation is quite simple, since our battle is not against flesh and blood, as is elaborated in Ephesians, chapter six. But, how does one battle with a physical weapon and still remain righteous? The answer is simple, and that is if one wars in self defense. A great example of warring in self defense is found in the Nation of Israel. Any war or military action that Israel has committed itself to has been in self defense. Israel has never been the aggressor but has always responded to attacks upon its land. Any territory that Israel has acquired has been taken when rebuffing its enemies and those lands are theirs as promised by Yahweh to them and given to them after the Exodus and affirmed during the time of Melech David’s and Melech Shlomo (Solomon). The Survivalists: As for those who run to the hills and hide, there is really no problem, except perhaps for the fact that they will not be bringing the gospel to the masses. We have to think about one thing however. The ones who run and hide probably won’t be able to hide long, and they will be found either through the Intelligence efforts of the man of perdition, or through betrayal of nonbelievers who have also head to the hills. Remember what the scripture in Revelation said: And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them Well, if he is going to overcome the saints, then it means all of the saints. Since that is so, then those who have run to the hills will be found out sooner or later, and they will then fall into one of the two other groups; those who will fight in self defense, or those who will give up their lives in martyrdom. The Martyrs: Presenting these scenarios to brothers and sisters brings a variety of different responses from them. Surprisingly, the population is split into thirds on this issue. The one thing that I noticed is that the “fighters” and the “survivalists” both tend to label the martyrs as people who refused to prepare for the bad times and in some instances they label the martyrs as wusses; people who are cowards and would rather roll over and die rather than fight. I can’t really fault people for feeling that way because it is the way that society has made us, especially here in the States. We’re supposed to fight until there is not breath inside of us. Many suppose that such an attitude is what has made and kept America free and strong for so long and that is true in a sense, but without the blessing of Yahweh even the best of efforts will fail and fail miserably. There are many in our land that are hearing from Yahweh. We are hearing that the things that are happening to our land now, and will happen in the months and years to come, area actually judgments that come from Yahweh. If this is the case, and all indications seem to point to this being quite accurate, then battling against the New World Order and all of its tentacles might result in our battling the very things that Yahweh is using to bring us to correction. We must all examine if our actions are blessing Yahweh’s plans, or if they are coming against Him. I don’t think that any of us want to working against Him. We have to wonder if our actions are acting out of faith, or if they’re acting out what our fleshly lives want to accomplish. Not all victories have been obtained through physical resistance, warfare and other natural means. We find that many of the wonderful victories come through the death of the righteous when they give up their bodies for a higher purpose: And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions. Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect. Hebrews 11:32-40 The scripture above is interesting because aside from showing the benefits of living a life of faith, it also seems to show us the three types of Believers that will exist in the last days. First it talks about the ones who would fight for the cause. It adds to that mix the prophets, both of which by faith subdued kingdoms. Then it talks about the Believers who were martyrs, who “obtained a better resurrection,” because of their willingness to give their bodies in martyrdom. Then the scripture talks about those who wandered in the wilderness and in caves. One thing that we have to realize about the divisions mentioned in that scripture are that some of the people mentioned in the scriptures fell into two or more categories. David lived in caves as he hid from Saul’s wrath, yet he rose up to become a valiant warrior and finally Melech of Israel. The prophets had the unction to walk before kings and proclaim Yahweh’s will, yet most of them suffered the fate of a martyr. So it is quite possible, and we think probable that a person can be in any one of the three subsets and it does not eliminate them from winning the prize at the end of this life. When we read the book of Revelation, aside from saying that the man of perdition goes to war against the saints, there is really no other scripture to reference that Believers in Yeshua should go into physical battle against the forces of evil. As a matter of fact, we read that the saints that are in heaven fall more under the martyr camp then they do the other camps: And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled. Revelation 6:9-11 And we read later on in Chapter 12 the fulfillment of what was said in chapter six: And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhibiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. Revelation 12:7-12 So we have pretty well determined that there will be three camps of Believers in Yeshua during the time of Great Tribulation; those who flee, those who fight and those who go into martyrdom. We’ve also seen that historically, there have been people who have belonged to two or more groups during their lifetimes. There is really no wrong group, but the people who die by martyrdom obtain a “better resurrection.” What that means we really don’t know, but if it involves being around the throne of Yahweh for eternity then sign me up! WHAT WE REALLY NEED TO BE ASKING OURSELVES When we’re talking about these things it is really important to ask ourselves a vital question. That question is, “what kingdom am I walking in?” We know that when we become Born Again in Yeshua’s Ruach we become new creatures. We also know that when we become those new creatures we have changed our allegiance, or at least we should know that. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God…..That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. John 3:3,6 KJV Another proof is that if we truly are in Messiah’s Kingdom we will be given tasks that promote His Kingdom: Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. 2 Corinthians 5:20 I wonder how many people who will read this article in the days and years to come will really know what the change of kingdoms really means. Last year I wrote an article about being circumspect; being self examining every day. We need to ask Yahweh before we do just about anything, if that thing brings glory to ourselves or this world, or if it brings glory to Him. We’re supposed to forsake this world and its ways. That doesn’t mean that we retreat from society and become hermits, but it means that we just don’t practice what the world practices. Quite a few years ago I used to be a compulsive buyer of all of the things that I wanted. I made an above average wage and the surplus of money gave me the idea that I could have anything that I wanted whenever I wanted it. I was a young believer in Yeshua at the time. After six or seven years of this sort of behavior I was injured in an industrial accident and the result of that was that I had to change professions. The insurance company didn’t want to pay for college so I had to go to tech school. My new profession paid only half of what I was making previously, so I had to cut back. This was all a good thing. So, when I would shop I was forced to ask myself, “is this something that I want or something that I really need.” This is the same way we should treat the things of this world, asking ourselves, “is this something that I want, or is this something that the Kingdom of Yahweh needs.” Who Will You Serve This Day? And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. Joshua 24:15 The eroding of this worldly kingdom has been on course ever since the fall of mankind. When sin came into the world (creation) it brought with it entropy and with that everything winds down to destruction. For many years those of us who live in the States have had a certain amount of pride about where we live and the providence of Yahweh which allowed this nation to become great. To be an American was up until a certain time a blessing that was held with jealous zealousness that seemed to be almost genetic in the nature that it was passed down from one generation to the next. Over the years this too was eroded away to the point of where now people would like to be called world citizens rather than citizens of the States. As a young man I had always found it offensive when people here in the States would label themselves not as Americans, but they would add their ancestral land so that it preceded their American moniker. Italians called themselves “Italian Americans,” the Irish called themselves “Irish Americans,” my Negro friends called themselves “African Americans.” I always wondered if people wanted to come under the American banner of freedom and liberty, they why would they want to identify with the places that they came from. When I was younger I thought it necessary to research my ancestral roots. I did this mainly because I was the only one interested and I thought that someone should step up to the plate and get all of this information for the family. One of the things that I discovered is that one of my German ancestors was of nobility. Their last name was von Lang which literally means, “of Lang,” which is a fancy way of saying that all the progeny of the original Lang who received the noble title would be considered as belonging to this family and since the lower nobility fell under the authority of high persons it meant that this family was sworn to the Kaiser of Germany, whom ever that would be at the time. Well, when they immigrated to America and went through all of the procedures of becoming Americans, they were forced to leave the “von” off of their name because when they became an American they had to swear allegiance to the United States, and not the Kaiser of Germany. They were leaving one kingdom and becoming a part of another kingdom. People in the first emigrations to America, say from the 1840’s to the 1960’s swore allegiance to the United States and they meant it totally and fully and they lived that allegiance resolutely. On the flip side of the coin groups of emigrants started to enter the United States from the 1960’s to our present day and many of them fail to realize what allegiance is. Here in California we are quite a melting pot of immigrants, many coming from all over Asia as well as the former Soviet Bloc and Central and South America. I’ve had opportunity to work with many such persons and one of the things that I have noticed is that the majority of them, when referring to where they came from, still refer to those lands as “their country;” not as their former country, or where they came from, but “their country.” Granted, I think that the majority of these people do this out of ignorance. Take for instance an Armenian woman who I worked with. She would refer to Armenia and refer to it as “her country.” One day this sort of got the best of me and I asked her, “I am wondering, are you planning on becoming a citizen of the United States?” She answered that that was the intent of her and her family. I then told her, “well if that is the case, then this is your country.” She realized what she had been saying and she corrected herself and never used her former phrase again. The immigrants that came in the earlier waves of immigration came to America and they desired to assimilate into American society. They saw the better quality of life and liberty than their old nations offered and they wanted to shed their old ways and take on the new ways. Their offspring shed the language and many of the ways of the old country and pursued lives as fully fledged Americans. This is not so much the case with the immigrants for the past fifty years. Most of them would like to maintain the cultural laws and customs of their native lands while still calling themselves Americans. This is a dichotomy because if one comes to American only to be a foreigner in the States but to obtain all of the benefits and liberties that are to be had here then eventually America will lose any unity that we had and it will turn into a fractured society with many different cultures. We see this today and it is ever increasing till sometime soon America will not be recognized as it once was. My dad used to tell me that the America that he grew up in was not the America that he was presently living in, and I used to balk at that. But as I grow older I am starting to see the same thing; freedoms eroding, values and priorities changing and many other things that make it hardly recognizable from when I was a child. We voted a Marxist into the Presidential office for goodness sake! Now, how does this compare to the two main kingdoms; the world and the Kingdom of Yahweh? There are so many comparisons that it is sort of freaky, but something that you would expect seeing that there is nothing new under the sun. In past times, let’s say before our current so called “age of enlightenment” there were not as many trappings that could take the eyes of people away from Yeshua and His Kingdom. There were no fancy phrases or slogans force fed over the television and radio, and aside from a few classic secular books, most of the people read their Bibles or secular books of a more wholesome flavor. Religions were based in separate and distinct parts of the world and in the case of Europe and the America’s, most people called themselves Christians and as far as many were concerned, there were no other belief systems. When people came to Yeshua, they came for the express desire to become Children of Yahweh and to live in His Kingdom. There weren’t any titles like Black believers or white believers or Hispanic believers (insert all others here). No, to our ancestors there were either sinners or saved. True, there was a big divide between Protestant or Roman Catholic, but the members of both of these groups still separated people into sinners or saved, even if the two participants in the division considered the other as sinner and themselves as saved. If you recall in the pages above I said that it always bothered me that people in recent years put their ancestral ethnicity before the word “American” in their title. This happens today in the church, especially where American Christians are concerned. For almost two thousand years the typical believer in Yeshua marched to the cadence of God, Family and Country. For some reason people in our current era have that all confused. In today’s mantra (I use that word for a reason) there is confusion about whether God or Country should come first. It seems that decision is based on the current condition at the time. If all is going well it seems that people allow God to be in first place. They’re comfortable with affording Him that place in their hearts. At that time His Kingdom is where they dwell and all is perfect with the world. But, when things start to get heated in the political realm then Yahweh is forced to take second place, even though such things are strictly condemned in scripture. Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. James 4:4 NKJV Those are pretty strong words. Don’t you think that if the Ruach Ha Kodesh was speaking with strong terms through Ya’akov (James) that perhaps He considers this a subject that is very close to His heart? And Ya’akov wasn’t unambiguously talking to people who dabbled in sexual immorality when he addresses his audience as Adulterers and adulteresses; no he was addressing anyone who wants to call themselves believers in Yeshua but yet they want to live in the world. There is really no difference in this than from people who emigrate from another nation, take up residency in a new nation yet still refer to themselves as people from their native country. What is Yahweh’s opinion on the flip side of this discussion? Well, he wants those who are born again into His Kingdom by His Ruach to live in that Kingdom. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:33 Yeshua told to people during his Sermon on The Mount. He was telling people to not worry about what you need for life because if you are seeking Yahweh’s Kingdom, and His righteousness, then Yahweh will bless us and give us the things that we need. If we seek His Face then we can be assured that He will give us the things that we need, even if that thing is a righteous government. In 2 Chronicles Yahweh was talking to the Children of Israel and he was making promises, one which is: If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14 Notice that Yahweh is talking to HIS PEOPLE, not the secular people, but people who are called by His Name! Notice that there is a progression in the scripture. First we have to humble ourselves. Yahweh resists the proud but gives grace to the humble, so we really cannot even start until we are humble. Proud people cannot pray effectively, so when we are humble we can then pray. Then we have to seek His face, or perhaps seek His Kingdom? When we seek His Kingdom we naturally will turn from our wicked ways because we are also humble and a humble heart can’t help but realize that it is wicked and needs revival. Yeshua also talked about things that we need to avoid so that we will not become ensnared in the things that can cause us harm: And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. Luke 9:62 Put in simple terms, if you plow and you look back you will not be able to see what you are plowing. You will make uneven rows and you might even run yourself off of the field altogether. If you use the field in this allegory to mean the Kingdom of Yahweh then what Yeshua was saying is that you don’t need to be looking back at the worldly kingdom when you are plowing the field in the Kingdom of Yahweh because that is another place, another life that you have been removed from and brought into a much better world. Finally, the Apostle Paul tells us yet again that we are to forsake the ways of this world, not just because it is the thing to do, but because it is Yahweh’s own will for us to be this way: And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Romans 12:2 And finally there is the scripture where Yeshua lays out the two kingdom scenario, and how a person cannot walk in two kingdoms, and why they can’t: No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Matthew 6:24 Many will tell you that this scripture it talking about money because mammon is the demonic strongman over money and currency of all kinds. But the main thought is that we as believers in Yeshua cannot serve two masters, and we cannot give allegiance to two kingdoms. If you find yourself in that place then let me tell you, the day of decision is now here. Do You Get Mad Because This World is Decaying?? Many who practice the religions of the Far East believe in Karma and reincarnation. Simply put, Karma is the belief that through their actions, people can either move up or down on a ladder of spiritual evolution. They believe that reincarnation is the process by which every spirit lives successive lives where they get to come back again and again until they finally get it right and they reach enlightenment, or Nirvana. I work with quite a few people who hail from the Far East and who practice Hinduism or Buddhism. I’ve posed a question to them over the years about all their beliefs. I ask them if the world is a terrible place to live in. The honest people will admit that the world is a cesspool and that it isn’t the best place to live. Then I ask them why they would want to come back again and again to this cesspool to get it right, especially when the cesspool is set up to make you fail. They really cannot answer that question with any certainty. The thing that I try to get them to understand is that the world is a rotten place. The Bible says in many areas that this is true. We see this very thing borne out almost every day whether we see it on television or in the movies or in real life. So why would anyone want to lay claim to anything in this world that is perishing. Isn’t that sort of like buying and building on property somewhere in Nevada only to find out at the end that you built your home on ground zero of the nuclear testing range? All of this is going to pass away someday, so we shouldn’t get attached to this world or the things thereof. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. 2 Peter 3:10-13 NKJV What Peter was trying to get his readers to realize is that this world and all of the things associated with it will burn up. Scientists are looking for the big bang and they won’t find it because it happens when the universe ends; Yahweh promises that. Let Us Finally Focus Our Eyes on The True Kingdom So with all of this in mind we should be striving to live in Yahweh’s Kingdom. We should not get mad or hostile because our form of government is changing and it looks like soon we believers in Yeshua will be the ones that are being hunted down. Sure, America is circling the great vortex in the bowl that will soon suck it down the drain, but what can worrying, fighting and dying for this once great nation really do? The answer is, absolutely nothing. We know that only things done for Yahweh are worthwhile: And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. 1 John 2:17 The time has come for us to fight for the Kingdom of Yahweh, and to fight with the gifts that the Ruach Ha Kodesh (Holy Spirit) has endowed us with. Yahweh gave us His battle plan a long time ago, and we have missed it altogether: Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This [is] the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts. Zechariah 4:6 We have weapons that the leaders of this world covet and cannot have because they can only be had through righteousness and they cannot come to righteousness because they love evil. We have the following weapons: Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. Ephesians 6:10-20 NKJV The same chapter of Ephesians explains where the warfare really exists. Those who want to take the battle to the physical realm will kill those who operate physically, that is to say the human agents in the battle. But just as every chess piece cannot move unless it is manipulated by the chess player, so too is the case with the human agents associated with the powers of darkness. We need to recognize the following: For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12 NKJV The problem that we run into when one of the human agents is eliminated is that the entities in the spiritual realm just find another human agent to meet their needs. However, when we battle in the spiritual realm more is accomplished; sort of like knocking off a general who gives the orders so that no more orders can be sent. We also need to realize what the ultimate outcome is going to be for all of those involved in the war. The thing about those who fight for Yahweh’s Kingdom is that even if we lose our physical bodies in this war, we are still the winners because we will have glorified bodies for eternity, and those cannot be destroyed. We will live in wonderful bliss in Heaven with Yeshua and our Father. The other side will be resurrected too, but their fate is a large lake of fire within which they will be tormented for eternity. When we think about these things it becomes a bit easier for us to reconcile that giving our lives for Yeshua is really a blessing and an honor. When we are able to focus and to see where the battle really is, and who the battle is really against then it makes it easier to fight in the manner that Yahweh wants us to fight. It All Comes Down to “What Would Jesus Do?” Yeshua came to earth and one of the things that He came here to do was to teach us about righteousness and holiness. He told us to keep HIS Commandments, some of which are the following: Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. Matthew 5:43-48 KJV So in essence, Yeshua wants us to go against our natural instincts when it comes to battling against the enemy. It’s a natural instinct to want to fight against our enemies, but Yahweh’s Word says: If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink: For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the LORD shall reward thee. Proverbs 25:21-22 It is a natural instinct to want to get revenge when we feel that we have been wronged: Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:17-21 The title of this section is “What Would Jesus Do?” The scriptures in the New Covenant point us toward peace toward all people, and to allowing Yahweh to take care of us and all that happens to us. But what better role model do we have except our Yahweh Yeshua; as it is written: Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
So if Yeshua laid down His life for us while we were still enemies, then we should consider it a blessing to lay down our lives for Him. When we’re alive we do this as living sacrifices and when He calls us, we do it for martyrdom. In Summary We explored a lot of things in this study as evidenced by its length. We’ve seen that there will be three groups of believers in the world during the Tribulation, and even before that. There will be the fighters, who will feel led to fight against the Kingdom of The Man of Perdition; but they will fight in self defense. We have seen that there will be survivalists who will head to the hills for the safety that the wilderness provides. There will however be no safety and they too will be killed. Then we saw that there will be martyrs who will die just for being believers in Yeshua. We have seen, as far as I can tell, that is wrong in Yahweh’s eyes. When it all comes down to the last minutes we will see that all people were killed by the Man of Perdition. We did see however that those who are martyred will obtain a “better resurrection.” We’ve seen that the battle really is a spiritual one and that to be fought effectively it needs to be fought in the spiritual realm with the spiritual weapons that Yahweh gave to us; and we discussed those weapons. We’ve know that we are believers in Yeshua, which means that we’re supposed to emulate him. We’re supposed to strive to be just like him; full of holiness and righteousness. That being the case, and by the personal conviction that Yahweh has given to my wife and myself, we opt for the last group so that we can obtain the “better resurrection.” For those of you who feel led to fight or to run to the hills then we pray for you and bless you in Yeshua’s Holy Name. We’ll all see each other again in Yahweh’s Kingdom. But until that time comes, let us press forward to bring many more souls into our Father’s Kingdom!! Copyright 2009 David Ben Yakov – The Delusion Resistance
THE MUFON FILES
In last month’s Journal I wrote about our decision to leave MUFON and why we made that decision. I sent in that article a letter that I sent to James Carrion, the international direction of that organization. Between then and now I got a letter back from Mr. Carrion which revealed to me something that confirmed that we had made the correct decision. Here is the sequel to last month’s article: It took less than a week for James Carrion to answer my letter to him. I would like to include that letter now and then to write a little about it. Here is the e-mail that I received from Mr. Carrion: Hi David, I am sorry to hear that you are resigning as a MUFON Field Investigator and I thank you for your service to MUFON. I disagree with your assessment that MUFON has become more new age. We are more scientific now than we have been at any time in the past. As to the aspects of Ufology that may have spiritual/religious connection, I don’t have an opinion one way or the other, and I haven’t ruled it out as a possibility. I do know that there is a huge element of deception in this phenomenon, and the problem lies in trying to determine who or what is responsible for the deception. MUFON does not in any way label the perpetrators as benevolent or malevolent. The bottom line is what don’t know enough to make that determination and are still searching for the answers. I wish you all the best in your future pursuits. James I found the third paragraph of James' letter to me sort of disturbing. First, I was glad to see that he thinks that there is a lot of deception in the UFO realm and I think that we call all agree on that. He then says that MUFON doesn't label the "perpetrators" of the deception as benevolent or malevolent. The last time I looked the word "perpetrator" is used for someone who conducts criminal activity. As a matter of fact, the Merriam Webster online dictionary defines the word thusly: Main Entry: per·pe·trate
Pronunciation: pər-pə-trāt
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Form(s): per·pe·trat·ed; per·pe·trat·ing
Etymology: Latin perpetratus, past participle of perpetrare, from per- through + patrare to accomplish, from pater father
Date: 1537 1 : to bring about or carry out (as a crime or deception) : commit 2 : to produce, perform, or execute (something likened to a crime) So, knowing what it means to perpetrate something, what could Mr. Carrion be talking about? We know that "benevolent" is an adjective that means that the person or being (as is being suggested in this context) is friendly and has our best intentions as the foundation for their actions. We also know that "malevolent" is the exact opposite of "benevolent." It is fairly easy to come to terms with the idea that evil beings can bring evil intentions (deceptions) upon mankind, but why does Mr. Carrion lump supposedly "good" beings in with this. It doesn't seem possible to reconcile the notion that benevolent beings can bring deceptions. There is however one way that this can be reconciled, and it comes from the annals of UFO thought and conjecture. This conjecture is that since the supposed extraterrestrials are "more advanced" than we are socially and intellectually, then perhaps this can be compared to a scientist in relation to a laboratory rat. In the halls of medical research rats are taken and caged. Rats are experimented on, cut into, injected with foreign fluids and more; all in the name of research and for the ultimate betterment of the researchers and in perhaps some cases, even for the rats. There are some in the UFO research community, and even some of the UFO enthusiasts who think that since these beings are much more advanced than mankind (in their opinion), that the morals and values of these advanced beings (if they are capable of morals and values) supersede the morals and values of humankind. In other words, since they're more advance, then their ways are more advanced too. Their thought is that giving that their contention is correct, we should submit ourselves to these "higher ideals" and let the alien have their way with us, much like the laboratory rats do not rebel, but let the scientists conduct experiments on them. I am reminded of the character Pastor Matthew Collins in the 1953 production of "War of The Worlds." In this film there is a pastor who is the uncle of the main female character, Sylvia Van Buren. As the first of the Martian machines comes out of its nest the pastor gets the strange idea that he wants to be peacemaker, figuring that since the beings are more advanced they should be "closer to the Creator for that very reason." Well, the pastor was wrong and he gets zapped by the Martian death ray and is no more. Technologically advanced usually means the opposite when it comes to morals and values. For some reason we really don't read accounts about 19th century America that mention the murder of the unborn, pornography, child abduction or rampant homosexual activity. But what is the difference between then and now? Hmmm, oh that's right, they believed in Yahweh and lived by His laws and precepts. The fallen angel agenda also plays into the notion that all that we see, all we feel, all we hear, smell and taste all happened because of evolution. Such people have taken the "God Equation" out of the mix, reducing us down to common animals that are not endowed by Yahweh with inalienable rights. This is yet another way that evolution and the UFO enigma have interwoven themselves together. Throw into the mix that the "aliens" are telling many of the abductees and contactees that they are the ones who have created us through DNA manipulation and there is nothing left but to line up much as cows do at the slaughter yard. This is the only way that anyone could ever subscribe to the notion that benevolent creatures are the authors of deception. This also has to be the meaning of the change of the mission statement for MUFON which reads:
In 1962 an episode of The Twilight Zone aired with an interesting plot which should be taken as a warning to humankind. In the episode, titled "To Serve Man," an alien race comes to earth and they promise to bring peace and to share their technology. Almost everyone on earth is taken in by these "benevolent" visitors who end world hunger, bring peace and prolong the lifespan of people. They bring to the United Nations a book in their language with bears the title of the episode, "To Serve Man." Linguists spend days trying to crack the language of the visitors and all but one give up. The main character decides that he is going to trust the aliens and he goes so far as to book travel on one of the spacecraft to go to the alien's planet. As he climbs the stairs for the craft his coworker (who didn't give up on cracking the language) runs up to the line and tells the man to not to go. She tells him that the book that the aliens left was really a cookbook. It is too late and the man is taken into the craft. What does this have to do with MUFON and their mission statement? It is quite easy really. If what is written is correct, and MUFON believes that these entities are benevolent (with deceptive intentions) then they have bought the lie that our supposed "extraterrestrial visitors" are trying to convey; that they are really looking out for our best interests, according to what their (the aliens) definition of "best interests" really is. Granted, I do not believe that MUFON believes that we are livestock for the alien visitors, but like their mission statement says, they're going to investigate what those intentions are and they will research those intentions and then they will educate themselves and later, the public about those intentions. All of this has to do with knowledge and the power that comes to the possessor of that knowledge. Those of us who know the truth about these entities know that they impart power to their pawns, until of course they find other more willing pawns. I have no doubt that the principalities and powers behind UFO's, the entities we know as fallen angels, will give MUFON the answers. I personally have seen the change in MUFON. Just the fact that they advertise occult books is proof enough for me. People who are bent on scientific knowledge of anything will fervently dismiss anything occult however, those who have dabbled or desire to dabble in occult things will promote those things. For these reasons, me and The Delusion Resistance have dissolved our relationship with MUFON. As scripture says so eloquently: Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God. They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen, and stand upright. Psalm 20:7-8 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. Joshua 24:15
TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS
Wow, life just seems to remain very interesting. As you probably know from the letter that I sent out to everyone almost two weeks ago, I am laid up due to an injury to my Achilles tendon. This has been a real blow to me for several reasons. First, I really love to work and not being there makes me feel less than useful. Second, while my job isn’t the best paying job, it does put food on the table and pay the bills and that is gone now. Third, our savings are dwindling away to nothing and that has never happened to me before, at least since I had a change of profession back in the early 90’s. Things are different, that is for sure. I figured that last week would be a good week to sit down and do my taxes. I didn’t know if I would be getting money back or if I would owe this year. Usually I get a nice sum back, but last year I cashed in my IRA so as to be able to afford the immigration fees for the lawyer and the government and also so as to be able to fix up the apartment a little for Lourdes. You know how bachelor pads look. When I cashed in the IRA I told the broker to take out enough money to cover the taxes and penalties for the early withdrawal. He took out some, but not enough. This leaves us with a bill of $1100.00 for federal taxes and Yahweh knows how much for California’s Franchise Tax Board; oy vey ismir!! Well, I’m not crying in my beer or anything like that because I know that somehow Yahweh will bring us through. It just seems that this new year has brought a lot of problems to a lot of fellow believers. Our brother Stan wrote back to us and asked for us to pray for him because he lost his job and the bills were piling up. Others are being hit with sickness and physical ailments and others are being bombarded with depression and anxiety. One good friend and brother was approached by his wife one day after church and she told him that she didn’t want to be married anymore. To make things worse she cleaned out the bank account without his knowledge and all of the checks that he wrote for bills bounced. When I hear that all of my troubles don’t seem so big. The evil one is busy trying to bring us down, but he won’t be successful. The key to alleviating all of these woes is prayer. Take for instance my tendon? The doctor in the emergency room was sure that it was at least a partial tear of the tendon. Lourdes and I started to pray right away and it paid off. Just two days ago I had an MRI on the ankle and the doctor said that is was just a bad sprain of the tendon. Well, it might be now, but it wasn’t before. We know that Yahweh is going to bring us through all of this and work a lot of miracles both financially and spiritually. One financial blessing happened already when one of the Resistance members sent one hundred dollars to us. We love to watch Yahweh move in our lives. All of us need to be in prayer for each other because the enemy is on the attack and he’s going to try to wear us down in a variety of different ways. Lourdes and I are here to pray for you if you need prayer and we ask that you keep us in prayer. Thanks for that consideration.
EPILOGUE
Well, we have come to the end of the Journal finally. Thanks for taking time to read it and we hope that you have been blessed. Our prayers for you are that you are continually blessed in the Ruach Ha Kodesh blessings that Yahweh has for each and every one of us. We pray that all of you continue to grow closer to Him both in His Word in through His Ruach. |
