Category Archives: The Word of God

Posts that give us hope in Jesus.

Beyond the Intensity of the Great Conflict

As we watch the wars around the world, we could overlook the big one that is coming. This one will involve all believers in Jesus Christ and one day soon it will be over. Meanwhile, we will be expected to voluntarily walk into the greatest battle humanity has ever faced and fight with our heart and soul. We will have no fighter aircraft nor mortars – not even a rifle with which to repel the enemy that will be upon us, but we will still have a great advantage over him. We will also have a song in our collective heart that will announce the absolute victory we will have attained. The song is:

“Great and marvelous are your works, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, O’ king of the saints. Who shall not fear you, O’ Lord, and glorify Yor name? For you alone are Holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You. For Your judgements have been manifested.”

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When we are assailed by our enemy, when our chances of survival seem to grow dim as the darkness besets us, this song of praise to our King will lift our spirit. This is the song of victory of the saints who are faithful to the end – the song that will be voiced by those who overcome the mark of the beast and refuse to worship him. The Bible doesn’t tell us how many saints will be around to sing this song, but I expect that among the hordes of people who emerge from the battle, comparatively few will be able to give voice to this wonderful song of victory. If I were the reader here, I would make it a point to memorize it so you will be able to join the chorus at the appointed time. Be a voice.

Our faith in Jesus is the greatest weapon we will have at our disposal to wield against the very powerful enemy we will be required to fight, but no matter how dreadful he may appear, we must refuse to be intimidated; we must never surrender. All we have ever understood to be good, to be righteous in the course of the ages, will be on the line. There will come a time when we must even go against our human instinct and realize something more important than even our earthly lives will be at risk during this spiritual battle and it’s imperative that we get a prior understanding of that before we determine to join the fray. You see, the realization is the important part, for our eternal soul is indeed at stake, we just have to get to the point where we acknowledge that and fight accordingly. Also, and very importantly we are able to disarm the enemy when our fear is no longer in play for perfect love casts out fear. [1 John 4:18]: “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.” We have to double down on our faith and pray for God’s love, there’s no other option.

I like to imagine that day when we look around us at the smoldering ruin that was our world, sweat and blood dripping from this earthly shell as God wrests our spirit away, when we are able to clearly shout and sing hallelujahs and praise to our King Who brought us through the great war to a victory of which the very angels of Heaven will have witnessed. I believe those angels will be singing along with us with voices of such beauty that we could have never imagined and as Jesus our Lord walks up to His soldiers one by one and welcomes us into His unfathomably magnificent Heavenly Kingdom which appears beyond that river – the great river we at one time feared to cross. The power of His love will be revealed, and we will be able to feel it with senses we don’t have now, but to say it’s going to be a marvelous experience is a huge understatement, but then, we don’t have words in any human language to describe such Heavenly splendor. No words at all.

God is eternal, so before He created human beings, He and Heaven had been around from time immemorial, and after we are gone to our eternal abode, He and Heaven will be around forever, but maybe there will be songs and stories of mankind’s great struggle – and Jesus shepherding us to our victory – in Heaven forever – but who knows?

We indeed must resolve to fight this battle to the end as loyal soldiers, always looking to victory. When you begin to understand how it must be fought you will be amazed at the weapons we have at our disposal. Our enemy has no access to our arsenal. All who decided not to fight – those who rejected Jesus – will look on with helpless and agonizing envy when they see our jubilation and joy! Now it’s on you to find Jesus and get to know Him. He’s not that far away.

If you plan to join this amazing celebration, just in case there are no lyric sheets around, you should probably memorize the song – it’s in Revelation 15:3,4.

May the blessings of the Almighty Father find and keep us.

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MK

The Real War – Between Wealth and Faith

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It would be easier to just turn and walk away. I have to confess, the temptation is there. I often feel like a fool for trying to get folks to at least look into opening their Bibles and take that decision to finally address their problems, indeed the problems of their world, through the eyes of one who believes in Jesus Christ. He very plainly tells us that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. [John 14:6] No matter how cross-threaded one is, it’s hard to misinterpret what He is saying in that statement – especially the Way part. If you’re looking for a way to deal with – not the problems of the world, they’ll only be solved when He comes back – but how those problems are affecting you right now, Jesus is the Way and there is no other. Believe me, I’ve been as frustrated as anybody. Like most folks, I wish there was some magic wand someone could wave and fix this mess we’re in, but that option isn’t available. I wish people would stop expecting some politician to step up and get us going in a better direction, but that’s not going to happen. There will indeed be one, who will appear at first to solve our problems, but he will be the very one we must avoid.

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courtesy Spiritual Minefield

Donald Trump is once again in a position where he might try to solve the world’s problems – if that was his intent. But as before, without Jesus Christ’s guidance, he won’t be successful. I don’t care how sold you are on him, he is just another rich man out to get richer, and that’s the bottom line. Look at all the billionaires in his administration. I’m not saying he’s the antiChrist, but he seems to be auditioning for the role.

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There are statues of him everywhere

For their entire lives on this earth. these people have never known what it’s like to worry about their lights being turned off for the lack of money to pay their electric bills. For Pete’s sake if Trump was really trying to help with the country’s serious problems, don’t you think he’d be hiring people with some semblance of ability to tackle homelessness. Our cities are in shambles. America definitely needs to be great (again?), and no amount of fealty to Benjamin Netanyahu is going to fix that. Trump’s been in office almost a month now, and the only moves he has made thus far is to prostrate himself to wealthy Zionists, even moreso than Joe Biden did, and that’s a low bar. His obeisance to Netanyahu was particularly disappointing for Americans -particularly those who wanted to see him as a courageous leader – to have to watch.

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The fake $100 bills in this pic have “In Trump We Trust” on his goat statue in Mara Lago.

Donald Trump, in his quest to appear wealthy, smart, and successful, continues to thoroughly embarrass America, both at home and especially in all foreign countries, he’s shaming America. That’s a real pathetic issue for sure, but there are several pressing ones. There’s a perfectly reasonable explanation for them all. Our nation has almost completely abandoned God – that’s the root cause of our problems!

Personally, I don’t believe we should accept the insult to God that printing “In God We Trust” on money in the first place. The idolatrous love for money is the root of all evil and the one thing the Bible warns us about more than anything else, but to substitute Trump for God even in this out-of-place phrase is openly proclaiming Trump to be equal with God – the original sin of Satan. This is blatant idolatry, goat and all.

I live in an area of the country where houses still proudly wave Trump campaign flags. One day when the evil of his administration is manifested, they may out of conscience opt to take them down, but God is taking pictures of those yards to remind folks (in case they haven’t repented) at the judgement that they supported this fellow. Of course, the democrats are as bad or worse, but opposing one evil group by supporting another one will be no excuse.

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Do you really want to put yourself in the position to have explain to the Lord why you had something like this in your yard?

So here we are, most people at a loss for what to do, how to deal with this tsunami of evil overtaking the world, and so few of us have come to the realization that mankind doesn’t have the power within us to emerge victorious from it. At some point in the near future, a Savior will indeed appear, and He will decisively and forever defeat the enemy, but when that happens, it’ll be too late to get off the fence. [Revelation 16:15] “Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.” [16;18,19]: “And there were noises and thunderings and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth. 19 Now the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And great Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath.” A horrific moment for all who have rejected the Son of God. I think America fits the description of the great Babylon here, don’t you?

The opportunity for individuals to win this battle is slipping away, and no amount of fealty to wealthy people will help in the end. Jesus is the only Way, we need to start looking at our situation from a new perspective, one in which we are able to see that there is another existence, for only by understanding there is a better life ahead will we able to comprehend and elude the evil that is upon us. Too many of us reject the very faith that is able to save us, and it’s the only path to victory – those who turn to wealth, or even the desire of it, will be in for a horrible time.

May the blessings of the Almighty Father find and keep us.

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MK

Reasons to Avoid Envy of the Rich

If you are one of the regulars here, you probably know that Folkpotpourri has been offline for several days. I’ve been fighting a spiritual battle that I realized was coming, but I didn’t have any idea how savagely I was about to be assailed. I won’t go into the details in this post. During this respite, however, and in those moments of clarity with which I have been blessed, the realization that the end is much closer than any of us imagine, I have felt that the urgency of our situation is dictating that I must continue to reach out – other believers in Jesus are doing so – we are indeed living in the last of days. The sharp sickle is about to be thrust into the crop.

Our wealth, at least for those who the world imagines to be wealthy, is about to become worthless. Imagine if you are a billionaire and a time comes when you discover that you are suddenly among the poorest of persons. It’s going to happen – those fellows who have spent the last several years hiring contractors to dig out enormous bunkers that have been lavishly furnished will finally understand that all of the gold and silver, the precious gems and other accoutrements that exist as symbols of one’s status that they stash in their holes – is not worth anything anymore. When some rich guy discovers he needs drinking water more than he needs an army of security guards, he will at last understand that things the world once considered worthless are in fact those very things humans need the most. Their (almost) greatest fear will suddenly come to pass – they will be poor – as poor as the hungriest child in Ethiopia or Palestine, and worth no more in the eyes of God than any other person on earth. When the real reckoning is upon them as they stand before Jesus Christ at judgement, (their greatest fear) they will suddenly wish they were in the shoes of some poor child. For those who rejected Jesus, this moment will be the most horrific instance in the life of any human being.

Security details and bodyguards will abandon the “elites” when the money they’ve been paid is not worth anything anymore. No one will be able to eat their digital wealth – which won’t be available anyway, because when things get bad enough, the databases where their wealth is “stored” will more than likely be dissolving into wisps of smoke from rubble heaps that were once elaborate data collection centers filled with blinking lights and computer banks. The ones hidden underground will fare no better once God unleashes the great earthquake mentioned in [Revelation 16:18]: “”And there were noises and thunderings and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth.” In fact, at some point during the end days, people will be so afraid of God’s wrath that they will beg for the rocks to cave in on them, such will be their terror. [Revelation 6:15-17]:  And the kings of the earth, the great men, [j]the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, 16 and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”

When they come to their eternal torment, they will be as the rich man looking on at the poor man, Lazarus who will be in paradise with Father Abraham, and there will be no hope for their relief as they burn in the eternal fires of hell – not even a drop of water! [Luke 16:24]: “Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’ This might sound like an unjust punishment, but did that rich guy show mercy to helpless people like for instance, the peasants suffering in the Gaza holocaust? No the rich Americans forced American universities to shut down protests when students brought the genocide to the world’s attention. Abraham told him [Luke 16:25,26] “But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. 26 And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’ No help will be forthcoming, forever – even their beloved CERN won’t be able to open a portal through that void.

Why is the fate of wealthy being discussed here? Because these passages so visibly describe the eternal torment that lies in wait for non-believers. Unfortunately for those, even the not rich, people who continue to reject Jesus Christ, the same dismal future awaits. Many even envy the rich, but unfortunately for them, wanting to be wealthy can be as bad as being wealthy, because desiring riches is a lust of the flesh and a form of idolatry. The Bible says the LOVE for money is the problem. [1 Timothy 6:10]: “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” So, you don’t have to be wealthy to fall into this scheme of Satan.

If you are not rich, consider yourself blessed and enjoy being outside the group of those who have sold their souls. Rejoice in the abundant life of the true Christian! Out here in the country we can walk outside into the woods and enjoy the natural beauty God bestowed on us. Now I realize that the “elites” also have access to these things, but the real blessing is in the heart – common folks who dare to believe are gifted with the ability to appreciate God’s creation in a way that those heartless, soulless, creatures of wealth can never experience. We have the unique ability to enjoy things that don’t cost anything – and we enjoy them vastly more than some banker enjoys his money.

As the age of our world draws to a close, we should take advantage of our spiritual blessings and learn to appreciate the things around us, the solace of a walk in the country watching red birds and hearing crows talking is a wonderful sabbatical from the growing evil with which we are faced. There are countless events taking place around us that the enemy has set in place to cause us to feel helpless; things over which we have little or no control, but don’t let Satan take away your hope. He would really like to. Hang on to the hope that is in Jesus and we’re promised we’ll get through this. Jesus’ promises are a guarantee, we just have to stay strong and wait for Him.

Jesus tells us in several places of the importance of being patient, because under these dark clouds of uncertainty in today’s chaotic world, it’s not hard to become frustrated and lose hope, but when things are at their worst, zoom out and keep in mind that there is another life awaiting us, and the joy we will experience in that next one will make all of these trials as nothing. Be prepared at any time to just stop what you’re doing and have a talk with Jesus – it’s surprising just how much the Spirit can lift your heart – even at the worst of times. The rich people who presume to be in control right now will see a justice so unimaginable horrible they will all beg to go back and do it over, but it’ll be too late, they’ll plead with a God Who no longer hears them – for all of eternity. Think about a day when guys who are immensely rich in this life will envy the poorest who have lived among us – forever.

I guess my point is that we should never allow ourselves to envy the rich – indeed, we should pray for them because they need repentance and forgiveness as much as anyone.

May the blessings of the Almighty Father find and keep us through these last troubled days.

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MK

Promises, Prayers, and Patience of the Saints

The things happening in the world today should serve, if nothing else, to reveal to us that mankind does not have it in him to direct his own way. For crying out loud, look where we are! Look at the horrors of war and destruction happening in so many places in the world – how can humankind be so smug as to behave as though men are in control of everything when we watch the homes of multimillionaires – some of them supporters or financiers of genocide – burning into cinders in some of the ritziest places in Los Angeles? Their money couldn’t save their homes; is this God’s way of showing us that wealth and the (illusion of) security it brings are by no means absolute?

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I personally believe the LA fires, as well as all of the unusually severe weather events, such as the winter storm that just ravaged Great Britain and the Saudi Arabian floods in the desert – are reminders from the Almighty that He is watching. He’s watching as tens of thousands of children are being mercilessly slaughtered in places like Gaza – especially in Gaza – and He hears prayers by the thousands, maybe millions, for His intercession, as we wait for Him to move. It’s an odd thing that we seem to hope for the hosts of Heaven to appear, angelic swords and lightning flashing; thunder pealing, looking for the planes and tanks of the evil ones to burst into flames, but alas for us impatient folks, God works in His own way – maybe those things will take place one day, but for now we are left to try and connect the dots between the Hind Rajab atrocity and the fires in the Pacific Palisades; between the demon-possessed military men who laugh as they post videos of blowing up homes in Gaza and snarled traffic from unexpected snowstorms in places that have never seen snow, at least in living memory.

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As believers in Jesus Christ, we have to force ourselves to acknowledge the disconnect (and it is a huge disconnect) between how we would handle the atrocities that are going on, and how the Almighty chooses to deal with it. Keep in mind that He can see both sides of this experience we call existence. He sees what is happening here on earth for sure, but unlike us He also is able to see things on the other side, and therefore has other resources besides His great wisdom from which to draw on for the action He takes. I think this is the main reason we allow ourselves to be so incredulous as we await signs of His retribution upon those who perpetrate this evil genocide. For instance, we are shocked and dismayed at the loss of life of the children and other victims, but He sees those children sitting in eternal joy in the arms of Jesus on the other side – He knows they are and will forevermore be safe and their tears have been wiped away, so His methodology is not influenced by their loss the same way as it drives us (to hope for vengeance) here on earth.

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God is eternal, time means nothing to Him, so He doesn’t have to be in a rush and has the luxury of patience, and as odd as it may sound, the worst offenders of human norms right now have the same opportunity for repentance and salvation as anyone else, and it’s quite possible that their consciences will evoke contrition to the extent that they might seek Jesus Christ. At least the opportunity is there for now. Many of them have been unable to come to grips with some of the things they have done and instead of repenting, have taken their own lives like the Israeli bulldozer operator a while back. Right now, everyone has time to seek Christ’s forgiveness and come to the Kingdom, but that time is growing short. How do we know this? [Revelation 12:12]: Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.” He has but a short time in which to do his wickedness and he knows it therefore his wrath and hatred of all things moral and Godly is being revealed – he is out in the open with it, daily hammering at the fortresses in which good people try to take refuge, so we must be sure the refuge we choose is the right one.

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As believers in Christ, our Fortress is the solid Rock – Jesus Christ – which Satan, try as he might, cannot assail, and he seethes with rage against those of us who have chosen Jesus Christ in order to be victorious over this world of which the devil with all his riches temporarily has charge. Do not give in to the despair of watching the evils that are happening! The situation, as dire as it is for now, is not hopeless! We are not, nor will we ever be helpless, no matter how desperate things appear – that despair is one of the devil’s most lethal weapons and it works best against those who are faint of heart. Our hearts can be strengthened, though: [Psalm 27:14]: “Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!” We must be patient – Jesus spoke of the importance of patience in the last days, He even told us how as well as the importance of being patient, [Revelation 14:12]: “Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.” Yes – following His commandments and keeping the faith in Jesus results in our patience. Some things are still to take place before the end, among which wars and rumors of wars will plague humankind until the very end: [Revelation 14:12] “He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.”

There’s are many places in Scripture that speak of patience such as one of my own favorites from the Apostle Paul: [2 Thessalonians 3:5]: “Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ.” The point is that we must go against our human nature of impatience – no matter how dire the situation – and keep on trusting that God will take care of things in His time, no matter how urgent things might seem to us at a given moment.

Food for thought: Our prayers mean a lot to the Father: [James 5:16]: “Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” Since we realize our prayers can influence the Father, think about this. Our prayers have great significance when they reach His throne, He will take action: [Revelation 8:3] “Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. 4 And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand. 5 Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake.” Our prayers will play a big role in the events of the end times – before the very throne of God! We must never allow ourselves to believe our prayers aren’t important!

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The human-induced events happening in the world these days may very well be connected to fires and floods. Worse punishment from God has been levied in the past because of human behavior. Remember Sodom. God is the Master planner – it may be that in the decadent places of the world God has chosen to show the wealthy just how impotent they really are in the face of His awesome power. For instance, we might indeed be impressed at the destruction caused by a 2,000 lb. bomb, but have you ever considered what it might be like to witness God’s devastation in a super volcano eruption, or how about a stellar nova up close? Mankind has it in his power to blow up a building or even a city, but the Almighty can take out millions of light years of stars and planets whenever He wants. Wildfires and floods in decadent cities are no problem for Him to set and spread with high winds of His mighty breath.

Satan might have the upper hand with human beings for now, but you can rest assured that’s about to change – and forever so. In the meantime, pray, just chill out and watch God work…

May the blessings of the Almighty God find and keep us.

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MK

The Harvest of Our Spiritual Agriculture

There are some big corporate farms, less in number are large family-owned farms, and tons of tiny farms, or just country homesteads that grow gardens. Some places are trying to make it illegal to have a garden, such as in Oregon where TPTB are claiming that the homestead’s need for irrigation water creates a situation where a permit is required to raise a garden there. Somewhere in those ivory towers where the commanders of humanity hang out, it looks like someone doesn’t want folks to be able to fend for themselves when they decide to drop the hammer on the economy. Looks like Oregon is one of the first test sites for legislation that appears to discourage any degree of independence from corporate America. These sources of questionable legislation are endeavoring to shut down the private raising of livestock, too. Especially chickens, at least for now, but they have made several moves that indicate they will go after beef and pork as well. Slowly but inexorably, the beast system is herding everyone into pens of its mastery where we all become beggars and slaves, with no hope of fending for ourselves.

This post addresses another type of harvest, one that requires a different kind of water of which there is an endless supply if we avail ourselves of it. [Revelation 22:17:”And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely”. No legislation can possibly be enacted which could prevent our access to this metaphorical water, nor indeed our successful involvement and/or operation of the type of gardening that needs it. [Revelation 14:14]: “Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud sat One like the Son of Man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle.” This relates to that Day when Jesus Christ gathers His chosen people as if it were a great harvest – and it will be! This will be the seminal, monumental event in all of human history when we will finally be taken from this evil world that is currently controlled by Satan and his minions. The evil of this world will never again be a threat to believers.

Can you imagine for a moment the horror this event will slam into the hearts of the evil servants of the devil? Those who traded any and every vestige of their opportunity for eternal joy and happiness for a few days of mastery over the slaves of the world – will no doubt be aghast at what they’ve done. All these latter years they spend digging out bunkers and supplying them with provender – every bit as perishable as their human bodies – will have been totally wasted, and at that moment, they will finally realize it. [Luke 27:21: “Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.” The Son of Man, who they soundly rejected as they amassed fortunes, will reveal Himself in a way that leaves absolutely no possibility of doubt of His Kingship any longer!

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Billionaires will rue their choice to spend their lives pursuing wealth and will be horribly reminded of each and every night they slept in soft plush decadence with enough money in the bank to have fed millions of starving kids who went to bed hungry those same nights. At the moment of Christ’s appearance, they will realize the wealth they have amassed will not avail them towards His forgiveness. They will finally and shockingly face Someone who cannot be bribed. They won’t find videos of Him engaging in any Epstein mischief. There won’t be a Mossad or CIA assassin who might be interested in trying to eliminate Him. They will be done! No private jet or yacht will take them away to a tropical island.

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There always comes an end…

To their eternal dismay, Jesus in His glory will be incomparably more fearsome than He was as a poor carpenter’s son. To say His wrath will terrify those folks who have grown accustomed to having things their way will be an understatement. Even their willing servants will join in their horror: [Revelation 6:15-16]:”And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! Imagine being so horrified that you beg for death – death which might remove the body but can never remove the terror that has come upon the eternal soul.

He who wields the sickle will complete the harvest and take His beloved children to an unimaginable paradise which He personally prepared for them. [John 14:2]:“In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.” Unimaginable because the Apostle Paul also said: [1 Corinthians 2:9]:”But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” My friends, our eternal souls will truly experience a happiness of which owning a yacht or earthly mansion could never come close.

What do we need to do to gain access to the wonderful promises of Jesus? Simply to make that choice to listen to Him: [Revelation 3:20]:”Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” All we have to do is open that door and let Him come into our hearts. I really don’t believe that sickle is going to hurt a bit, but the joy will be worth it!

Keep growing the garden – He will bless you with His abundance, both metaphorically and literally. They might be able to come and take away your carrots and cabbages, but they can’t touch the spiritual harvest – it forever belongs to the One with the sickle.

May the Almighty Father’s blessings find and keep us all.

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MK

How Freedom and Understanding are Conferred to the Believer

Previously, Folkpotpourri has provided important information to hopefully attract new believers and keep current believers on track without getting too far into the woods behind false teachers. Lately, Christians’ obligation to refute the Gaza genocide has been extensively discussed. Sometimes these posts venture onto the passionate side, but even though we have to be careful to keep it tamped down, righteous anger is different from vitriol and hatred. Containing this gets a lot easier as we get closer to Jesus, and this writer does everything in his power to love every human being. It’s important for us to keep our eye on the ball, especially during the troubles we have before us.

Today there will hopefully be some meaningful information about understanding His Word as we look forward and as the Kingdom approaches and is revealed. Though you won’t always see locations of verses and passages, what these Spiritual posts say comes from the Word of God and those who are familiar with the Bible will recognize where some of the notions come from – certain aspects are informative tidbits from the Spirit which interprets the Bible, and while studying it’s very important to pay attention to things we might likely ignore, such as fleeting thoughts and glimpses that God gives us, especially when we study His Word – these nudges are the Spirit of God trying to get our attention. It is also important that we understand that Jesus only had a short time with men on this earth, so every word He uttered is of immense value and every believer is obliged to study them and pray for understanding!

If you’re like me, you sometimes go past things you read in the Bible that don’t register or make sense and only record in your mind those things you readily understand, and I think that’s a mistake – at least it is for me – that can cause us to miss out on some really wonderful and important information. When we come across things in scripture which don’t seem mean anything, we should stop and meditate on them and pray that understanding will come to us. Many who read this will realize I’m stumbling around trying to communicate a thought which God communicates to us through thoughts and not words, so to put these into words is only possible as the Spirit gives leave, but with His guidance, I shall try.

On Freedom:

[John 8:36] “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” This, to me, means among other types of freedom that He bestows upon us, free to understand. As an example, when we see the phrase “water of Life”, what is He describing? To those who are free indeed, the unspoken meaning of this may be understood, though to what degree is governed by what degree of freedom one has claimed. So how do we claim that level of freedom? Jesus said [John 8:31,32]: “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” So what level of understanding do you seek? The level that comes from abiding in His word would seem to be the answer. Jesus reinforces this notion in other places when He tells them more about this freedom. Not free in the imaginary sense of unchained worldly existence, but free to explore profound Spiritual reality – only possible if one believes the Son and of course, abides in His Word.

Many souls of this earth believe they are “free”, and when they only consider freedom as a notion that they are not another man’s servant or property, that might be correct. The freedom Jesus speaks of is another, entirely different and ethereal freedom, a concept that cannot be understood nor appreciated by anyone without the Spirit, which teaches profound knowledge without words of man, even to us who are simple.

Understanding of the truth that resides in any word or phrase that is found in God’s Word can be gained at more than one level; indeed everyone doesn’t see things mentioned at the same depth, but we all see them and if you’re like me you sort of envy (not in a bad way) people who “get it” more than I do (seek these people out and listen to what they say – they have a great gift). So, we can and do understand the Word at more than one level. That’s why novice believers need milk and seasoned believers are capable of meat (deeper understanding). It is important to keep in mind however, that there is only one Truth, but the meanings in scripture are understood by different believers at different depths, and this depth is determined by how profoundly one chooses to study, and how diligently we “abide in His Word”.

For one example, there are undoubtedly Bible scholars who read this post who will get a better understanding of “water of life”, than I, but at my level of understanding and way over simply-put, the water of life is that which nurtures those who have chosen Life. Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well [John 4:14] “but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” Understanding the meaning of the life of which He speaks is another matter, and I do not have the literary skill to even begin to put it into words, but the idea of Life as the Word speaks of it is an existence, not the ephemeral heartbeat, breathe in, breathe out, eat, sleep routine we normally associate with life as we know it, but a continuum, a spiritual habitation of infinity with the blessed accoutrements of love, peace, joy in the presence of Holiness – the presence of the Spirit, the Father, and the Lamb. This life is another concept, or aspect of knowledge that cannot be described with words, and that is intentional, for to have an understanding of it is a gift for the believer. The Spirit knows, God knows, angels know, and our Lord Jesus certainly knows what it is and what it encompasses, but only believers who “abide in His word”, are allowed, as with some other concepts and “gifts” of understanding, some level of knowledge of what this life means to mankind – a whole other dimension of life we have opportunity to partially experience (as in a looking glass dimly) today but to fully live on the other side tomorrow.

Another good example of how the Lord extends our understanding (and limits it for the unbeliever) is the parables through which Jesus taught. When Jesus reveals to His disciples the reason He speaks in parables, He allows us another insight to how He imparts understanding, and this passage gives another revelation of how we can become able to understand Him. [Matthew 13:13]: Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. This passage is a warning to those who allow themselves to believe in lies, and yes, the world is full of such people, but it is also an instruction to believe what the Spirit tries to tell your heart. A good example of this is a person who has his fortune invested in weapons manufacturing (“defense” contractors). This person knows full well that his stock profits come from wars; from human blood, so to assuage his conscience he is inclined to buy into lies like the civilian women and children in Gaza are some kind of ominous threat to the occupation, and the occupation is defending itself, so of course, uses lots of bombs. He buys into them simply because of the money he makes; he doesn’t believe them; he knows better. What his heart is trying to tell him is that he is on the wrong side of morality, but he isn’t interested in listening, so God gives him over to the lie, and he remains void of understanding. Seeing (the destruction in Gaza) he does not see; hearing (the bombs exploding, the children screaming) he does not hear; therefore, by his own volition he does not understand, among other things, his culpability in the death, and destruction – this is but one (an extremely important one today) example, and I use it in this missive because of it’s current relevance.

If we are believers, it is important to understand God’s Word at the most profound level we can achieve – the Spirit is there to help us, but the big requirement is that we abide in His Word – that’s where it starts. His word is indescribably critical and is growing more so as we approach the end. It is to our detriment to ignore or disobey any part of it. Jesus is real – get to know Him as well as you can, we don’t have much longer.

May the blessings of the Almighty God find and keep us all.

Image result for free pics of the cross

MK

The Great Battle of and for the Church Ain’t Over

No normal human being with a heart and soul can possibly justify, rationalize, or especially ignore – the travesty that is taking place in Palestine today. Certainly no practicing Christian can support the outright murder of children, this is beyond insane! As far as the church goes, for a man who is looked at as a minister of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ to stand before an audience of would-be servants of Jesus and try to convince them that as Christians, they need to support the Zionist cause (which includes these endless acts of murder of innocents), is a universe away from the truth, and these misled sheep will find that if they don’t stop following these teachings, it will eventually cost them their eternal souls.

Men, women, and children of Gaza and the West Bank are losing their possessions, their homes, their lives and most tragically, the lives and limbs of their children every day and the so-called Christian members of many mega churches are expected to unquestioningly support the purveyors of this wanton murder. These parishioners support it because some demon-possessed millionaire pastor has twisted the Bible scriptures into some grotesque screed that requires them to support murder by a Synagogue of Satan – and they seem to be okay with it. For the sake of your own soul, people, stop listening to these evil creatures and READ YOUR OWN BIBLE! Understand that with the right motivation ($$$), those who follow Satan can contort the scriptures and make the Bible say whatever they want it to say. That’s why to gain a proper understanding of God’s Word, we must have the Spirit within us to reveal it to us as we dig into it for ourselves. If the words of this post seem strong, then I suppose it’s good, as many of us are passionate in our service to Christ; maybe it will wake some up. I believe we will be forgiven for using language that might be too passionate; but there will be no forgiveness for staying silent in the face of evil.

People not familiar with Christianity, especially in other nations see this support by “Christian” churches for abject genocide and are aghast that any “religion” could support something that even the most secular of atheists can plainly see is wrong. For this reason, many non-believers reject Christianity because a big chunk of its followers support Zionist murder. This support is largely due to the followers of said churches buying into the notion of the “righteousness” of today’s Israel. People who are not familiar with the Bible actually think Christianity teaches that we should be on board with genocide, and from the gusto with which false teachers spout their fabrications, you can’t blame outsiders for thinking so. Those mega church members who listen to charlatan millionaires are committing grave offenses to their own religion, and there’s no way God could be pleased. Though I am not a preacher, nor have I lived the ideal Christian life in my past, the Spirit inside my heart is stirring – It’s telling me to speak through this platform to try and reach as many people as possible who seek to serve the Lord and turn them from supporting the obvious evil being visited upon the Palestinians. If the reader knows anyone who may be caught in the snare of which I’m speaking, share this post and maybe some of this will hit home. And no, I’m not saying like and subscribe; my site is not monetized, and although it’s encouraging to see good numbers of folks are interested in the truth of Jesus Christ, as far as my vast wealth goes it makes no difference if I have many or few readers. I write strictly from the Word of God and things the Spirit says to my conscience and my conscience says it’s high time for real Christians to stand up and be seen and heard. When we find ourselves surrounded by those who support behavior that goes against the teachings of Jesus, we must remove ourselves: [2 Corinthians 6:17]’ Therefore “Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.” Think about it, we have this amazing chance to show God that we are willing to stand with Jesus and in this case against the martyrdom of innocent Palestinians – and true followers of Jesus Christ are the only people in the whole world whose fervent prayers can get this travesty stopped.

News flash! The people of the geographical nation of Israel are NOT God’s Chosen people! Just because they call themselves Jews does not make them Jews, and Jesus plainly says of the people (of the last days) who call themselves Jews are not Jews at all, and that it is blasphemy for them to make the claim that they are. They are a synagogue of Satan, [Revelation 3:9],” Indeed I (Jesus) will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie —indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you…. “, and it doesn’t matter to the Lord how much (ill-gotten) money their wealthy benefactors here in the US pour into the American government, the universities, and the mega churches, they are indeed a synagogue of Satan, and nothing short of them repenting and accepting Jesus Christ is going to change that! Satan has given them ($$$) power over a big portion of the world, and we true Christians are fighting this battle without any support from worldly sources. But we have to keep trying to hammer the point home that if we get and keep our heads screwed on right and follow Jesus to the very end, and that if we reject $atan’s offers, we can expect to win this fight! Of course, Satan knows it too, so expect some serious bumps in the road we have chosen, but He promises you it will have been worth it in the end when we hear Him say [Matthew 25:23]: “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.” What must gnaw at the very essence of Satan is the fact that neither he nor any of his servants will ever experience the joy of hearing that absolute statement of victory. It is within our reach, folks!

I have a habit, and I suppose it’s a habit we can get into from the frustration of feeling helpless to do anything about the travesty that is Palestine. This habit is allowing the optimism that we sometimes get when watching news clips about the fighting going on in places like Gaza, and it seems like every time we hear of some minor success of the Resistance, we tend to feel vindication because we’re pulling for them, but on some level of our spirit, we have to know deep down that this battle cannot be won with more violence. We must remember that the people who are committing this incredible evil are still human beings – it’s just that their spirit has been taken over by evil – that evil is the enemy. Some of the most courageous and wise men who have ever lived such as Mohandas Ghandi, Martin Luther King, oh, and Jesus Christ, taught that violence is not the way to victory. Violence only begets more violence. Hatred only begets more hatred – one of our biggest obstacles in these times of evil is that if we aren’t careful, we allow hatred to fester in our hearts. There’s a good argument to be made from the scriptures, that it is no sin to become angry at the evil that’s happening, but when we allow that anger to foment hatred or violence against other people, we begin down that slippery slope toward sin, and if we don’t rein it in, then Satan wins that way too. And after everything is said and done, that’s where the ultimate battle is taking place – in each and every one of our hearts. Jesus indeed teaches us how to gain victory over evil, and though His methodology goes against every human instinct inside us, it is the correct Way – the ONLY Way to achieve what He intends for us – victory! And, from the way things are developing, this victory is going to have to be won on the final lap, but it looks like that’s the way it’s intended, but that’s another issue.

We, as followers of Christ, have access to the greatest weapon ever known. That is the love of God, and the evil ones can never access His love. Satan cannot bear the notion that the poorest peasants in the world can obtain something he can never have – and to further his frustration, the righteous ones cannot be bought with his most significant weapon – money. The love of God is the greatest force that could ever be brought to bear, and only we who follow Jesus Christ have access to it. And it’s free for the asking. As many of us try to awaken Christians who are being misled by servants of Satan posing as ministers, I try to help them to imagine what power is within their grasp! If the Christian world were to awaken and rise up in condemnation of this great sin of genocide, we have access to the Power that could stop it. If millions of Christians were to fervently pray the same prayer, we could move mountains – and stop genocide! Satan knows that, and he pays his pulpit managers handsomely to keep those members (who could otherwise avail themselves of this power) convinced that: a) The ridiculous notion that the murderers are the righteous Chosen of God, b) It’s okay with God for the murders to be taking place, because, a). None of them speak of the love of God and its power. None of them know about the love of God, nor do they have any idea of its power. None except their master, Satan.

If you happen to be one who has not made the choice to follow Christ, there’s another power you can have – that of the blood of Jesus for forgiveness of sin which was shed for precisely that purpose thousands of years ago. With the decision to follow Jesus, when you are baptized into His Kingdom, every sin, every error, every bad choice you have ever made in your whole life will be instantly forgiven, gone forever, the Almighty God himself will approve you just as you are, such is the power of this marvelous blood. If you read this in some country overseas and would like to be part of that fellowship, seek out a Christian ministry, they are all over the world, and join it. The US is full of churches, and some of them are real – find one. Get your hands on a Holy Bible and read it.

On the last day of war on earth, Jesus will have amassed a mighty army with which He will emerge victorious over the servants of evil who challenge Him. Those who chose to serve in that mighty army will be peasants, servants, farmers, shepherds, not military types at all, and certainly not wealthy people, but those who will have chosen to join ranks with Him – you, and me, the meek and lowly of the earth who have put pride behind them and rejected a sinful life of decadence on this earth – in exchange for that joyous promise of eternal life in His presence. Those who have decided much to the chagrin of Satan, that they cannot be bought at any price. Then pray to the Lord and watch Him work – to say He is amazing would be the quintessential understatement. No one knows, no one can imagine the peace and joy of the existence we are about to inherit! You can purchase your ticket ahead of time by accepting and choosing to follow Jesus Christ today. He has already paid the price.

May the blessings of the Almighty Father find and keep us all.

MK

A Raft of Truth in a Sea of Deception

You’d think the state of affairs in the world today would at last reveal who the servants of evil actually are, but it looks like even here in America a lot of people are able to read about the horrors that are Gaza while they eat breakfast, because they are sufficiently misled to believe “God’s Chosen People” are committing it. There are actually so-called pastors of huge flocks that stand in front of their assemblies and spout absolute lies to the flocks about how we (America) must stand with Israel because of God’s promise to Abraham that He would bless those who bless his progeny and curse those who curse them. The way modern pastors have twisted this promise into these monstrous falsehoods by omitting relevant changes from one covenant to another beggars belief. These lies, mostly of omission, which are eagerly consumed by thousands of people who put on a righteous show but actually prefer not to serve God, are used to justify their choice to support the ongoing tragedy that is Palestine. In fact, it is precisely the reality that “evangelical Christians” so steadfastly support the monsters that call themselves “God’s chosen” that allow their genocide to continue. If the American political world were to realize that this huge bloc of constituents was against the massacre of Gazans, it would no doubt cease. For your information – and do not forget this – God’s chosen people under the new Covenant are those – Jew and Gentile – who believe and have chosen to follow Jesus Christ, God’s beloved Son. The spiritual descendants of Abraham. That’s right – even if one happens to be a genetic descendant of Abraham, if he is a nonbeliever in the New Covenant that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and does not live his life accordingly, he cannot legitimately make the claim to be of God’s Chosen People, but it would be nigh impossible to convince the patrons of Judas Hagee of this truth. Please remember that because it makes for easier understanding of who God’s people really are.

If the reader is a fence-sitter, or even someone who is torn over the notion that God’s people could be committing the atrocities that are happening in occupied Palestine, remember when John the Baptist was baptizing people in anticipation of Christ’s arrival and he was approached by Pharisees and Sadducees and he said [Matthew 3:7].“You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?” Consider this carefully – here is John the Baptist whom Jesus Himself declared to be one of the greatest men to have ever been born of woman, [Matt 11:11], “Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist…” speaking to those who considered themselves – as do Israelis of today – to be God’s Chosen, calling them a brood of vipers! What an antisemite!

First of all, and as foretold by Jesus, the people who call themselves Jews in the last days (now) are not even Jews at all. There are ample articles that point out the inconvenient truth that the occupation is populated by descendants of Eastern European ancestry and are not Hebraic at all, but this post does not go into them. Jesus says in His letter to the church of Smyrna [Revelation 2:9] “…I know about the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan”. And what did He say of the claim to be Jews? Blasphemy! This verse is extremely important and applicable today. These people are not Jews, neither genetically nor spiritually, but actually are servants of Satan claiming to be Jews! If one chooses to believe Jesus, they must recognize this fact. Secondly, and this is also a very important point to keep in mind, the title of – and promises to – “God’s Chosen” has passed to Abraham’s spiritual descendants, and this includes all peoples of all nations who have accepted the Son of God, and never let those charlatans who pose as preachers tell you any different, there’s just too much evidence in the Bible, old and new Testaments, that support that fact. Once again, look at what John the Baptist says to the Pharisees, [Matt 3:9] “and do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.” The implication here is that God is able to raise up servants to Himself from other places (nations) than the physical lineage of Abraham – it’s quite clear and in the same vein as [1 Corinthians 1:2] “To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours…” Corinth was a gentile city, but the apostle says they are called to be saints (His holy people), showing that the title of God’s Chosen has been passed to all who believe in Jesus in every place. There are countless other scriptures in the Word of God that support the title of God’s Chosen being (exclusively) extended to all who follow Christ, with clear warnings in some of them to those who reject the Son, regardless of who they claim to be. Why does that have to be so hard to understand? The bellwether of being one of God’s people is whether or not he believes in and follows Christ and not whether or not he is of genetic lineage to Abraham, even if he was actually of that lineage instead of just claiming to be, as do those in occupied Palestine today.

As for how these arguments are shaping world events, I believe there are a whole bunch of people who are in for the shock of their lives when they find out for sure the “chosen” ones not only aren’t who they claim to be, but also when it sinks in that they have been intentionally supportive of a rogue and murderous regime. Not everyone who thinks these people are really Godly do so because they are evil people themselves, but due to close-mindedness, and/or being too lazy to study the Word of God, they choose to support a Satanic nation. It is extremely important to understand, however that on that great Day when Jesus separates the sheep from the goats, the claim that they were deceived isn’t going to cut them any slack. Those people are deceived because they choose to be deceived! They are deceived because they got all their information from sources like mainstream news, where deep down they know is a never-ending stream of lies. They watched evangelists who make tons of money from preaching the “gotta support Israel” sermons knowing these guys are swindlers and charlatans. And on that Day, Jesus will say the most heart-rending and terrifying words ever to have been heard, to the everlasting condemnation of the soul, [Matthew 7:23] “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” My friends whom I try with all my heart to convince, you do not want to find yourself on the receiving end of those words! The absolute shock, the utter horror that will come upon the heart will be unimaginable – to hear Him say, “I never knew you”, and it will reverberate in that soul for all of eternity, made more horrific by the knowledge that it could have so easily been avoided – simply by standing in the shelter of the Rock and refusing to listen to Satan’s lies coming from evil governments through the news and from millionaire preachers who lie to us for their own riches . We all need to open our eyes and our hearts before it is too late, and the time is near.

I just watched a video that claimed China is now supplying the Houthis with weapons they can and are using to hit the occupied territories. Even though the Houthis continue to surprise everyone with their tenacity, bravery, their unabashed loyalty to the Palestinians, and their willingness to go toe to toe with the military might of Israel, the UK, and the US, it has been a stretch to believe they possess the technical expertise to develop hypersonic missiles without outside help. Once they launch the missile towards Tel Aviv though, it really doesn’t matter whether they made it themselves or got it from an ally. It looks like Xi might be sufficiently disgusted with the genocide in Gaza to be willing to back the Ansar Allah (Houthis). There’s a verse in the Bible prophecy in Revelation that mentions something happening to the Euphrates River to cause it to stop running and make it possible for the “kings of the east” (Asian countries like China?) to pass through enroute to the gathering of armies for a great battle, so it’s not inconceivable – in fact it’s quite likely – that China will get involved. It will be a big event, and I believe all the world powers will eventually get involved. Two hundred million of the armies will be killed. That’s a lot of soldiers!

When the big battle happens, it’s going to be the greatest loss in all of history for humanity, but it will also be the seminal point in which we can begin to look for the long-awaited return of our Lord Jesus. At some point either prior to or during that consummate battle, people whose riches are tied up in arms manufacturing will reach that point where they realize their wealth can do them no good in a world that has been, or will be completely destroyed. When that reality hits home, their own panic will ensue, but until that time, they will cheer on the war and destruction. So enjoy your Raytheon, Lockheed, Boeing, et.al. profits while they last. These stockholders will vote for AIPAC sponsored, warmongering politicians in their headlong rush to satisfy Satan, and ever pursue the blood of (non-wealthy) humankind, and meanwhile, the soon-to-be pointless money will continue to pour in, but in the end, Wall Street will not avail them.

If you are currently under the spell of Zionist-supporting evangelists, this post is for you. If you have not yet considered looking into the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ, this post is likewise for you. For reasons of His own, God has blessed this site with a readership that extends into many other nations, so as far as I’m concerned, it doesn’t matter if you are a banker, a butcher, a baker, a candlestick maker or a crew member on a ship. If you are a rickshaw driver in Mumbai, a shopkeeper in Haifa, or a tent maker in a Cairo suburb, or a fisherman in Madagascar, remember the Kingdom of Jesus Christ is a big tent and you are warmly welcomed into His fold. By all means, get right with the Lord before the bottom falls out of this world we live in. There are Christian ministries in every corner of the world, find one and join it. Learn about Jesus, you’ll be eternally glad you did.

Don’t believe everything they say – a key point to look for is whether they support the ministry of Christ and His teachings, if they do not, they are headed in the wrong direction, do not give them the time of day – no matter how much money they have or represent. Also be wary of those who try to hide their deceit behind false claims of serving Christ. He said, [John 14:6], “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Pay attention to what He said – He did not say “A Truth”, He said “The Truth” – there is only one.

May the blessings of God the Father find and keep us until that Day.

MK

Recovering Control in a Skid

This time of the year here in the Ozarks, when the wind gets out of the north, and as in most places, we instinctively hunker down for some cold weather. We see the clouds building on cold days and expect things like slick roads, frozen livestock water, and power outages, especially when the rain falls wet and freezes on things. I’ve noticed that red skies in the morning indeed means there’s a change coming in the weather. It’s odd, isn’t it, that something a truly wise man many years ago, still rings true: [Matt 16:3] ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.

The weather is referenced in this passage, but only as an example so people might understand that we are usually unable to connect the dots from the events taking place in the world around us to the actions being taken by God in the Spirit world. Not only are we unable to see the connections, but Spiritual matters are also meticulously avoided in discussions about current affairs, possibly due to the reluctance of many of us to undertake the discomfit upon our worldly reputation for revealing ourselves as believers in Christ. That ain’t no way to be. In one place He said [Luke 9:26] Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. I don’t know about anyone else, but for me, the last thing I want while standing before the throne of God is to find myself in the unfortunate happenstance that I had been ashamed of our glorious and loving savior, because He said He will be ashamed of those who were embarrassed to speak of Him in their lives. That’s going to be a sad situation to be in. Jesus went to the extreme act of giving His life at the tender age of around 33 years, just so we could be saved from this horrific world and the torment awaiting nonbelievers. We have opportunity to have eternal life with Him in His glory – how does it make sense that we would avoid talking about Him or intimating that we believed in Him? Why on earth do we refuse to give Him the Glory He deserves for that ultimate act of love, grace and kindness?

Lots of red oak waiting to be split

I’ve got a ton of firewood to split and stack, and from the weather reports, we are supposed to get some beastly winter storms this weekend. When black ice builds up on the road, it’s a lot different than just normal snow. There are places out here where the roads have slopes that are hard to move on when they are covered with it. What makes black ice a problem is that it’s so hard to see, and if you don’t know it’s there and are going too fast, by the time you realize how slick it is, you could easily be headed for the ditch – or a big old doe out there slipping and pitching trying to get traction to run. If you think about it, it’s kind of an analogy to many of our problems and pitfalls in life. How many times have you caught yourself neck-deep in mire before you even realized there was a problem? If you trace the situation back to where it started, it was invariably because of some choice(s) you made earlier, like stepping into the mud in the first place, or driving too fast and only realizing it when your car lets go of the road because you touched your brake pedal.

See related image detail. Snow Covered Road Free Stock Photo | picjumbo

Life is like that, for instance if one is prone to drink too much and too often, the choice to have a beer might seem innocuous enough, and true, it would be if he were a casual drinker, but for the heavy drinker, to pop a top is invariably the beginning of another perilous experience. The person should know full well that to imbibe is for him, a no-no, and sure enough he will end up paying whatever price is to be exacted for his slip up, so he once again becomes neck-deep in a mire of his own choosing. Like finding yourself flying down an ice-covered hill with no way of even slowing down. If a crash is to ensue, well God only knows how bad it might be. There are many other examples of bad choices creating havoc in our lives, but most folks know ahead of time what misfortune might be the result of a bad choice.

Even though we have some weather coming, today it’s not so bad. It’s around 45 degrees and that bright yellow object is high in the afternoon sky, probably trying to decide whether to hammer us with a CME, or just duck behind the clouds again and let the storm do its thing this weekend. This weather is getting fickle, and I’m talking about everywhere – floods, ice storms, landslides, tornadoes, you name it. Now a sane person might begin to think that He who controls the weather might be troubled about our behavior, since we have it on good information that He indeed became angered in times past and used His supremacy over the elements to reset human behavior. There are many who believe that mankind has developed ways to interfere with natural weather patterns and are themselves causing a lot of the weather-related issues, and they might be right to an extent, but God has the final say on the matter. Maybe He is just sitting back for now and watching men get involved in things that are way over their heads and letting them (us) suffer the consequences.

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All in all, I believe we are approaching the end of life as we have known it. From now on, we will increasingly find ourselves in uncharted places. God lives in the spiritual domain, but He knows where humanity is headed here in the world we occupy, but we – and I’m growing more and more convinced that scientists, medical professionals, and political leaders – don’t have a clue. Oh, except for the people in the “think tanks”, they belong to that elite group of human beings who know everything. For real, I honestly believe the “fellows” in think tanks are just men and women with connections who could never be trusted with any position where they might pose a risk to the order of things, so wealthy relatives or other associates give them a seat in a think tank to keep them away from the fire, but also to placate their desire for power so they don’t throw hissy fits. Problem is a lot of politicians who don’t know better actually listen to them and make decisions based on their recommendations. Then we get back to being neck-deep in the mire because of bad choices, ad infinitum, (i.e. Vietnam war, sanctions that invariably backfire, the incredible ignorance of sending weapons to bad guys, etc.). When you hear some politician speaking highly of some think tank or another, just be apprised that they are merely stroking the egos of some folks who didn’t have the moxie to be leaders or politicians – and are making them feel important. And like I said, fellows in think tanks always have connections that can funnel dollars or shekels in said politicians’ direction, which often weighs heavily on decisions concerning national policy, so there’s that. I did a post on think tanks here.

As we fumble and stumble around trying to get through this crazy world, there is a Way to do it right. No matter how crazy -or evil – things get, we have a Friend who is willing to help us navigate this perilous journey. He is the only Way through it, at least the only Way to a desirable outcome, and He waits for you to contact Him. Jesus Christ loves you, and that’s certainly not something you can say about very many people in this world. The enemy hates and seeks to destroy everything and everyone that God has created, and unfortunately, he has many people in his service, but Jesus Christ has and will continue to overcome all of them. The Lord also has (and gives us the resources we need to) overcome the evils of this world, if we but seek Him. Don’t wait for life’s threats like that that dark highway ice to cause you problems you can’t escape – slow down – get to know Him now. You’ll forever be glad you did. [1 Corinthians 2:9] “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”— the things God has prepared for those who love him—” “What no human mind has conceived” means we never have, so we cannot even imagine what a joyful experience that life will be. Remember such promises – He will.

May the abundant blessings of God find and keep you.

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MK

The Hope of Light Beckons as Darkness Approaches

You can see the pieces moving all across the board. Syria suddenly gets overrun by the local rent a terrorist bunch, who immediately bow down and express their goodwill towards the genocide entity as the monster devours anything and everything that gains its malevolent attention among the rubble of all that is left of Syria, the Ukranian raid into Russia is on it’s last leg, but do not despair – other places are heating up, Raytheon stocks are safe for a bit longer. It even looks like the CIA is trying to pick a fight with Türkiye. Meanwhile Erdogan assails the Kurds – when is it too much? Passenger plane looks like it might have been in the wrong place at the wrong time near Azerbaijan – maybe done on purpose, but I don’t think so. Of course, the mainstream news is all bleating that Russia did it, and they may have, but it would have been an accident, after all the caution he uses in Ukraine, he’s shown the world he doesn’t like to kill civilians, so this kind of thing is not Putin’s MO. Israel is the only country that would intentionally shoot down a commercial plane, but they would be making videos and bragging about it, so it probably was some kind of accident. The China/Taiwan issue keeps bouncing back and forth to the front burner, but it is certainly the proverbial powder keg.

In case you haven’t noticed, Satan has acquired lordship over the whole world now, or at least enough of it to proceed with his evil intentions. If you read the Bible (please, please do!) in Revelation it speaks to the last days and the apocalyptic events that portend. It ain’t going to be pretty here on this rock for the next little while, but if you have your seat belt fastened (made your life right with the Lord), you have nothing to fear. The servants of evil who lead our nation, probably most nations, but the US for sure, want control of every aspect of our lives. They already know where you live, where you shop, what you buy, all the people you know or with whom you associate. As an example of this omniscience, I was checking myself out at Walmart and I was purchasing, among other things, four identical towels. After fumbling through one of them looking for a barcode tag, I decided to just ring the one four times so I could avoid the hassle of having to unfold each of them to find tags on them. Then I took the other three out of the cart and put them straight into the bags, and it looked like I’d hit the jackpot on a slot machine with lights, buzzers and so forth going off. I wasn’t aware, but there is a camera that films you as you check out and someone, or something, didn’t like my purchasing arrangement with my towels. I’m not going to go into the details of whether or not I think that kind of info gathering is right or wrong, just suffice it to say that when you walk out in public nowadays, your entire existence is on display. Even in your home, that smart TV and phone are monitoring every word uttered, and that information is going somewhere.

The powers that be, it would appear, are extremely paranoid about what the citizenry might be up to. Red flags go up when the wrong words are used on all social media platforms, we all know that. People dance around terminology related to Covid and vaccines (that one is particularly worrisome for them, because if law and order ever does return to this nation, there’s plenty of prima facie evidence that actual murder was taking place with intent, and heads will surely roll, if not enforced by the demonic system. Maybe the people will finally realize what has to be done to get this ship sailing properly. I guess the thing that sticks out like a sore thumb is the lengths Satan goes to locate and keep tabs on his enemies by all the (unconstitutional) spying his CIA, NSA, and FBI lackeys are engaging in, while all along, God knows what’s in our heart, to which Satan must not have full access, because he tries to make up for it with security cameras and smart TVs. God doesn’t need to spy on us – since He knows our heart anyway, He is willing to take our word.

Meanwhile, Americans and so many others, walk in perpetual fear of them, and you have to know that makes the bad guys happy. Their master has hired them to create mayhem, to imprison humans who God created, to harm and kill other human beings and they do it with gusto. Recently the feds publicly announced the DEA goons would stop stealing money from citizens at the Atlanta airport. Now I know enough about the proclivities of law enforcement to extend their authoritarian boundaries somewhat, to know they would not have voluntarily ceded that cash cow, so someone up the food chain – probably Delta Airlines management ordered the feds to curtail their thievery from citizens in their airline hub. Yes, ordered – the big boys with the money control even feds and spooks. A video had been published not long ago that specifically pointed out the Atlanta airport as a hotspot for federal law enforcement robbing innocent people of their cash at gunpoint – some nonsense they called “consensual search”, so they had to make a public issue about discontinuing their crimes there. My problem with this is, there are scores of international airports in the US, but (I guess due to the video documentary that exposed them at Atlanta,) they only mention stopping at that particular airport – what about stopping all the armed robbery at all airports and elsewhere, of American citizens? The theft of assets practice was authorized by corrupt officials – known as Civil Asset Forfeiture. Without a doubt one of the most anti-American, anti-Constitutional pieces of legislation to ever come out of any legislative entity in America. But that’s where we are. Lawmakers everywhere understand where their protection is and will be coming from, so they did this to make sure the enforcement goons stay on their side. And in the public narrative they call it forfeiture to make it sound like someone is volunteering or agrees to it. You could take the most notorious criminals from the nation’s prisons and hire them to perform this “law enforcement” practice, and it would be no different from a morality perspective, however the hardened criminals might be more prone to show mercy. The FBI, and most other law enforcement entities are all on board with razing the constitution and turn on their countrymen completely when serving their masters. They rob people of their money and take the swag back to the precinct to divvy up the booty. Our nation is upside down.

There is, after 23 years, a sizeable portion of the American population that still believe a gang of fellows who couldn’t land a Cessna were able to take command of passenger jets and fly them into buildings. If you’ve ever flown in a commercial jetliner, have you ever looked out the window towards the ground. Ok if you imagine you’ve got the equivalent ability to fly as the “terrorists”, and you probably do, how on earth would you be able to turn the plane around and get it going in the right direction to get to NYC. Too high to recognize landmarks even if you did know where they were, they had no idea of directional headings, nor which way they needed to go. They couldn’t read an altimeter nor operate any of the complicated equipment, but they were able to execute extreme maneuvers even seasoned pilots say they either couldn’t do at all or that would be very difficult for even en experienced pilot. Anyways, a lot of Americans still believe that narrative, so they can easily be convinced that the people from whom the money is stolen are really drug dealers.

Not enough of us are looking to God for our salvation from this evil trap we’re in. Satan is coming at us from every direction, using every person who he can corrupt with money or Epstein books, no matter their positions in society. He fights dirty – right now he is celebrating – he has a full-blown genocide going on where soldiers are competing with each other for murder tallies of children and infants, and our benevolent leaders carp about self-defense among other lies and there’s no stopping it. We have important people in high places who could shut down this atrocity with a phone call, or at worst a few missiles, but such is Satan’s control over them, none will lift a finger. Robert Wood, the United Nations rep from the US, epitomizes the persona of Satan with his never-ending stream of lies and deceit in the service of Zionists, and with his remarkable ability to speak the lies as though he believes them, it’s a real talent, but there are so many ways Satan can deceive people, Woods gets lost in the throngs. Listen to liars like Erdogan, Sisi, and Abdullah “harshly condemning” the genocide, but where is their action? Their orders come from Tel Aviv via Langley. The Zionists and all the spy agencies they have captured in the US are the ones running the show in the Middle East, and most of the “opposition” countries are putting on a PR show for their people, and doing nothing (“strongly-worded” letters and diplomatic protests are nowhere near as effective as shutting off energy supplies or trade, ask the Houthis) and military action, as much as I personally detest it, is sometimes justified. What’s going on in the West Bank, and especially Gaza would certainly justify military intervention in my book. Then there are the dollars that have been stolen from America since December 1913. This money is the hook in Sisi’s jaw. Same with Abdullah – but then the prospects of becoming a modern-day Louis XVI weighs heavily against the American loot, so these guys could do an about-face.

Abdullah is sitting on a tight rope. There are lots of Palestinian citizens in Jordan, and he’s had to go to the extent of getting PR photos of himself helping to push out pallets of aid relief items from an airplane over the besieged Gaza strip to keep his people in check. Think about it – we all know what murderers the Zionists are – if the Zionists didn’t want Gaza to be resupplied, are there any people in the world that would put it past Netanyahu to assassinate Abdullah? If the Zionist hadn’t agreed to allow this photo op for their puppet, it would not have happened without Abdullah being shot down. I wonder how many folks still believe the Zionists didn’t kill Raisi? I bet there were some under the table deals to keep Netanyahu from publicly owning up to that one, especially since they like to show off their willingness, no, their desire, to kill people.

I guess I’m rambling, but the point I’m trying to make is that Satan is in firm control of our world, and that’s not going to change until Jesus gets back. Then, finally, justice will be fully administered and for those of us who believe in Jesus, who have chosen the difficult, but possible path He has put before us, we will finally be able to see Him with our eyes, and hear His voice with our ears, and you can trust that our joy will be unmatched by any event, at any time in the history of mankind.

No man, nor government of man will be able to retrieve our world and restore it to what has been lost – that life of yesterday is gone for good and it’s going to take some getting used to this new normal, which will only be normal for a short time, then another, ad nauseum. It was designed to be this way, there are forces at work which are unimaginably powerful but although they are fearsome, we need not fear them. As long as we hold onto the hem of Jesus’ garment with all our strength, we will emerge from this web of destruction that is becoming the norm for the world. We can all see it plainly now – why are so many people still waiting to try and find Jesus, which is the only Way out. This opportunity is not going to last much longer. And He is such a magnificent Friend – yes, we can call Him our Friend [John 15:15], our Brother [Matt 12:49], our King [Rev 19:16] and more.

Fight the world, or go along with the world? Fighting, spiritually speaking, is the only logical choice when you consider that your own eternity is at stake.

Keep the faith – you are no more than the least, but no less than the greatest of them.

May the abundant blessings of God the Father find and keep us in these troubled times.

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MK