Another Unpopular Opinion post

I can’t be bothered to check which post in the UO “series” this is.  I want to say maybe third or fourth. Sounds right. So, onward!

If you’re not American, this may not mean all that much to you, but I’m going to go ahead and say that we are still a pretty strong force in the western world. For now. For now. And that is important, as you’ll soon see.

We’re going to talk about Revelation chapter 18 today.  Yes, some of you will already be rolling your eyes, but if you disagree, hop off and go read another post or maybe visit another page altogether. Bye! Hope to see you some other time! πŸ‘‹πŸ»βœŒπŸ»πŸ’–πŸŒΉ

Now, if you’re still here… Yes, I for one (and I am not alone!) believe there is a good case laid for America being Babylon the Great.  A world player of immense power, prestige, and political influence brought to ruin in a single day. And there are two major reasons for that. I’ll get into them in a moment, after another PSA.

Folks, I love debates. I love banter. I love deep, cerebral conversations. But I won’t tolerate disrespect or hate. So if you do disagree with me, we can talk about it. I love to hear differing opinions and perspectives. But I’m not going to argue with you. And again, I won’t tolerate any level of disrespect. So, keep that in mind if you are going to comment on this post. Thanks again! πŸŒΉπŸ’–πŸ˜Š

I’ll post a passage or three right here, so you can get a feel for how dire Babylon’s situation is.  It’s not pretty.

‭[1] After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was made bright with his glory. [2] And he called out with a mighty voice, β€œFallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast. [3] For all nations have drunk the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxurious living.” [4] Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, β€œCome out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues; [5] for her sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.

Revelation 18:1-5 ESV‬


[9] And the kings of the earth, who committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her, will weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning. [10] They will stand far off, in fear of her torment, and say, β€œAlas! Alas! You great city, you mighty city, Babylon! For in a single hour your judgment has come.” [11] And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her, since no one buys their cargo anymore, [12] cargo of gold, silver, jewels, pearls, fine linen, purple cloth, silk, scarlet cloth, all kinds of scented wood, all kinds of articles of ivory, all kinds of articles of costly wood, bronze, iron and marble, [13] cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and slaves, that is, human souls.
[15]  The merchants of these wares, who gained wealth from her, will stand far off, in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning aloud, [16] β€œAlas, alas, for the great city that was clothed in fine linen, in purple and scarlet, adorned with gold, with jewels, and with pearls! [17] For in a single hour all this wealth has been laid waste.” And all shipmasters and seafaring men, sailors and all whose trade is on the sea, stood far off ‭[18] and cried out as they saw the smoke of her burning, β€œWhat city was like the great city?”



‭Revelation 18:9-13, 15-18 ESV‬

The first reason I believe America is Babylon is because of our flagrant, proud disregard for the things of God. God has blessed my country so abundantly so far because we were foundedΒ largely on Christian principles.Β  We honored God, set our principles on his Word, and in return he blessed us. For centuries, he’s blessed us.Β  But not anymore. We are prideful, Godless, brimming with immorality, sin, and greed. And we are proud of it. That’s the terrible thing. We are unrepentant. We are defiant and also hypocritical. We point fingers at others, but say we are just fine. We think this mess we’re promoting to the world is right, pure, and good.Β  We’re flaunting and prideful, while Yahweh is sitting in his heaven just absolutely aghast. Horrified, saddened, and yes, angry.Β Β  He’s full of righteous anger, which is proper. Rightfully so.Β  After all he’s done for our country, this is how we repay him. Spitting in his face.Β  Not only have we forsaken Yahweh, but we are proudly, loudly, modelling and promoting debauchery and depravity. The rest of the world is following in our immoral footsteps. And this is only one reason he’s about to judge us.

The other, very simply put, is our relationship, or lack thereof (we see it unfolding in real time), with Israel.  God’s chosen, covenant people. As it says all over Scripture, he is their God, and they are his people.  The apple of his eye. Even now. Now and always. Again, all over the Old Testament, Yahweh repeats, “Whoever blesses you I will bless, and whoever curses you I will curse”.  Our current administration, instead of backing Israel in their efforts of self-preservation, is telling them to back down and let these inhuman terrorists walk all over them. For shame. For. Shame. We deserve what’s coming to us. That’s all I can say. Whatever God has in store, we deserve. It’s not just Trump, guys. I’m not saying he’s a great guy; he might not even be a good guy. But it’s not all his fault. Not by a long shot. 

I’m on my knees daily for my country. I take us to the Lord in prayer all the time. Our president, our congressmen, our military, our law enforcement. Everyone. We all need Jesus. In these last moments of history as we know it, normal life as we know it, we need Jesus. I’m so excited to be going home, home to heaven. But my heart aches, and I am terrified, for those I love that will be left behind. And I’m ready to cry now just thinking about it. But all I can do is go to the Cross. Thank heavens. I can lay everything at the feet of Jesus! And, thanks to his sacrifice, I can throw myself at the throne of grace and let Yahweh, my heavenly Father, embrace me.  The ironclad fact, the overarching fact over all of God’s Word, is that he is in absolute control. Even when I am in dismay, horror, and feel nothing but anger and frustration at the events unfolding around me, I know that God has everything well in hand. Prophecy is coming to pass. The Antichrist is putting the finishing touches on his regime behind the curtain, and Jesus is at the door. He is coming. We’re about to see him face to face, if we know him personally. Do you know him personally? Are you a  “Whosoever”? Read John 3:16. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, so that whosoever believes in him will not perish, but have eternal life.” One can write sermons on every single word of that passage. That’s the only reason we’re not in heaven already! People are coming to him in droves everyday. Hallelujah! 

There is no maximum capacity in heaven; it’s not standing room only. And, even though Scripture says the road to heaven is narrow, there’s going to be quite a few people who are taken in the rapture. The “harpazo”. The snatching away.  Probably a few million. Now, that may seem like nothing in a population of some eight billion, but it’s going to throw the world into a tizzy, to put it mildly. Most eschatology nerds believe the rapture is going to be the tipping point into the tribulation.  And if we see the tribulation unfolding all around us, the stage being set, world events converging, how close is the rapture? A breath away. We are teetering on the edge of oblivion. We can reach out and touch Christ’s sleeve. Pull his hair. That’s how close Jesus is.  His hand is on the knob, and he’s starting to turn it. Please. If you don’t know him personally today, find someone who can help you with that. I can help you with that. I would be honored.  Let me pray for you. I am more than willing to answer your questions. Jesus loves you. He desires you to be with him so much that he died for you. You can’t say that about anybody else. None of us can. Hallelujah. So blessed to belong to him. I pray that you are blessed today, too! πŸ’–πŸŒΉβœ¨πŸ’–

Unpopular Opinions: The Israel Question

So this happened on Facebook of late. I’ll post the original sentiment from a page we follow (Unsealed; a Bible prophecy page) and then my remarks. Not long, but poignant. If you’ve followed VL for any length of time, you’ll already know where I stand. As a Bible believing Christian washed by the blood of Jesus, I’ll give you two guesses and the first doesn’t count. πŸ€·πŸ»β€β™€οΈ

And my addendum….

Can’t apologize. I must stand with Yahweh. To not do so is utter foolishness and folly. So there it is.


[1] The fool says in his heart, β€œThere is no God.” They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity; there is none who does good. [2] God looks down from heaven on the children of man to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. [3] They have all fallen away; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one. [4] Have those who work evil no knowledge, who eat up my people as they eat bread, and do not call upon God? [5] There they are, in great terror, where there is no terror! For God scatters the bones of him who encamps against you; you put them to shame, for God has rejected them. [6] Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When God restores the fortunes of his people, let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.

‭Psalm‬ ‭53:1‭-‬6‬

Bro Tyler is back!

One of my favorite watchmen is back from a month long illness. I’m telling you, Satan is out to tear down the saints in these last days. Anything to shut us up, amen? But we keep kicking. Because we have the Holy Spirit in us, and we won’t be silenced. Hallelujah! πŸ™ŒπŸ»β€οΈβ€πŸ”₯πŸ™πŸ»

https://www.youtube.com/live/TleNA39QISs?si=_xXWblkDkXAI3uE6

It’s late, but I wanted to get this out. I may write again tomorrow with some more randomness, and maybe a meme or two, but I wanted to get his video out tonight. It’s a couple days old, but it’s full of great stuff. Very encouraging. I’m so glad God touched him and he’s on the mend. I can’t imagine being sick for a month! Yikes. I don’t think I’ve ever gone more than a week or two with being under the weather, and there was always steady improvement throughout that time. πŸ€·πŸ»β€β™€οΈπŸ™πŸ» Trust me, I’m grateful.

But, and maybe I’ll touch on this tomorrow, too, other things are going on. I am 2 years away from 40, so maybe you can use your imagination? Ha. Strange things are a-happening! πŸ˜©πŸ™„ And, it may have begun a few years ago with some weight gain. But, I’m a survivor, so I’m not going anywhere. πŸ™ŒπŸ»πŸ˜‰πŸ’ƒπŸ» I’ll just keep being my awesome, nerdy, crazy self. Look for another post tomorrow! God bless. πŸ’–πŸ₯°πŸŒΉ

Frustrating and sad.

I know I’ve touched on this topic a few times lately, but when it hits close to home, the letdown, shock, and almost pity you feel is crazy.

It is downright alarming how dead asleep the “church” (professing believers; but some must be nominal Christians) is in these last of the last days. I mean jaw dropping.

Here’s where the “close to home” is. I was briefly talking with an extended family member, a (retired; or mostly) Lutheran minister, over the holiday when we were at my dad’s. He doesn’t believe in the truth or inerrancy of the Word. A pastor. I was gobsmacked. (Again, I had heard and known of this, but to actually talk with a church leader face to face who holds these views was shocking.)

I asked him if he believed God created the world in six days. Nope. He countered by asking about the dinosaurs. I merely said, “Who cares about them? Why did he create us if he knew we were going to fall?” He just kinda chuckled and said, “Exactly!” and walked away. And that was that.

Oh, he also says that there is no prophecy for today in the Old Testament; that the so called “prophets” were only given information for their day. Ridiculous. What about Isaiah? Micah? Jeremiah? Even David?! They all pointed to a Messiah coming from Bethlehem!! All of them! πŸ€¦πŸ»β€β™€οΈπŸ€¦πŸ»β€β™€οΈπŸ™‡πŸ»β€β™€οΈ

Then we get to Jesus, the Christ. If we are going to dispute the validity and truth of the Bible as written, the black words on the white pages, what do we do with Jesus? If the Bible isn’t to be taken literally, was Jesus born of a virgin? Did he die by crucifixion for the sins of every man, for all time? Did he rise after three days? We all must answer these pivotal questions, for they shape our eternity. Where we will spend it.

I was so flabbergasted and shocked, and still am. I’m not worried about anything he said; Aaron and I have brought our children up (and sat under pastors) with the viewpoint of Scripture being one thousand percent true as written. Look, if Jesus is not the Word made flesh, as John writes in his precious Gospel, then this man is right, and Jesus is a liar. And so are all the other writers of Scripture. And Scripture says that God cannot lie (Heb 6:18; Titus 1:2). It goes against his very nature. If he could, then he may have lied to Jesus by telling him he had to die, right? And on and on we could go. Ridiculous.

If Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and he is the living Word, the Bible is inerrant. True. Factual from the first to the last word. Every account, from Creation, to the fall of man, to the Flood, to Jonah and the whale, to Jesus, to the rapture, to his second coming, to the millennial reign, and beyond. πŸ’―πŸ™ŒπŸ»πŸ™πŸ» Hallelujah and amen!!

Of course, the only solution is to pray for him and all these other sleeping “Christians”. Time is frighteningly short, and they need to actually come to the Kingdom! Amen? Maybe it will take the rapture and the beginning of the tribulation for them to wake up. They’re going to realize that the pages of Scripture are alive, all around them, every day. And they will be trailblazing tribulation saints. But it will take those terrible times for them to realize the truth. What can we do? Pray for them now. Daily. On our knees. Join me. πŸ™πŸ»πŸ™πŸ»πŸ™ŒπŸ»πŸ™ŒπŸ»

Sunday hymns and a note on how the Old & New Testaments correlate

We are going home soon, church. Worship Jesus with me. Are you ready to finally see him face to face ?? πŸ™ŒπŸ»πŸ•ŠοΈπŸ€β€οΈβ€πŸ”₯

And the connections between testaments that are 400 years apart. πŸ™ŒπŸ»πŸ™ŒπŸ»πŸ™ŒπŸ» The Bible is holy, inerrant, and true.

‭Acts‬ ‭2:29‭-‬32‬ ‭
[29] β€œBrothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. [30] Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, [31] he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. [32] This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses.

~ This echoes psalm 16 where David states his certainty that Jesus will ensure he will not go to hell. (v.10)

Amen and hallelujah. David knew, hundreds of years before Christ came to earth, that he, David, would not die. Or, his soul wouldn’t perish. Incredible. Incredible. πŸ™ŒπŸ»β€οΈβ€πŸ”₯πŸ™ŒπŸ»β€οΈβ€πŸ”₯πŸ™πŸ»πŸ™πŸ»


Edit:: I did a thing. Again. πŸ˜ŠπŸ’ƒπŸ»πŸ€©

E loves fall, like his Auntie!

The baby is quickly receding so the boy can emerge! Bless him, Lord. Bless and keep him. Keep Elliot, his mom, and his dad close to your heart. Keep the Holy Spirit hedged around them! πŸ•ŠοΈπŸ™ŒπŸ» I pray they come to know Jesus as intimately as he knows them, just as I pray for everyone that God has written on my heart and soul. πŸ™πŸ»β€οΈβ€πŸ”₯πŸ€—

Photo by Matt Otis (my BIL; Elliot’s dad πŸ’œ)

He’s gotten taller since July, too! πŸ₯°πŸ˜ I adore him!! And miss him terribly, as I do his mom, my sister Steph. πŸ’œπŸ’–πŸŒΉ

How much time do you spend on your knees before the throne of God? We also ought to be praising Jesus for the ability to even get in to heaven, let alone the throne room of the Almighty! Mind blowing, no?! Let it never cease to be, Lord. πŸ€―πŸ™ŒπŸ»πŸ™πŸ»β€οΈβ€πŸ”₯

Dr. Barry knocks it out of the park!

Mesmerizing research from Dr. Barry Awe here. He’s a chiropractor rather than a theologian or pastor, but he is a very knowledgeable man.

Though I don’t always agree with him, he uses sound theology and his theories are solid. Frankly, the only thing we really disagree on is that Christ has to return on a Jewish feast day. I don’t always hold to that. I’m more of an imminency gal. Now, here he notes that the flood was not on a Jewish feast day. The feast days weren’t even instituted yet! This was before Moses; we know the flood was in the time of Noah. Moses wasn’t given the law with all the feasts and observances for some time.

This is kind of a two in one video. It’s a new intro, and in it he talks about the old video and how he splices in tidbits to correlate with October 2023. The original video argues in favor of the rapture coinciding with the date of the Flood. Give it a try!! Heaven knows Jesus is coming soon for his Bride; why not by the end of October?! πŸ™πŸ»πŸ™ŒπŸ» Maranatha! Either way… Maranatha. Amen?! Amen! πŸ™ŒπŸ»πŸ™ŒπŸ»πŸ™ŒπŸ»

Edit:: Another thing that gets in my craw is the gap theory. Why on earth would there be a gap of time between the rapture and the beginning of the tribulation?! Makes no sense at all. How can the world recover from the absolute devastation and chaos the rapture will cause?! Barry sort of refers to that by saying that in this scenario the antichrist will be revealed during Hanukkah. I just don’t agree. πŸ€·πŸ»β€β™€οΈ I can’t make sense of a gap. That’s all. Carry on!

Conditional (human) vs. unconditional (Godly) love

No, I won’t post 1 Corinthians 13, as famous and apt for this post as it is. Feel free to reacquaint yourself with it, however. πŸ™πŸ»πŸ™ŒπŸ»πŸ’œπŸ’– Oh, how He loves us! Let’s dive in to his love. πŸ₯°πŸ’–πŸŒΉ

We ought to love as God loves, and though we are made in the image of God, we are now all fallen and broken thanks to sin. As such, we are really only capable of conditional love. Let me explain what I mean.

There are varying degrees of conditional love. Some are healthy, existing as boundaries against narcissists and such. Other healthy ones are put in place against addicts, such as conditions like therapy or rehab. If the addict doesn’t agree to these terms, you’ll be forced to distance yourself from them. The real heart of this post might be right here! Sometimes, boundaries and conditions and not only healthy, but also loving. You’re protecting yourself and the other person. Those are even godly! But others are simply easy roads for desertion the cowards take, frankly.

We all know those types. Some people ghost their partner or leave altogether just because they looked at them weird. Or they had one argument. Maybe even a tragic mistake was made, but forgiveness isn’t extended. These are all faults on the part of the wounded person. We are to forgive those who hurt us 70Γ—7 times! For example, my husband has made plenty of mistakes in our 20+ years together and 16 years of marriage. Plenty. But, so have I. Boy, have I ever. But he’s forgiven me. He has shown me the love of Christ. And, as we saw above, sometimes boundaries and conditions are loving and Christlike. But we’ve examined others that are not. I know I’m going to try to let my guard down and not be too rash in laying conditions down. In these last days, I want to make Christ prouder than ever. How about you? Join me. Let’s finish this race with flying colors!! πŸ™ŒπŸ»πŸ™πŸ»πŸ’ƒπŸ»πŸƒπŸ»β€β™€οΈπŸƒπŸ»πŸ₯‡πŸ‘‘

Pexels

Philippians 2:5-11

Scripture reads::

‭ 
[5] Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, [6] who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, [7] but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. [8] And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. [9] Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, [10] so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, [11] and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

I wrote this on a Facebook post yesterday in the wake of the ongoing tragedy of newly declared war in Israel, God’s chosen, covenant people. I’ve been all over the place mentally and emotionally since yesterday, but here’s what I know.

Israel is indeed God’s chosen, covenant people.

He will provide for them, uphold them, sanctify them, and pour abundant mercy on them, despite their disobedience and desertion. Scripture even says he will transport the faithful away to be spared the worst of the Tribulation once it begins quite soon here, post rapture of the Bride, of course. (Luke 21:21, Matt. 24:16, Mark 13:3) Not a second rapture, but hidden away in caves and mountains. Praise God.

Then there’s the 144,000 anointed Jews that go out to minister to the petrified, running scared world post rapture. 12 thousand men from each of the twelve tribes. Incredible. What a God we serve. He hasn’t left any stone unturned in the quest to save all his Bride, whether those who come to faith in the age of grace or later. Hallelujah!! πŸ™ŒπŸ»πŸ™πŸ»πŸ™ŒπŸ»πŸ™πŸ»

The rapture is so very soon.

I firmly believe, even more so since yesterday’s horrors, that Jesus will come to claim his Bride before the end of 2023. Then the trib will begin in 2024 and end in 2030 with Christ’s glorious return to earth (his second advent) with us, the Bride, and Armageddon will transpire, followed by the millennial reign, judgment of each individual soul left on earth, and finally, Satan’s total demise.

We must hold fast to Jesus as we wait for him.

Don’t despair, fellow believer. It’s terrible out there, but we overcome by the blood of the Lamb, amen?! Jesus overcame death and hell, and so can we. The Holy Spirit indwelling in us provides that strength, faith, and courage. Call on the Spirit whenever you feel faint. Let’s pray.

Dear heavenly Father, I come before you today as your humble servant to pray for myself and all your chosen right now, who are waiting for your return. I pray that you give us strength to endure until that trumpet sounds. I pray that you help us to redeem the time as you see fit, as you will, for your glory in the edification of the saints, but also the encouragement of the lost. Maybe we won’t witness the Spirit coming on them, but we can plant seeds. Help us to do so in these last moments before you return. Give us strength, boldness, compassion and humility as we work for you. In the precious Name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

SWS X

One day, my knots will unravel.

Pexels

Once I (we.. all the blood bought saints! πŸ™ŒπŸ»πŸ™πŸ») am/are in the arms of Jesus, there will be no more:

  • Crying
  • Heartache
  • Pain
  • Fear
  • Anxiety
  • Worry
  • Frustration
  • Inadequacy
  • Death
  • Temptations
  • Depression
  • Ignorance
  • Anything even tinged or tainted with negativity, unpleasantness, irritation. Wow!! Maranatha, Jesus! Come, Lord. We are groaning down here. Aghast at what we see daily all around us. Please, please come and deliver your Bride. We eagerly watch and wait.
Pexels