Babylon Divided?

Gen 11 The Tower of Babel

(Daniel 1:1-7)

1 And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. 2And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. 3And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter. 4And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. 5And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. 6And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. 7Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech. 8So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. 9Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.

What exactly is all this push for 'inclusion and diversity?'  Is it that our politicians have grown a conscience and suddenly deeply care for the downtrodden and oppressed?  Hardly.  They (the politicians) have in their heart to do their father's (the devil) will.  Our adversary is fully aware of what the Lord God said in Genesis 11:

And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.

 Which is why today the battle lines are drawn between the globalists and the minority fighting it.  The globalists dominate both political parties in the United States and most other political parties around the world, but they have a problem and that problem's name is The Almighty.

It would have been easy for the Lord to allow Clinton to put the icing on the globalist cake baked for her by every president who came before the 2016 election.  Something happened in 2016 however starting with Brexit, and followed up by Trump and now a growing insurgency around the world as evidenced by the yellow vests in France, Italy, Hungary etc who have put a thorn in the side of Babylon's progress.

It is the Lord God who has authored the current resistance we see to the final formation of end time Babylon.  We know what the end time kingdom is and it is not resurrected Rome.  Do you see anything even hinting at end time Roman revival in the book of Revelation?  No, you do not.  What you do see is this:

Rev 18 Babylon is Fallen

1And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. 2And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. 3For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.

We read about Babylon.

Is it just a coincidence that the EU chose a rebuilt tower of Babel to announce their intentions for the world?  No, they did not chose to replicate the Roman senate building or any other Roman building, they chose Babylon.

So what?  So, this gives us insight into our Lord's thinking.  Just as the people of Babel were scattered to prevent them from doing what they imagined to do, so today the Lord is at work retarding (once again) the progress of Babylon.  He could have allowed the Babylonian freight train to keep gaining steam but instead he derailed it (at least temporarily).  Just when we all thought (this writer included) the Lord was allowing the end time script to play itself out, instead the Restrainer went to work.

2 Thess 2:7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way.

The globalists are furious.  This is why they despise Trump and the British public who voted for Brexit.  Consider the words of this EU politician:

Tusk warns of 'special place in hell' for those who backed Brexit without a plan

They want their new world order (Babylon) and they want it now.  They were so close but so far, no cigar because they did not consider they are at war not with a man (Trump) but the Almighty.  Not that Trump is anyone's savior.  Trump promised to 'drain the swamp' then proceeded to fill his entire cabinet with the swamp (guys like John Bolton who like John McCain have hands so bloody they should be painted red).  Trump promised to drain the swamp but the only people going to jail are his people, those associated with him and his campaign.  And as for making America great again?  A house divided cannot stand.  Trump came in to do the job of a wrecking ball, not a national healer which should be obvious.  An interesting aside here, wrecking balls are used in construction (Trump's family business) to demolish old structures and build new ones.

The net effect of the Trump presidency to date has been to unite the world against America and Israel which prophetically speaking is a bullseye for end time fulfillment.  'They' cant go after Israel until America is brought to its knees first, which is what is happening in a way that few expected.
If Trump was put into office to make America great again we would have seen at least a flicker of national revival and repentance (no obvious signs of this).  Apostasy goes on unabated.  Nevertheless Trump is playing his part.  Not the part he advertised but the part the Almighty destined him to play.

Another product of the current global turmoil is this, this world is looking for a savior.  We, the Christians are looking for a savior from heaven (our Lord Jesus Christ to come back for us), while this world is looking for something entirely different.  When the anti-Christ shows up, the people of this world are going to have been worked up into such a lather by people like Trump that they will throw themselves at his feet.  The Lord knows what He is doing.  We are witnessing a setup of such exquisite complexity, beauty and intelligence that we should all stand in awe of the God we serve even more than we have up through this very day.  The twists and turns of it all are breathtaking.

If the Lord was using Trump to just take America down so Israel could be isolated, He could have left Brexit, the yellow vests, the seismic pollical shift in Italy etc off the table but He moved all of those forward.

What does this tell us?

It tells us that the Lord is sticking to the end time blueprint outlined for us in Revelation and the books of the prophets but....how we get there is a path that few to none of us would have supposed.  The Lord has been warning us with back to back signs in the heavens, earthquakes, wars and rumors of wars that what He promised is coming, is coming.  What do we do with this knowledge?  Warnings are given for a reason.  Warnings of what?  The endgame.  We were told that the Lord Jesus Christ is coming back for us at an unknown day and hour.  How many are watching for the Lord's return today?  He warned us over and over again about this 'secret' coming.  Yes, arrival at an unknown day and hour is a 'secret.'  Yes, a day and hour that not even the Son of God knows but only the Father is a secret:

Matt 24:36 "But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

Contrast this ^^ unknown day and hour of the Lord's coming with this:

Dan 12:10 Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand. 11And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. 12Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days. 13But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days.

The Lord gave an exact day count for the time of the tribulation, down to the precise day.  And what is it exactly that's going to put an end to the tribulation?  You got it, the very public and not so secret arrival of Jesus Christ:

2 Thess 2:8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.

The formation of end time Babylon was put into disorder once again (as it was, so it will be again nothing is new under the sun).  We must consider what our Lord is doing.  The road this world is now on is much different from the road it was on in 2016 (which was preceded if you remember by the blood moon tetrad of 2014-2015...)  Trump the American wrecking ball has inspired the nations of this world to find ways to live without America.  They are developing alternative currencies, alternative financial transaction systems, alternative trade deals, and in many cases forming alliances that would never have been formed had Trump not been elected.

The complexity of it all is mind boggling but if we look carefully at where this world is headed it is on a collision course with precisely what our Lord told us would happen.  We don't need to forecast how the Lord is going to work out the road to the tribulation.  We should however appreciate that this world is on that road.  World war appears to be a real possibility.  Civil wars are becoming real possibilities even in places we would not have expected (like America).  The climate is changing but it is certainly not because of the SUV you might drive.  How exactly are they going to tie the exhaust from my SUV to all the green grass being burned up, the trees all wasted, a third of the sea turned into blood and a third of the ships destroyed?  Don't worry, knowing how deceitful todays political class is they will likely blame it on Russia and pay off some scientist to claim it is our fault for the cars we drive.

The more chaos erupts, the more we need to keep our eyes to the skies.  Is that escapist?  You bet it is.  I am an 'escapist' because my God is an escapist:

Luke 21:34“Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap. 35For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth. 36Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”

"Pray that you may be able to escape" are Words from the Almighty that a growing chorus of todays so called preachers and teachers rail against with red faces and bulging neck veins in their rage against one of the greatest promises the Lord God has given humanity.  Do I know when that escape is going to happen?  No, nor does anyone else.  What I do know with rock solid certainty is I was told to be prepared and watching at all times for the unexpected, 'secret' return of the Lord on a day and hour that nobody but the Father knows.

We would be wise to do what we were told to do.  Not told by man but told by God Almighty.  The Lord Jesus Christ is what and who we should be watching for as this world falls apart.  We have a hope that the rest of this world does not have.  We are told to be watching always which means today.  If we are still here tomorrow we watch tomorrow.  If we are still here at the mid point of the tribulation we are still watching.  How can you possibly screw that up?  The only people 100% certain to not be wrong about the time of the escape are those who are watching and ready every day.

Our eyes are on Jesus Christ.  Regardless of the royal mess in this world.  This world is in chaos because they rejected Jesus Christ.  There is a price for that rejection and we are seeing that price being paid day in and day out as none of this world solutions to its problems makes anything better.  They just don't get it.  They are trying to solve a spiritual problem with political and social solutions.  Chances of success with that strategy?  Zero.

The tribulation phases in increasingly severe judgements because some people need to have more pain applied than others to open their eyes.  Some will just go down swinging in a war with the Almighty they cannot win.  We however, have not rejected Jesus Christ.  We pray every day "they kingdom come and thy will be done."  We never asked for this sick world, we did not want this sick and increasingly sick world, we are just passing through it.  While we pass through, we are to do exactly what the Lord God told us to do.  Had the world done this, the world would not be circling the drain of history as it now is.  That's the big takeaway from the whole thing.  Man tried things his way and failed miserably.  Do things the way the Creator said to do them and things will turn out much better.

Be looking for our Savior to show up any day.  It could be tomorrow, it could be 10 years from now or some indeterminate time in the future.  We don't need to predict hours and days, we need to be watching and ready.  End time Babylon is coming.  Even now it is being created in a way none of us saw coming.  Jesus Christ is also coming.  Our hearts will rejoice when He shows up and this world will mourn:

Matthew 24:30 ³⁰"Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.

Enough for now, its time for bed.

grace and peace

Give The Lord The Benefit of the Doubt

I was praying for something recently that I not only did not get, but what happened was about the exact opposite of 1.  what I asked for and 2. what I wanted.  The day before, I prayed for something that received the exact answer for what I asked within 5 minutes or less.  What happened?

The Lord always answers:

Matt 7:7“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

Sometimes the answer is yes, sometimes no, sometimes wait.  The Spirit explained this morning that we need to think a little bit harder about what appear to be 'no.'  We need to give the Lord the benefit of the doubt when what we get is not what we asked for  and/or not what we wanted.  We need to ask better questions like "is there a bigger picture here that I am not seeing at the moment?"  Could the short term "no" be part of a larger, longer term "yes?"

Give the Lord the benefit of the doubt:

Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

The Lord sees the end from the beginning.  On the chess board of life in a 100 move game He sees, understands and has plans for all 100 moves of the game.  He is the only infinite, all knowing, all powerful being, full stop.  Just because 1. we didn't get what we wanted today, 2. didn't like todays answer does not mean there isn't something larger and longer term at play in store for us tomorrow.

Add to all of this ^^ the fact that we are loved with a love that goes beyond anything our minds or hearts can understand.  Our God is good, He loves us, He always answers.  We have to be faithful, patient and give Him the benefit of the doubt that somehow some way todays "no" will work out later for our good and in many if not most cases turn today's disappointment into tomorrows rejoicing.

Keep the faith.

grace and peace

The Lord is in Control

Love him or hate him, Donald Trump was put into office by the Lord God Almighty.  Trump has a job to do.  One of the big jobs he has is to be a wrecking ball.  Has he carried out this duty so far?  The answer is yes, magnificently. Trump has other jobs to do, like thwarting the timing of the enemy.  There is a time for everything, but the Lord determines timing, not man or the enemy.

This brings us to another point that is important.  Regardless of what is going on in the world, or how bad it seems-the Lord is in control.  We stood on the brink of the implementation of the new world order had Clinton won the election, but she didn't.  It took a miracle to thwart all the vote rigging and other corruption the globalists had lined up to put the final nail in America's coffin but a miracle prevented that outcome.  Just in the nick of time, they were thwarted.  Same thing with Brexit, the only reason the politicians in Britain decided to have the referendum is they never believed in a million years the people would vote to leave the EU, well...they did.  Another miracle and another hammer blow to the globalists.

Whats the point?  The unexpected, the miraculous can and will happen as often as needed.  Even when it looks like we have passed the point of no return, it is the Lord who determines the timing of things.  His will be done, not mans or the enemy's.  We know how this story ends.  Even in the midst of the enemy's 'brightest' season (the tribulation) where he has incredible power granted to him (even over the saints), what else is happening?

During the reign of the anti-Christ and the globalist new world order system they set up to achieve their satanic utopia on earth, they are going to have some rather unpleasant circumstances to deal with.  Consider how much fun and pleasure this Christ rejecting world has to look forward to during their short lived season:

1.  Mass death (1/4 of the earth wiped out), then another 1/3

Rev 6:7When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” 8I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.

Rev 9:18 A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that came out of their mouths.

2.  Peace is taken from the earth (people have it in their heart to kill each other).  Makes it kind of hard to enjoy yourself when you are constantly looking over your shoulder for your neighbor who wants to kill you:

3When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” 4Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make people kill each other. To him was given a large sword.

 3. famine- does make living in 'utopia' rather difficult:

5When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. 6Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, “Two pounds ^a of wheat for a day’s wages, ^b and six pounds ^c of barley for a day’s wages, ^d and do not damage the oil and the wine!”

4.  Fear-when a person realizes that they are at war with an angry God to the point where they are hiding in the rocks and actually confessing "uhhh, I think we upset the Almighty."  That makes enjoying all the 'benefits' of the satanic world order a bit difficult:

12I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, 13and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. 14The heavens receded like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.

15Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free, hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. 16They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us ^f from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17For the great day of their ^g wrath has come, and who can withstand it?”

5.  The scenery:  so much for a nice quiet cup of coffee in the morning gazing at all the magnificent beauty the Lord created on this earth.  No, what our communist, globalist, satanist, Christ rejecting friends will get to enjoy out of their front window (if they still have one) is this:

7The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down on the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.

It will look like hell (literally) on the face of the earth.

When these same people get the bright idea to escape the scorched earth that has become their front yard and they tell themselves "hey, lets brighten up our day and head to the beach!"  They will have this little surprise waiting for them:

8The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood, 9a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

That day at the beach will seriously lose its luster with the sight of blood for water, rotting fish and shipwrecks littering the shore.

And just when they think it cant get any worse, they try and relive themselves with a cool drink of water only to find out it has been poisoned and they fall on their faces dead:

10The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water— 11the name of the star is Wormwood. ^a A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter.

And for those who survive all this ^^?  The party is just getting started:

13As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair call out in a loud voice: “Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!”

And all of this is just Revelation 6-8, they have 14 more chapters in the book of Revelation to look forward to!

Why write this^^?  For those who think the Lord is sitting in heaven unaware and indifferent to the rotten corruption, wickedness and perversion that is being manifest in increasing measure on this earth, they are dead wrong.  The Lord is patient and merciful, until He is not...…

Rom 2:5 But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.

The Lord is in control today (as Trump in office as President proves).  The Lord will be in control tomorrow.  So regardless of how bad it looks and how out of control the wicked appear to be, there is coming a time to settle accounts.

Another important point we need to make is there is always an acceleration right before the end of any cycle:

  Notice here ^^ how when the descent of the wave becomes the steepest, it is nearing the point of turning the cycle to head in the other direction.  So it is with this world.  Just when it looks like the wicked are accelerating past the point of no return, they hit a wall and get their face ripped off heading in the other direction.

We don't have to guess what is going to happen.  The Almighty detailed the road map ahead for us (and this world) in His Word.  The wicked appear to win many battles but they lose the war.  Don't lose heart.  Be faithful, be courageous.  Use every ounce of strength the Lord gives you to fight the good fight for one more day and let the Lord handle the rest.  He truly is in full control.  Glory to God.

grace and peace

You Can Do Whatever....

Recently I felt like I was being battered by challenges/attacks and I told the Lord "Lord, if these keep coming I'm not sure I can deal with it."  His response was immediate, short and to the point.

He said "you can do whatever I give you the strength to do."

That's it ^^, not very wordy but it hits like a hammer.  He does not give us the strength we need for tomorrows challenges today.  He gives you the strength you need tomorrow, tomorrow.  Most of the time if not all of the time we serve a "just in time" God.  He is in us, around us, always watching, always present and fully capable of providing exactly what we need in the exact millisecond that we need it, in other words, just in time.

Matt 6:34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

We just have to decide to never give up.  If we are going to go down, we will go down swinging.  We fight, till the end.  We must arm ourselves with the attitude of a warrior, a soldier:

2 Tim 2:3 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

Make no mistake, we are soldiers and this is a war.  Each day that passes brings this into clearer focus than the day before.  He told us we would have trials, tribulations, troubles in this life and guess what?  He was right.  But He also told us He would never leave us or forsake us:

Heb 13:5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."

This life is full of trouble and heartache, that's just the way it is.  When we can find some happiness here or there, wonderful but we have to understand what we were put here to do.  We are soldiers, this is a war.  We have been and will be tested and it will never stop until we check out of this world.  But the word of encouragement is, if you are not feeling up to the fight today, be patient.  Wait for the strength you need to be given to you, then re-engage.  It is true, we can do whatever He gives us the strength to do.  Glory to God.

may the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be multiplied unto you

The End Time Battle

Many of us can relate to this after a tough 2018:

Ps 61:1Hear my cry, O God;

listen to my prayer.

2From the ends of the earth I call to you,

I call as my heart grows faint;

lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

3For you have been my refuge,

a strong tower against the foe.

4I long to dwell in your tent forever

and take refuge in the shelter of your wings. ^b

5For you, God, have heard my vows;

you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.

6Increase the days of the king’s life,

his years for many generations.

7May he be enthroned in God’s presence forever;

appoint your love and faithfulness to protect him.

8Then I will ever sing in praise of your name

and fulfill my vows day after day.

What we are seeing in the world around us is the end time battle for all the marbles.  This is the time written about by the Spirit of the Lord through His prophets.  There have been many false alarms in the past, however this time stands out among every past season that troubled the saints in a number of different ways.  In recent years we have seen numerous signs in the heavens that confirm the time we are living in.  We have the technology required to implement the mark of the beast unlike any time in history.  We have the earth itself testifying to this time through the mass die off of animal life, radical weather events (once in a lifetime events happening daily).  We also see a separation of the sheep from the goats in the global population as political events reveal the deep seated corruption, which is dismissed by most as the 'price of progress' toward the new world satanic order.

The Lord told us this is not a fight against flesh and blood.  This is a fight against evil in high places, confirmed everywhere we look.  Never before has the wickedness and corruption in our world been exposed like it is being exposed today.  Most of the people around us don't bat an eye at this corruption but thanks be to the Lord our God that there is a remnant that does see it.

In these troubling times it is important for us to remember we were placed here, in this season with divine intent and wisdom.  We also have to remember that many of the servants of the Most High from the past asked "Lord, are you sure I'm the one you want to fight this battle?"

Exodus 3:1Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 3So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”

4When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!”

And Moses said, “Here I am.”

5“Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” 6Then he said, “I am the God of your father, ^a the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.

7The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. 8So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 9And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. 10So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”

11But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”

The Lord God knows what He is doing, you are here for a reason.  Each one of us has work to do, a mission we are on to do the work of the Almighty.  Let us resolve to be strong in the Lord's service.  In the midst of the battles it is difficult to see how things will turn out in the end but be assured of this, we win this fight.

Glory to God

grace and peace