The 3rd week of the month we are planning to bring forth teachings from Scripture, you many not have considered, or heard taught in a long time. What does this have to do with Bible Prophecy? It is written, For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables-2 Tim 4:3,4. We want to try to help you not only run the race, but, also finish the race with a full reward.

Have You Considered?       1/25/23

How Do I Train For Heaven?

If you were a runner training for the Olympics, you would eat, drink, sleep and breath, in a manner of speaking, running. As a Christian, a student of Christ, do you eat, drink, sleep and breath in the Gospel? Do you surround yourself that much with Jesus and the works He has prepared for you? Do you mediate on His Word day and night?‐ref Josh 1:8, Ps 1:2, etc. Do you exercise yourself to be Godly? To obey the Word of God? To reflect His ways? Do you allow Jesus to reign over your life? The Scriptures tell us to imitate God as His dear children‐ref Eph 5:1 (JNT). So what do I need to do to train to be Godly? How do I go about training for heaven? What will it take to win the crown?‐ref 2 Tim 4:8, Ja 1:12, 1 Pet 5:4, etc.

On element is that you need the right soil. Just as a runner needs a body trained to run, so a Christian needs a heart trained in the ways of righteousness. Have you ever heard someone say, "Follow your heart"? Do you understand what the Lord says about our heart? It is written, The heart is more deceitful than all else, and is desperately sick; Who can understand it?‐Jer 17:9 (NAS). It is also written, One who trusts in his own heart is a fool, but one who walks wisely (or walks in wisdom) will flee to safety (or be delivered)‐Pr 28:26 (NAS). The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; All those who follow His commandments have a good understanding; His praise endures forever.‐Ps 111:10 (NAS).

The book of Hosea gives instruction to, Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord, till He come and rain righteousness upon you-Hos 10:12. Have you read the parable of the sower? Check out this link for a commentary on this parable. Why is this parable important? This is a warning for all—we are to exercise our heart (mind) to be Godly—not allowing unbelief or the worries (cares) of this world to choke the Word within you. If you have a problem, take it to Jesus. We, as Christians, will experience many unpleasant situations. If you have a desire, get counsel from the Word of God. Are you allowing life′s pleasures to keep you out of the Word? Skiing, skating, boating, cooking, gardening, swimming, movies, TV, music—just to name a few. Remember, these cares are tailor made for you by your adversary the Devil to draw you away from the Word (Jesus)‐ref 1 Pet 5:8.

Why do we have to go through these trials and testings? In order to humble you, putting you to the test, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. And He humbled you and let you go hungry, and fed you with the manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, in order to make you understand that man shall not live on bread alone, but man shall live on everything that comes out of the mouth of the Lord‐Deut 8:2,3 (NAS). Our Lord repeats the last part of this verse to the Tempter in Matthew and Luke 4:4. It must be an important lesson for us to learn. And why is it important that we are humble and not proud? Zephaniah says, Seek Adonai, all you humble in the land, you who exercise His justice; seek righteousness, seek humility—you might be hidden on the day of Adonai′s anger‐Zeph 2:3 (CJB). Think you can do things in secret? Think again, the book of Jeremiah tell us, Adonai…You who test the righteous and see people′s hearts and thoughts‐Jer 20:12 (CJB). Let us take heed to God′s warning, Wash the evil from your heart…so that you can be saved. How long will you harbor within yourselves your evil thoughts?‐Jer 4:14 (CJB).

There are many other important applications a christian needs to learn. Check out this link on what it means to be born-again. And most of all remember, Jesus has, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end‐Jer 29:11 (KVJ). He died on the cross a horrific death to pay for your sins. Understand, Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter‐Mt 7:21 (NAS). You must be born‐again. You must be in the Word, reading the Scriptures and practicing them. Are you preparing your heart?

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Sign of Jesus' Return—Kingdom Against Kingdom       1/18/23

Most people are very aware of the Russian war on Ukraine—probably the most publicized example of kingdom against kingdom. However, few are as aware of the interest China has with many of its neighbors.

China's Interest In Taiwan-At the close of WW2, those Chinese that had been fighting the Japanese were left worn, tired of fighting and with very little to call their own—that included mother, father, siblings, wife or children. The Japanese slaughtered more Chinese during WW2 than Germany did through the Holocaust. To say the least, Chinese moral was down. But, during WW2, the Chinese nationalist party, under the leadership of Chiang Kai-shek, did not only have the Japanese to contend with—they were also warring against communist Chinese in the north. To be clear, there was a brief time when the armies of each party were some what unified in fighting the Japanese—but that was short lived. Towards the end of WW2, the communist Chinese had gained increased territories in the north of China. They started indoctrinating the people. They also began to teach them to read and write, which furthered their propaganda tools through, not only speeches, but also through books and newspapers. The people then began to believe that the communist were not really communist at all and the party grew bigger and bigger. The leader of the nationalist party, Chiang Kai-shek, was not looking so good. He had been in great favor with the Chinese conservatives at one time—however, due to bad counsel given him and the communist party out maneuvering him militarily and politically, left much of China to see Kai-shek in a bad light. Chiang Kai-shek then fled to Formosa (Taiwan, formally under U.S. control) in 1948 to set up a democratic government-in-exile—the Republic of China. He brought with him 2 million supporters and troops.

However, that is not the end of the story. In 1943, toward the tail end of the war, Chiang Kai-shek Churchill, and Roosevelt (China, Great Britain and the U.S.) jointly signed the Cairo Declaration. This was suppose to grant any territories that Japan has seized from China, such as Manchuria, Taiwan and the Penghu Islands, be restored to China. Unofficially, Great Britain and the U.S. suspected Chiang Kai-shek would continue to lead China. When Chiang Kai-shek had to escaped to Taiwan, the U.S., although they moved off the island, supported them financially. With the onset of the Korean War, the U.S. sent the seventh fleet to patrol the waters and try to hinder hostilities between the Peoples Republic of China and the Republic of China. If squatters have rights, then do governments that have been operating for over 50 years have the right to remain sovereign? Because of the Cairo Declaration this makes things difficult to say the least; however, that is not the document that China leans on for their claim to Taiwan. It is the 1992 Consensus, which never appeared to touch on the question of Taiwan's sovereignty. Even so, to date, Chinese President Xi Jinping has emphasized that unification with Taiwan is essential to achieving what he calls the Chinese Dream, which sees China’s great-power status restored by 2049.

China's Interest In Mongolia-After WW2, Mongolia was occupied by Russia. In 1990, the Mongolians rose up and expelled the Russians creating a democratic state—Socialism was now the ideal government. By early 2000, the Chinese began courting Mongolia, expressing their appreciation for the culture and fond feelings of wanting to exercise the freedom of movement between the two countries. However, times have changed and relationship do as well. According to a Time.com article, China is cracking down on Mongolia expecting them to, “curb Mongolian language and culture in Inner Mongolia”. China expects, “Mandarin Chinese be used for key subjects," instead of the preferred Mongolian language. There are plans to indoctrinate the Mongolian people in the ways of communism, all under the disguise of working together better—understanding one another. In a letter written by a former President of Mongolia, Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj, he expressed his alarm over the “growing atrocity that seeks to dissolve and eliminate Mongolians as an independent ethnicity through their language.” His response was a warning from the Chinese Ambassador to Mongolia, “not to meddle in China’s internal affairs”. What is a smaller neighboring country to do regarding the aggression of their super power neighbor? A neighbor who is literally responsible for your country's economics? Presently, China buys 90% of all Mongolian exports.

As of August of 2020, the current President of Mongolia, President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh, met with the State Councilor and Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi. In his address he commends China for their help and mutual friendship. He goes further to say, “Mongolia heartfully admires the great development achievements made by the friendly neighbor under the outstanding leadership of President Xi Jinping, and is glad to see that with the joint efforts of both sides, the important consensus between the two heads of state has been effectively implemented, and the goal of 10-billion-U.S. dollar bilateral trade volume has been reached”. He continued by saying, this is a “win-win cooperation”. Yes, this is a win for economy, but loss for freedom.

China's Interest In Kazakhstan-According to a Harvard International Report, China-Kazakhstan ties (also known as Sino-Kazakh relationship), is at an all time high. With the decline of the U.S.S.R, Kazakhstan became independent. They immediately embrace a relationship with China. Their major contribution to the relationship?—Oil. For example, from January-November 2021, China imported four trillion tons of natural gas from Kazakhstan. That is a small some considering what they import from Russia or other countries, but for Kazakhstan, it is major.

There is also BRI, China's Belt and Road Initiative, to consider. China has poured much investment toward Kazakhstan's internal infrastructure, making the country a major link between Asia and Europe. However, with these investments, comes the, well, to quote Scripture, the borrower is servant to the lender. The people of Kazakhstan have become weary of China, but their protest have all been squelched. They do not trust a country coming into their country setting up businesses, but not using local laborers—using Chinese laborers. The people are at unrest due to the Chinese Ambassadors remarks of working with Kazakhstan to prevent color revolutions. This is noted as being a term to put down protesters. But, what can you do when a neighboring super power actually bolsters your country onto the world scene. But, Kazakhstan has more than one neighboring super power—Russia. And with Russian/Chinese relations being an all time high it would appear Kazakhstan is placed in a happy arrangement with both countries. As summarized by a Russian analyst, “Both regional powers (Russia and China) wish to see a stable Kazakhstan, and they play different roles: Moscow works with Kazakhstan on security and political questions (or, development of common policies), while China generally plays a financial and economic role.”

China's Interest In India-Not that this is new news, India and China have an ongoing border dispute. The world is only somewhat alarmed as both have nuclear capabilities militarily. More recently, under the current Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, railways and military bases have been expanded along the border with China—along the Himalayan mountains. Due to previous agreements between the two countries, neither side uses guns in these area; however, they create a great deal of casualities—even death, with clubs—Which has been the situation this past year on several occasions.

China's main goal appears to be reaching further on the BRI. However, in this area the road and railway is called, the old Xinjiang-Tibet Road to National Highway G219. This will allow better connection with Bhutan, Nepal and the Indian border. However, we must not overlook the fact that China has around a dozen airfields facing India. Five of them are dual-use airports in Tibet. This means they are used for both civilian and military purposes. They also have a surface-to-air missile battery plus advanced fighter jets in the region. This has not gone unnoticed by India, this is why they have built the roads and bases along the border.

So, how does it play out when two nuclear powers have scrimmages at their borders, people are killed (note, 20 Indians were killed back in 2020)—does the Prime Minister just look the other way? Prime Minister Modi has had harsh words for China. The newspapers making him look strong, many times ignoring and not publicizing new border scrimmages so as not to make the Prime Minister look bad. But, in truth, how can you ignore the fact that Chinese imports to India hit and all time high in 2022? The on-line version of the Hindustan Times reports India spent a whooping $135.98 billion (USD). That is an increase of 21.7% from the previous year. As for the breakdown of what was imported is not available, back in 2020 India's most popular imports were, active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), chemicals, electrical and mechanical machinery, auto components, and medical supplies. Interesting to note, India’s exports to China fell in 2022, driving an already significant trade deficit beyond the $100 billion-mark for the first time.

At this point, we have not talked about all of China's neighbors, like Hong-Kong, Vietnam, Japan, and others—which all have the same plight as the larger countries we have discussed. The question that can be asked by a Bible Prophecy student is, Does China have anything to do with Bible Prophecy? Is the country of China mentioned in the Bible? And, if China is mentioned in the Bible, how far has the country progressed in its prophesy?

The Bible never mentions the country of China by name. However, in Revelation chapter 9, it does speak of 200 million troops crossing the Euphrates River at the end of the Tribulation. Also, in Revelation chapter 16 there is a reference to Kings of the East. How this all relates to Bible Prophecy can be researched at this link.

We can see China is already posturing themselves as a major player in the east—if not the largest and dominate player. For many years China has been the leader in population growth for the east; however, at the end of 2022 China announced their first decline in population since the 1960s at 1.412 billion. India on the other hand has grown to be five million more than China at 1.417 billion. It would seem quite possible for these countries to fill an army of 200 million. But, let us not forget the effects of Trumpets 1-4, creating war, famine, and death. Even though the people of the east are not involved with the Russian (and other countries) invasion of Israel, they will suffer the effects of the war. With all green grass burned up, 1/3 of the trees destroyed, plus the sea turning to blood and 1/3 of the sea creatures dying, there is not going to be an abundant amount of food. Even though China has bought up vast farm lands around the world, the radio-active fallout around the world will be devastating. Masses of people and farm animals will die. World leaders of the countries that are left will need to band together—perhaps this is why the term, Kings of the East is used instead of individual countries.

Do you really desire to go through this war—actually, if you live in the U.S. or Russia, you will probably die right away. When you die, you will either go immediately to heaven or hell—most will go to hell. The good news is, you don't have to. Repent and turn your life over to Jesus Christ before it is too late. You are never promised tomorrow, but right now, you have a chance. Check out this link if you want to learn more about following Jesus. Be thankful you have been offered a way out of a very bleak future.

Sources:National Geographic Concise History of the World; An Illustrated Time Line; “The Sino-Japanese War”-p325, “Asia & Oceania” under Politic & Power, p 342, editor Neil Kagen; National Geographic, Washington D.C, 2005;
csis.org;
cfr.org;
time.com;
fmprc.gov.cn
hir.harvard.edu;
bbc.com-India and China Race To Build Along A Disputed Frontier;
bbc.com-Can India Afford To Boycott Chinese Products?;
hindustantimes.com;
thehindu.com;
bloomberg.com.
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Sign of Jesus' Return—Pestilence       1/9/23

As winter is upon much of the northern hemisphere, it is usually accompanied with cold, (or inclement) weather. Colds and viruses are expected as if they were an unwelcome relatives for the holidays. However, these days there is more than just the common cold. In recent years, winter colds have been re‐manufactured into flues, viruses or worst—deadly infectious diseases. These sicknesses have taken the life, or alter the lifestyles of many world wide. Even as of today, there are more sub variants of the Covid‐19 virus (or to be more specific, SARS‐CoV‐2 which causes Covid‐19) than you can count on one hand. There are the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants. Taking Omicron alone, there are some three hundred sub variants. According to the Center for Disease Control, the Omicron variant is also more easily transferable than the original SARS‐CoV‐2 virus or the Delta variant. Does this have anything to do with Bible Prophecy?

The Bible warns, in Matthew 24, that one of the signs of Jesus′ return is pestilences will increase‐ref Mt 24:7. The definition of pestilence is, a deadly or virulent (highly infective) epidemic disease. Just because you claim you are a Christian, does not mean you will escape these judgments. You may get just as sick as the next person.

What is the first thing you do when you get sick? Do you grab for your computer to ask its advice, or call the free clinic—or, do you run to God first? There is nothing wrong with taking something to support your immune system; or ease the pain of fever, or a sore throat; but, how about asking God for healing first. It is written, My soul, wait in silence for God alone, For my hope is from Him‐Ps 62:5 (NAS). He alone is my rock…The rock of my strength, my refuge is in God. Trust in Him at all times, you people; Pour out your hearts before Him; God is a refuge for us‐Ps 62:6‐8 (NAS). Have you taken the time to pray to God today for your healing? Have you asked for forgiveness from your sins? Do you believe you sin? Check out this message on the Sin List. Jesus said, It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners. Please take the time to read this article on, How To Pray. It may change you life.

World events are leading to the most dreadful time in history—the Tribulation. You do not want to be here. Start letting Jesus take control of your life. That means you should read the Bible every day and obey it. When the Scriptures say, Thou shalt not commit adultery—you do not commit adultery. When the Bible reads, Thou shalt not bear false witness (lie)—stop your lying. Start obeying God and submit to Him—submit to the Word of God.

Sources:cdc.gov;
yalemedicine.org-Covid-19-Variants;
yalemedicine.org-5 Things To Know Omicron;
jpost.com-What Is XBB.1.5, The New Corona Virus Variant Spreading In The US?
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