Could it be that we are living in the Last Days

Bill Rudge believes you and him are living at the most exciting time in the history of the world. He writes:

Our generation will witness the fulfillment of what the prophets foretold thousands of years ago. {Are We Living in the Last Days?}

We are well aware that throughout the times there have been many ‘prophets‘, ‘seers‘, ‘forecasters‘ or futurologists who claimed that people had to prepare themselves because the time of the end had come. Bill Rudge realises some of the signs we had to see or should be a warning for us to react, have occurred throughout history and many people wrongly concluded they were “the generation.” Though this time it could be totally different, we think as well.

Never before in history have we seen such an increase in both intensity and frequency of these indications. No other generation has had the potential, as our generation does, to witness the fulfillment of Revelation. {Are We Living in the Last Days?}

For several centuries there has been talk of times that would come. The writers or forecasters spoke of unmissable signals or signs that we as humans could begin to observe. It has taken already ages before man could really be sure the time came at last.

Signs of the Times

We just have to listen to the news and watch what changed in the last few years, concerning natural events.
Nowadays we don’t have to look to other countries to encounter natural disasters They happen in our backyard, so to speak.

Throughout the world we are seeing bizarre, record-breaking weather conditions – some of history’s fiercest hurricanes, tornados, volcanoes, fires, floods and mudslides. Nature seems out of control and is getting more extreme. It is heading in the direction Revelation indicates will occur during the Tribulation period, testifying that cataclysmic global events are on the near horizon. {Are We Living in the Last Days?}

But it is not only on the natural plane that we can observe a huge shift in recent years. At the political and economic level, as much is going wrong as at the ecological level.

There are earthquakes in diverse places, famines and wars and rumors of wars; increasing pollution of water, land and air; and widespread plagues and pestilence. {Are We Living in the Last Days?}

Iraq, Iran, Kurdistan, and Afghanistan were just an impetus to other battles in Egypt, Syria in which certain superpowers played a bizarrely bad role (think America and Russia).
Therefore, after the US withdrew from Afghanistan, it still did not diminish in those regions. Russia, on the other hand, had been practicing in Syria for har larger battle to re-establish the old Russian Soviet Empire and march south as described in the Bible that the King of the north would go and do this, when the time came.

But not only between superpowers would battles erupt. People would also go up against each other during the final days. We see the different faith groups going against each other, even with gun violence. It didn’t even stay with the adults. All over the world, we see youth violence increasing. Not only are they attacking fellow youth, they are going against their parents and government leaders. In several cities, rebellious groups regularly fight against police forces. People do invent all kinds of reasons to justify violence, even God is brought in, in many cases.

In addition to all the mental, sexual and physical violence, we cannot ignore the fact that the morals and ethics of our society are at a very low ebb. People today even agree to kill someone else for a trifle.

Revelation indicates that people in the last days, during the Tribulation, won’t repent of four things:

1) Sorcery – occultism and demonic phenomena will be very prominent;

2) Sexual Immorality – the world given over to lust and every sexual perversion imaginable;

3) Murders – that means we will be living in a very violent world – ethnic conflict, terrorism, hijackings, kidnappings, bombings, assassinations, homicides, serial killers, mass murders, abortion, robbery, assault and riots; and

4) Thefts/Lies – deceit and corruption will be widespread. {Are We Living in the Last Days?}

People’s behaviour has not exactly improved. In recent years we see that behaviour is becoming more and more unreliable and corrupt, while people no longer even find it a shame to tell lies. Some even make it a sport to deceive and mislead others. There are even those who make a lot of money by making people believe in certain things that are not true. These influencers, as they are called, (or Internet celebrities) actually influence a lot of innocent victims.

Meanwhile, among the countries, many shifts, disconnections or amalgamations are again taking place, and we notice that things are very tense in the East.

Another “sign of the times” is Israel: for 2,500 years there was no independent nation of Israel. Yet the prophets foretold that events in the last days would focus in and around the tiny nation of Israel. {Are We Living in the Last Days?}

It is not just a small group of believers who recognize the remarkable predicted characteristics.

Many of the world’s political and religious leaders are saying,

“We are not merely dealing with national crises, we are facing global catastrophes, unless we unite for the common good of the world!”

However, the expected golden era of peace, prosperity and unity will become the darkest hour earth will ever know. {Are We Living in the Last Days?}

If we look at how things are going in the world today, it does not bode well. For many, Russia may be the biggest bogeyman in the game. And they could be right yet again. For the current Russian leader is an unaccountable person, who can still find like-minded and helping souls here and there.

The current wars between Russia and Ukraine could easily grow into a Third World War and spill over even further into the predicted times of the end of this life system.

+

Preceding

Time to sit still or to pass on

When will it stop

Coming together in dark days

Darkest just before dawn

Signs of the times – As the Day approaches

Overcoming The Terror Of War

Looking at a “Man from the North” endangering the world

Ukraine war is veering fast towards a big power conflict

Yulia Tymoshenko: We are in World War Three already

How to Find the Meaning of Life and Reach a State of Peace

You Matter

++

Additional reading

1. Is there a reason for you to experience a sense of brooding fear
2. Fate, destiny, time and place
3. Why are the End Times taking so long
4. Prophecies over coming days
5. Signs of the Last Days
6. Sign of the Times and the Last Days #1 The Son of man revealing
7. Sign of the Times and the Last Days #2 Wars, natural disasters, famine and false Messiahs
8. Sign of the Times and the Last Days #3 Coming events revealed in the prophetic writings
9. Today’s Thought “You haven’t heard, and you haven’t known; these things have not reached your ears before.” (June 23)
10. Today’s Thought “A Race in the Last Days” (May 27)
11. Today’s thought “I will bring distress …” (December 15)
12. Today’s thought “Be strong and courageous, and do the work” (December 18)
13. Matthew 16:1-4 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: The Signs of the Times
14. Matthew 24 about temples or Houses of God and the end of the age
15. Partakers and sons of the Realm
16. Hamas the modern Philistines
17. New articles for October 2011
18. The 17th annual White Privilege Conference a militantly Christophobic conference held in Philadelphia
19. Iranian preacher creating more hatred between religious groups
20. This fighting world, Zionism and Israel #1
21. Matthew 24:4-8 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: The Answer: Part One – Beware Being Misled
22. Matthew 24:29-35 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: The Answer Part Two – Sign 2: The Parousia. A Sign after the Great Oppression
23. Separation of local judgment regarding 70 CE from the global ultimate-coming prophecies of the Second Coming and Final Judgment
24. How do we know the coming of Jesus is very near?
25. A watchman seeing the sword coming
26. Honest-hearted people are losing faith in humanity and humanity losing faith in God
27. Signs of the Times – War and anti-Semitism
28. Televangelist Pat Robertson said that Russian President Vladimir Putin was “compelled by God” in his decision to invade Ukraine
29. Signs of the Times – A boost for Israel
30. Sings of the times – Difficult moments at the borders of Europe
31. Israel – A look at the land and people of Israel
32. The Developments for the first half of April
33. Reason to look excited about the coming future
34. Sings of the times giving direction in life
35. Doomsday
36. Evangelizing in the “Time of the End”
37. The Conclusion of the System of Things (Our World) = The Conclusion of the System of Things (Some View on the World)
38. What Jesus Did – Misleading around the Messiah and the final assessment
39. Living in faith
40. Zion, Flames, Terror, Signs and Games of Peace
41. Palestine, Israel, God’s people and democracy
42. 70 years later
43. Overpopulation not the cause of overusing our earth
44. Signs of the Times – On manoeuvres
45. Running the battle
46. Watch Crisis in Crimea & Ukraine – talk from 2014!
47. Are we shambling into WWIII?
48. The peoples must prevent the outbreak of war in Europe
49. Indy briefing for the second week of March 2022
50. Russian army wants to make Ukraine the Syria from Europe
51. Weekly World Watch March 13 – 19, 2022
52. Bioethics after Ukraine
53. Has Ukraine become a Symbol of ‘Freedom’
54. Has Russia already started World War Three?
55. Europe sucked into a war against Russia
56. Ukraine War: Those who fail to call for negotiations, fail to understand the dangerous predicament that faces the planet!
57. Ukraine war is veering fast towards a big power conflict
58. ‘Desperate’ Vladimir Putin may use tactical nuclear weapons, warns CIA chief
59. Putin threatens nuclear strikes if West intervenes
60. Putin puts Russia’s nuclear force on high alert
61. A useless but very dangerous challenge game
62. Ukrainian Who doenit
63. God’s wrath and sanctification
64. The Rapture Wars
65. Great Tribulation and Armageddon
66. Armageddon or the Great Tribulation
67. Called ones escape
68. Making the time ready for Jesus to return
69. Nations being Prepared for Christ’s Appearance
70. Jesus … will come in the same way as you saw him go

+++

Related

1. Increasing Hatred
2. Fear, Anxiety, and Worry
3. War, rumors of war, sickness and famine
4. 1 Major Sign that we are living in the Last Days!
5. Signs of the times
6. Church, Worship, and Worshipers
7. Christians—Are We Nearing Armageddon?
8. Why The Concept Of The Rapture May Not Be Entirely Accurate
9. These last days – Hidden facts found in plain sight
10. These last days – Facts hidden in plain sight – Part 2
11. Changing Our Paradigm Regarding the Last Days – Part 1
12. Changing Our Paradigm Regarding the Last Days – Part 2
13. Changing Our Paradigm Regarding the Last Days – Part 3
14. The Hour of His Judgement Is Come
15. Rapture
16. The Rapture Part 1
17. Understanding The Mark Of Beast Bible Verse And It’s Significance
18. June 30, 2023: End Times
19. Looters are not ashamed in France due to absence of police
20. July 12, 2023: Get Full Context
21. Pray harder…we are in dark days.
22. Materialism and lawlessness at peak. 😔
23. August 24, 2023: False Prophets And Lawlessness
24. The Shock and Awe of Paul in the book of Hebrews
25. Their Way Shall Be…

One-Liner Wednesday — On Bad Terms

This, That, and the Other

“No one has ever doubted that truth and politics are on rather bad terms with each other.”

Hannah Arendt, political philosopher, author, and Holocaust survivor

---

Written for Linda G. Hill’s One-Liner Wednesday prompt.

View original post

Why haven’t you ended the pandemic

 

Evangelicals & Seduction

Following the previous posting, we continue to look at how Stephen Best looks at the American Evangelicals & Seduction, which may for us Europeans something very weird and incomprehensible wondering if those Americans are not better at using their own mind to make up their own ideas.

How is it possible that the majority of white US evangelicals were seduced into Trump’s dangerous political schemes?

When they heard so many bad things that he had done in the past and could see how he had treated women, plus how he had created all sorts of ‘untrustable businesses, showing clearly he would not be the best one to run properly a business or to become a respectful leader.
We wonder how their followers could come to trust his lies, and could wipe away his malicious and criminal behaviour.

How is it possible that those who call themselves Christian could go for a man who clearly showed no respect to others and carried a lot of racism in his heart. They now share the responsibility in encouraging racism, division, and sedition within the USA, and instead of making America great again they choose for someone who could break America and creat division as never before.

*

To remember

• American evangelicals their complicity in Trumpism > testimony + leadership = unreliable + negligent going forward.
• interweaving of God + country = evangelical’s Patriotism > Christian Nationalism.  Christian Nationalism.
• concept of ‘Manifest Destiny’ (John Louis O’Sullivan) = mission to expand its influence across all of North America => America’s wars with Mexico + the Indians+ expansion into Alaska.
• Manifest Destiny > mission of promoting + defending democracy throughout the world > bias American ideology and politics. – growing ideology => Christian Nationalism
• American vision >  fascination with the ‘New Jerusalem’ <=  early Puritans left for America with the sense of being an oppressed people.
• Puritans aimed to build the Kingdom of God or their version of a Christian society = blending of religion + politics.
• Christian nationalism = political ideology about American identity  => idealizes + advocates fusion of Christianity with American civic life
• Christian Nationalism = collection of cultural myths, traditions, religion, + historical interpretations.
• Evangelicals in a struggle with liberalism / socialism that threatens their way of life –  feel mocked +  dishonored, unheard + marginalized.
• perceived risk: immigrants, LGBQT , law enforcement weakening, abortions persisting, support for Israel declining, + Evangelicalism diminishing, => Evangelicals feel their backs are up against the wall.
• alliance of American Evangelicalism + Donald Trump =>  restoring  USA > conservative Christian society.
• patriotism, Christian Nationalism, traditionalism, evangelicalism, denominationalism, + spiritualism =/= sustainable foundations in life =/= biblical foundations.
• Christian foundations = spiritual realities  understood through Scripture, taught with faith + wisdom, received with sincerity, + realized through inward working of Holy Spirit in life of a Christian.  => secure + define new life while not depending on Christian governments, economies, religion, or social norms.
• need to re-examine our foundations

---

Stephen Best

By Stephen Best

How is it possible that the majority of white US evangelicals were seduced into Trump’s dangerous political schemes? How is it possible for so many of their leaders to have encouraged their followers to trust his lies, and enable his malicious and criminal behaviour? How is it possible that they now share the responsibility in encouraging racism, division, and sedition within the USA?

For at least 60 years, evangelicals throughout the world have appreciated the contribution and leadership that the US has brought to the global work of God. Yet today, because of their complicity in Trumpism, that testimony and leadership is for the most part unreliable, if not negligent going forward.

If we are honest most Christians outside the USA have found the US brand of Evangelicalism a bit different to begin with. And that’s mostly due to it’s interweaving of God and country.

The blending…

View original post 1,916 more words

Vote!

To safeguard democracy certain countries, like Belgium demand all people to come to vote when there are elections. In Belgium voting is compulsory and one is expected to bring in your thoughts on how the country or the European Union is run.

It is easy to complain that things are not going like you would love to see them going. But when giving your opinion the governement can take your voice into account and can have an idea what the people really want. Voting is the way to give your opinion and to give a signal to the ones governing if they are doing their job all-right or doing it wrongly.

It is up to each citizen to take his or her responsibility and to contribute to the working of the state- or political system. Not fulfilling your citizens duties is showing discontent for those in charge and not willing to take up a voice for those in need and for those who can’t speak for themselves (illiterate, poor, to young people but also plants and animals).

For years lots of people have fought to get a fair vote. Many have offered their life in name of democracy, freedom, equality and liberty, all matters we should protect and give highly esteem.

*

To remember

Between 23th and 26th of May 2019 European Parliament newly elected.

• Every single vote contributes to the outcome.
• Politics = enormous impact on our lives > influence every aspect of our life
• co-determine + co-decide => co-choose the politicians > possibility to control future of politics

+

Preceding

You Are Called To Stand Up, Even If You Are Standing Alone

++

Read also

A Voice to give in May 2019

+++

Related

1. INEC releases photo samples of ballot boxes for 2019 elections
2. On Voting
3. Stolen Elections
4. Time for Annie to Get her Gun: The Winds of Change Are Not Carrying Democracy
5. Here Are the Alt-Right Figures Trump Thinks Are the Innocent Victims of Censorship
6. Everything on Muskegon County’s ballot for next week’s Election Day
7. Europeans 2019, in France, a poll on crisis background of yellow vests

Helping to create a Positive Attitude

From the previous postings you could come to see how serious we have to take the people around us, because they will influence us in one way or the other. It would not be so much a problem if those out there would have naturally positive attitudes. But we also have to face those with negative attitudes. They might be born with no sunny signs for them or could their dispositions having destroyed or distorted by the negativity of others (parents, teachers, siblings or friends) as they grew up.

We also showed that everything is in the mind of each person him or herself. Everyone can bend the coarse of negative thought in to the line of positiveness. We all have to take up our responsibility to help those who are totally caught up in the negative spiral. We can help them by showing our positive attitude.

By coming to the knowledge that we ourselves are the only person who can create and control our attitude, we ourself can get on the way, but also show to the other that he or she also has that possibility to change her or his track. By showing the importance of the belief in the self, we can get them to reconsider their own position in their own life.

Remember The Duck, Keep Positive !! …item 5.. Law Enforcement Prepares For FSU / Miami Game (Fri 7:05 PM, Nov 01, 2013) — The phone number, 850-645-JERK (5375) … (Photo credit: marsmet463)

When we ourselves can get ourselves and others to believe that outside events can’t create our attitude, we can come together to build up together a good attitude. It is wrong to think that we all have to do everything on our own. We should come more to think of a group, helping each-other on the  road to success.

Having come to more non-religous persons, most people have no connection any more with their ‘community‘. Most of them are not part of a parish or an active community. Lots of people live in a neighbourhood but do not know their neighbours personally. Often lots of activities in the community even happen without them noticing it. Sometimes this is also the fault of the community or the parish itself, not inviting the people which live in the neighbourhood, or restricting contact only to those who are member of the church. Lots of churches have forgotten to go out and to do preaching work or investing time in missionary work at their own place. You might find churches having collections for places far away and talking about mission work in countries far away, but their eyes are closed for their own region. There there has to be done lots of missionary work today.

It is important that a person gets that feeling of being part of a community. We need to feel part of something which is bigger than ourselves. We are not made to stay on our own. It does not mean we do have to be married or living together with somebody else. But there has to be a connection with others living around us.

The outside world will always throw challenges in its surroundings and we may not close our eyes for them plus we also do have to open eyes of others for them. Some Christians do think we may not involve ourselves in the politics of the world, but we can not close our eyes for the politics in our own surroundings. We should be aware of it and should protect the weaker ones for those who try to get power over others.

We have to create our attitude in response to how we think about the events going on in our environment. Living in a communal society we do have to decide how we are going to respond to those challenges and to our entourage. Here we do have to make our first choices, how to look at things, how to let it influence ourselves or others and to choose whether to respond negatively or positively to the things it shall come to bring to being. Everything which is said or done  shall request a reaction and shall have an influence on those around it.

Being aware of your position in the community is important to the feeling of yourself but also for the reaction you will create onto others. Having much more in your hands than you might think, you should come to see that really you too can bring lots of changes, not only to your self, but also to others.
This request a strong attitude form yourself and a willingness to help others.

We shall not deny that maintaining a positive attitude in the face of all of the daily challenges in life can be daunting. We may differ with each other, but we shall have to find ways  to live with each other. By respecting the thoughts of the other you too may gain respect from the other. You both can come to the conclusion that each of you might find way to live positively with each other.  It does not matter if you are white or coloured, if you are very highly educated or have a poor education, each one of you can contribute to the community.

Many challenges may be offered to us and the community we are living in. But when we join hands we shall be able to do more than just on our own. Each of us can do it. It’s a personal choice to believe the best about any situation. Start to become aware of what you are thinking and saying, and check in yourself what effect it can make what you our saying.

As soon as we come to the understanding that we all works in progress in we are on a good way to come to changes which can be positive. You should work at it – gently correct yourself when you’ve gone the wrong way and praise yourself when you get it right.

We should be aware that common notion such as ‘long hours and many years’ counts also for us. but we have to be careful how such idea would dictate our life patterns. Believing on ourselves we should pursue our dreams, letting also others know that dream and prove it could be possible to succeed and on our own terms.

In case the surrounding looks boring or unappealing to you, why do you not try to change something to it. Consider more pleasurable surroundings that involve activities you may like, but also know you yourself can bring changes in your own environment. Your attitude and energy level are at their best and your attention span is very keen since you are focusing on something you like.

When you meet people who have grown to believe they can not achieve success due to a variety reasons, why do you not show them too that other side of the coin you have found. Let them and come to see yourself that in fact they put more effort into producing reasons as to why they can not succeed than others may invest into becoming successful. Our and their focus should come onto the vision of success.

Teaching yourself to have a positive attitude takes gentle but consistent work, just like training a young pets or toddlers. Do it for yourself and help others to get on the process of developing a positive world together.

A positive attitude changes everything. (Photo credit: deeplifequotes)

+

 Complementing reading:

1. Intentions of an Ecclesia
2. Parish, local church community – Parochie, plaatselijke kerkgemeenschap
3. Breathing to teach

++

1. 3 Vital Character Traits
2. 5 Ways Your Mental Attitude Affects Your Success
3. Fostering A Positive Attitude

+++

Related articles

• Beware of bad attitudes at the Church service (mahustlerszone.wordpress.com)
  You need to beware of bad attitudes at the Church service. Let me make this clear before I elaborate on this topic, that the church is not limited to a physical structure but in fact is every person who believes in Jesus Christ. Also a church service can happen even outside the walls of the church building. A bad attitude at the Church service won’t do you any good. Having lack of faith and trust in the Lord is not helpful. However, this can be corrected as your faith can increase while hearing from the preaching of the word of God.
• Attitude (darkhighlander666.wordpress.com)
  a good attitude is when you are to do something and you do it without any reluctance.
• The 5 Ways to Have a Great Attitude Despite a Bad Situation (davidsbodytemple.wordpress.com)
  Have wisdom to know when to have a bad attitude. After all, we are human, but we need to have wisdom when we can’t go anywhere but negative.  Jesus got negative when He entered the temple and drove the moneychangers out.  He got negative when the Pharisee’s tried to make Him look bad.  Pick your battles wisely.  The Holy Spirit will guild you.  We should always strive to be positive; negative should be a last resort, not the first resort.
• What’s with that attitude? (motivatingdaily.com)
  We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you… we are in charge of our attitudes.”
• I Got a New Attitude (changedmindchangedlife.wordpress.com)
  We spend our entire educational journey learning how your attitude determines your altitude.
  +
  My attitude is one of my biggest enemies. It tells me how to look at others and judge, it tells me how to criticize no progress, it tells me how to blame others for my failures, it tells me, I’m always right. What my attitude fails to tell me is,  at the end of the day I will be alone, because I choose to keep my attitude instead of my life.
• ‘Love transforms everything,’ Pope tells sick, disabled (catholicnewsagency.com)
  “Jesus teaches us to live the pain by accepting the reality of life with trust and hope, bringing the love of God and neighbor, even in suffering: and love transforms everything,” the pontiff told the members of the Apostolate of the Suffering and the Silent Workers of the Cross on May 17.
  +
  Pope Francis said this positive attitude towards suffering was lived and taught by Blessed Luigi Novarese, who believed in “educating the sick and the disabled to value their suffering through apostolic action, carried out with faith and love for others.”

  “He would always say: ‘The sick must feel that they are the authors of their own apostolate,’” recounted the pontiff. “A sick person, a disabled person can become support and light for other people who suffer, in this way transforming the environment in which he lives.”

  Pope Francis urged the sick and disabled to give witness to the example of Christ in their own lives. “With this charism, you are a gift to the Church,” he said.

• 4 Reasons Why People Don’t Respect Their Leaders (enmast.com)
  Many leaders are not aware of the great power and influence they have over their team. Both directly and indirectly, leaders set the tone, pace and emotional climate of a workplace. Consequently, their actions and attitudes are absorbed by every sponge-like staff member.
• Maintenance as a Mission (engagethroughgrace.wordpress.com)
  God has given each of us unique callings – ways that He expects us to be involved in His mission of drawing lost people to Himself. He also equips us uniquely to accomplish our callings.
• Healthy Living A to Z: A is for Attitude (espirational.com)
  Thoughts are highly contagious. Hang out with negative people and you will become negative. Find a group of positive people and you will find staying positive much easier. Watch the online communities you join as well.
• We all got Attitude (pastorleonard.wordpress.com)
  Our attitude determines so much for us.  Here is a short list of where our attitude impacts the life we are building.

  Attitude is a huge influence in…

  Fait, Effort, Energy, Determination, Courage, Faithfulness, Relationships, Partnerships, Health, Peace joy and hope, How we treat others, How we handle adversity, How we parent, How we approach marriage