Letter to a Prisoner - The Peace of Sabbath Rest

Hello Clinton. My name is George. I have taken over Joseph’s prison ministry. I’m not sure if you know this but he had a stroke last year and has been unable to continue at his previous capacity. He is doing OK now but he still has trouble with some tasks. It’s been a struggle for me to get everything back up and running since I was handed this ministry almost 6 months ago. There have been many technical issues and personal trials but I’m pressing into the Lord for help and guidance.

I want to thank you for your heart felt letter expressing the trials you are going though. Your letter spoke to me in a very real way. I understand what it feels like to backslide and feel unworthy of God’s grace. He still gives it anyway though. Even in my iniquity He was always faithful to provide for me and He was always there to nudge me back on the right track. Although He can make us whole at His slightest whim He wants us to choose Him. God is not a tyrant. He is a loving Father who must chastise us to teach us the Way. Even so His mercy and grace still are abound.

Sometimes we need to recognize that the best we can do is good enough as long as we are truly focused on repentance and purifying ourselves by the power of His Holy Spirit. He is faithful to finish the work He has started.

“For I am confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will continue to perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, the glory of the Lord beholding in a mirror, to the same image are being transformed, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. 2 Corinthians 3:17-18

This is how I’ve experienced His love towards His children. The big question is are you His child? Since this is our first correspondence I should ask a few fundamental questions to get to know where you are in your walk before getting too far ahead of myself. First, have you admitted you are a sinner in need of redemption? It sounds like it from your letter, but I must mention this critical first step towards being saved. Have you recognized Christ Yahshua (Jesus) as your Savior and have you surrendered your life to Him? Have you received the Holy Spirit and the love of the truth to be saved? Have you remained steadfast in your commitment to Him, even in your failures?

We all fail sometimes. Even king David failed miserably, the man God proclaimed was “after My own heart.” He repented and continued walking in faith. He was not flawless, but He recognized God’s judgment on him for His transgressions and he rejoiced in it. Paul and Silas were put in prison for preaching the Gospel, yet they sang praises to God. This is the attitude Christians carry when we know God is our Father and we are His children.

I want to believe I hear the Spirit within you crying out for guidance however since it’s hard to tell in a letter I don’t know for sure if you are following the Spirit of God or the spirit of the world. It might not be my place to tell you that anyway. Both spirits can look very similar “for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14). We must be sure our convictions are from God. We do this through diligent prayer and study as well as seeking guidance and confirmation from the Spirit. I’ll be the first to admit that I too am just a man who is going through similar trials of my own. God has led many of His people into the wilderness to be tempted and tried by the devil. Some of us must be sifted like wheat as Peter (Luke 22:31), Job and Joseph were. Keep in mind though what 1 John 2:27-28 says:

And as for you, the anointing you received from Him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But just as His true and genuine anointing teaches you about all things, so remain in Him as you have been taught. And now, little children, remain in Him, so that when He appears, we may be confident and unashamed before Him at His coming.

In regard to being “worthy of an answer” none of us are but Yahweh is faithful to reconcile all of His creation back to His Son (Colossians 1:19-23). We must learn to forgive ourselves as much as others. Sometimes it feels like God turns his back on us. In my experience this is usually because you have idols in your heart and He is giving you over to them to learn your lesson. Our faith is tried and tested until we are made into pure spiritual gold. God performs a great work in us but if we reject Him then we place ourselves under condemnation. Sometimes He will even bring others against us as judgment to chasten His unruly sons and daughters.

“And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: ‘My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, or lose heart when He rebukes you. For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastises everyone He receives as a son. Endure suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?’” Hebrews 12:5-7

But if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but glorify God in His name (*or “character”). For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who disobey the gospel of God? And, “If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” 1 Peter 4:16

The fact that you are troubled about your behavior is a good sign to me. In my experience it is evidence of the indwelling Spirit convicting me of sin. That’s a very good thing if you have indeed received the Spirit who is being poured out on all flesh (as a fire consuming everything that is not of Him). Examine if it is the Spirit leading you and if so remain steadfast in that conviction. Feel the shame, identify the problem, renounce it by the power of Christ Yahshua and cry out to Him in fervent, constant prayer until you overcome. If the devil deceives us through repetition and constant temptation let us counter that with even more constant devotion to prayer and study. You will find that sanity and hope arise from the peace in your heart which comes from knowing you are in God’s will, regardless of trials and circumstances.

Soon a violent windstorm came up, and the waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was being swamped. But Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. So they woke Him and said, “Teacher, don’t You care that we are perishing?” Then Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and the sea. “Silence!” He commanded. “Be still!” And the wind died down, and it was perfectly calm. “Why are you so afraid? He asked. “Do you still have no faith?” Mark 4:37-40

This scene echoes Noah’s ark in many ways. Noah means “rest” and we are encouraged by Paul in Hebrews 4:7-12 to enter His Sabbath rest (the 7^th “day” is the Lord’s, which is every day under the New Covenant):

God again designated a certain day as “Today,” when a long time later He spoke through David, as was already stated: “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.” Now if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For whoever enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from His. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following the same pattern of disobedience. For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it pierces even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

This “ark” the holy priesthood carries is the heart of God indwelling man, like the ark of the covenant. While the waters rage (a symbol of many people in tumult) those who are in their hearts with God are safe. We must trust in Him, even with our very lives. He is the holder of our hearts and He will restore us into His promise at His appointed time. Let us not be stirred up by the raging waters into carnal, prideful reactions that lead to all manner of sin. If you really think about it, all sin boils down to pride.

Read about Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4:32-34. Because of pride He was removed from being king over Babylon and given the heart of a beast. He was cursed to roam the wilderness for 7 years. I imagine he was tormented that whole time. It wasn’t until he cried out to God and recognized Him as sovereign ruler and creator of everything that he was restored to power and given the heart of a man. So too, like prideful Nebuchadnezzar, we see people taking in the spirit of Babylon more and more today as in the days of Noah and Sodom and Gomorrah.

“Babylon has been a golden cup in the hand of the LORD, intoxicating all the earth. The nations have drunk of her wine; Therefore the nations are going mad.” Jeremiah 51:7

We as Christians have been given the power of Christ to not fall in the fire or the water so-to-speak, but many do not know Him enough to claim that power.

“When they came to the crowd, a man came up to Jesus, falling on his knees before Him and saying, ‘Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is a lunatic and is very ill; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. I brought him to Your disciples, and they could not cure him.’ And Jesus answered and said, ‘You unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him here to Me.’ And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him, and the boy was cured at once.” Matthew 17:14-18

See how Christ rebuked His disciples for not truly claiming that power? This is the point of chastening – to bring us to repentance so that we can be raised up as righteous sons and daughters of inheritance. When we fail in faith it is painful to the Spirit within. If we persist in our iniquity, going against the conviction of the Spirit we enter the fires of hell already. Self-control is one of the fruits of the Spirit.  

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23

I hope this has helped you to gauge where you are at in your walk of faith Clinton. I have and will continue to pray for you. May you be blessed with peace and understanding!

Sincerely,

 George

A response to the Corbett Report's "The Bitcoin Psy-Op"

I was interested in learning more about Bitcoin, cryptocurrencies and the blockchain lately, not because of the hype but because the Spirit is telling me it is a tool of the Luciferian agenda. A source of information I turn to often is the Corbett Report, not because I agree with his personal ideologies but because he seems to be much more informed than most people. I respect him for his efforts however I do not see eye-to-eye with him. After watching the following video I had much to say in response. I posted my comment below.

Do you think "they" haven't thought of this? First off who controls the perceived value of commodities and who controls said commodities? Next, this isn't a technology that is rogue and radical beyond their reach. After all it operates on the INTERNET which, whether you want to admit or not, they control. For a long time they have been pushing us towards a 100% digital domain for not only currency but virtually every aspect of our lives, and people are going to jump on it because of the reasons James purports. However, I believe that the "truth" movement has progressed not because of whistleblowers but because of controlled opposition and progressively planned exposures of the corruption in high places, especially in America, the main appendage of this plan. The "elite" whom we point our fingers at are pawns in a larger game. The goal is to get everything into the digital domain. I can't imagine why someone who is so opposed to transhumanism would embrace cryptocurrency as a tool (guns for Giga-Gilgamesh?) for an anarchist revolution. Well, I'm not an anarchist, only because I don't believe we will ever overcome the Luciferian, NWO agenda by playing their game, which is what we are doing if we buy into the cryptocurrency scheme. I think they are setting up a deception which everyone will WANT to buy into because people are sick of the corruption and are screaming out for a solution. This is a step in that direction. The Hegelian dialectic at work. Even the high-IQ geeks are PuTTY Patsies in their hands whether they realize it or not. In fact they think they are railing against the system when they are instigating the very reaction they have been programmed to illicit (ie; solicit). Remember, the internet was created by a group of turncoat hippies who sold out the internet to the military. They thought free information, even if in the hands of great power, would be beneficial to all. In a way it has been but moreso it has allowed the masses to be overloaded with such a mixed bag of misinformation that they could care less about the real truth. I would venture to say that the opportunist shadow government (or Deep State or whatever clever catch-phrase you want to use) saw these things coming and maybe even initiated them to begin with. They plant police in crowds to stir up conflict. Why not here as well? So what then? Do we just sit on our hands holding our breath until we pass out from oxygen deprivation? No. I'm suggesting there is a much greater spiritual answer not found in the methods of the world. I'm sure you can guess exactly what I mean. You got it. The answer is to let go of this world and lean into the promises of God. He will restore all that is good in His appointed time. We just need to know Him and His plan so we know what to do and when. This is a great mystery most cannot accept. This world is corrupt to the core. It is going to take an act of God to make it right. I must warn you though, judgment comes first. Get right with Him now. That's my three cents.

Christmas Idolatree: The Works of Man's Hands

"Those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it."
"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge."

I encourage truth-seeking Christians to read the following two articles with the critical mind of Christ, to rightly divide truth from error.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/.../how-december-25.../
http://www.historytoday.com/.../did-romans-invent-christmas

There are 2 problems with these articles.
1. They admit (and provide evidence) that Christians were attempting to "take over" pagan holidays at several points in history, and,
2. That the celebration of Christmas was based on calculated dates that were (a) in error, and (b) arose out of tradition.

What do both of these facts say? Christmas arose out of the works of man's hands; these acts were a vain attempt to date the birth of Christ AND to inject Christ into a common secular/pagan holiday that is seen celebrated as far back as the 7th century BC according to Jeremiah 10 (see "Idolatry and the True Meaning of Worship"). We see Saturnalia really taking off in the 2nd century BC and an attempt by Roman emperors to "get it under control" all the way into the 3rd and 4th centuries AD by instituting the Mithraic Sol Invictus holiday (technically Natalis Invicti): The birth of the unconquerable sun (sound similar to the birth of the King of kings - the Son of God?). Coincidence? Not likely since both of these articles prove through testimonies of early historians that syncretism was occurring and man-made traditions took precedence over early Christian practices. If one looks at how Christmas really came about with thorough diligence and the discernment of the Spirit, these conclusions must be met because they are the truth.

I find it interesting that both of these articles are attempting to justify Christmas yet they fail in their fallacious thinking.

Here is another article that misses the point entirely by saying Christians would have been aware that the date of (roughly) December 25th was associated with Sol by pagans but it meant nothing to them so it was OK.

http://judithweingarten.blogspot.com/2011/12/whose-christmas-is-it-anyway.html

The problem with that should be evident. It is not just what is in your heart that counts. What you think and do must come from the Spirit of God if you want to live in His will. I see no indication anywhere that God endorsed or encouraged us to celebrate Christ's birth, let alone declare our own holiday to commemorate this event. All historical evidence points to Christians insisting on worshiping the way they wanted to. I don't think it is a coincidence that the time of the solstice was chosen to be the birth of Christ. Christ had been associated with the sun in early writings of the Church fathers and even metaphorically in Scriptures, so it may have been easy for Christians to justify a sort of crusade to establish their own holiday at this time of year as a means to become like them to win as many souls to Christ as possible (as some twist 1 Corinthians 9:19-21) and/or to "reclaim" the solstice which was created by God to begin with, a moot argument when you consider God never instituted or hinted at any desire for us to do so. It's not a stretch to see that Christians justified syncretism and this should definitely raise many a red flag in the hearts of His disciples.

Some examples showing the connection of Christmas to Yuletide are in the carols you hear absolutely everywhere in December. "Deck the Halls" came from a 16th century Welsh song called "Nos Galan" honoring the tradition called Calennig where children rose early in the morning to sing carols to neighbors for food and ale on New Year's Day. The lyrics, rewritten in 1862, describe the Welsh holiday very well yet it is distinctly meant to illustrate Christmas in both Great Britain and the United States.

Deck the halls with boughs of holly,
Fa, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la!'
Tis the season to be jolly,
Fill the meadcup (honey wine), drain the barrel,
Troul the ancient Christmas (or in some versions, Yuletide) carol (there is no "ancient" Christmas carol, but there is for Yule).
See the flowing bowl before us,
Fa, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la!
Strike the harp and join the chorus.
Follow me in merry measure,
While I sing of beauty's treasure,
Fast away the old year passes,
Fa, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la!
Hail the new, ye lads and lasses!
Laughing, quaffing all together,
Heedless of the wind and weather,
Fa, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la!

If you research the Germanic holiday of Yule and compare it to Jeremiah 10 you will see striking similarities indicating where its traditions came from. It's not hard to draw connections all the way back to Assyria, Babylon and Egypt. Yule was the basis for our modern version of Christmas as we can hear in many Christmas songs, including the Christian ones, singing about "Yuletide" as well as all the symbols that go along with it, ie; lights (usually candles), wreaths of evergreen branches (evergreens are a symbol of life in the midst of the dead of winter), holly and mistletoe (the berries are Celtic and Germanic symbols of fertility).

Let's take a look at the lyrics for "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas":

Have yourself a merry little Christmas, let your heart be light
From now on our troubles will be out of sight
Have yourself a merry little Christmas, make the Yuletide gay
From now on our troubles will be miles away

Here we are as in olden days, happy golden days of yore
Faithful friends who are dear to us, gather near to us once more
Through the years we all will be together if the fates allow
Hang a shining star above the highest bough
And have yourself a merry little Christmas now

This is clearly religious wording referring to to the ancient pagan traditions. There is no mistake about it. Hanging a star high is not a reference to the Bethlehem star. It is a reference to enlightenment and pride a la Luciferianism. Please don't justify this by saying Christ told us to hang our lamps high for all to see. This was a metaphor for our faith, which is founded on the truth of the Gospel. The Gospel message has little to do with the birth of Christ and much more to do with His death, which is an illustration of our path to salvation: Dying to self and the world while living for God and His truth.

Please don't take this to mean I think we can simply take the pagan elements out of Christmas and it is then OK. If you look at the modern history of Christmas you will see that it experienced a resurgence at the demands of people who wanted a secular holiday at this particular time of year. Christ was an addendum to a secular festival just as He was in the 3-5th centuries.

Christmas was further embraced and expanded in-between 1840 (when the Prince Albert married Victoria of England, bringing his German winter traditions with him) and the 1860's beyond. This happened because business men wanted to take advantage of a large emerging market arising out of mainstream demand. It is obvious that the holiday season has it's roots planted firmly in a fleshly, materialistic mindset. The winter solstice has always been a time of year focused on the flesh. It is telling that all the livestock in far northern cultures were slaughtered to provide an abundance on meat through the winter, which of course was necessary, however these pagans ritualized this practice as they did most things. It is also telling that September is the month that has the most births. Count back 9 months. Now, I'm sure it was just another typical thing for people to do at this time of year. They didn't have to work the fields. They were inside trying to stay warm. It's understandable that more mating would take place. However, knowing what I know about paganism, it revolves around the union of two opposites. In this case, at the time of year where the sun is deep within the "womb" of the dark so too did the pagans ritualize their religious concepts. Pagans are no strangers to sexual rites. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why children are the center of attention at Christmas.

I would posit that if you choose to celebrate the birth of Christ why not celebrate it aside from "Christmas" and remove your worship completely away from the traditions of men so as to not resemble the world? Ask yourself, "Why do I need a holiday at all for this?" Now, I understand that it is rather nice and convenient to have a time of year when people can take time off of work and share in the pleasures of life. This I am not condemning. I simply want to alert people to why they should not associate with the works of darkness, to participate in the "reason for the season" rhetoric, to profane your worship and mix the holy with the profane. By all means, enjoy your time off work. Spend time with loved ones! But please, reconsider celebrating "Christmas" or "Hanukkah" or "Yule" or "the Holidays". The enemy wants to deceive you by dooping you into mixing worship with the things of the world. It's not difficult to see why the Puritans wanted nothing to do with this holiday. Come out of Babylon.

This was just a brief overview of a few specific points about the origins of Christmas. There is much more to talked about in regards to the symbolism and practices that have been adopted over the centuries but it is important not to get caught up in trying to point out the symbolism as much as it is important to note that this holiday is not of God, period. It doesn't please Him.

Removing the High Places

It's that time of year again where you can't go to a store without hearing Christmas music and having people tell you, "Merry Christmas!" I hardly know how to respond. In most cases I just say thank you and move on. I think that says enough for most passing situations. I'm not saying "Merry Christmas" back but acknowledging their desire to wish me well. I was considering creating a tract to pass out to people for this very reason. As it stands though I have higher priorities at the moment. I felt it necessary to share the truth about Christmas with those in prison who might not have access to such information and may need help or encouragement to seek the Lord in prayer with the right questions. So I have opted to send out "Removing the High Places" from the Heart4God.ws website.

Our ColorQube printer has been acting up and I'm not sure why. It keeps jamming and printing gunk all over the newsletters. I'm trying some troubleshooting options such as cleaning the drum, switching paper types and keeping the paper stored in an air-tight container to avoid humidity in the air. Right now I've managed to print about 100 or so out of 147 who have not yet received this teaching. I suppose it will have to do for now. I want this mailing to go out tomorrow so it might be received before December 24th. Time is of the essence. I trust that through prayer and diligence I can get to the bottom of this problem and get back onto a regular schedule. I'm hoping I can fix this problem myself without having to call out a technician. Your prayers are much appreciated.

The Merchants of the Earth Will Weep and Mourn

It can be frustrating and sometimes difficult to keep myself in check when I encounter so much incompetence in the retail shopping world. People are always trying to pull one over on you it seems and then cover their tracks with excuses. Can't you just be reasonable and honest?

I went to VisionWorks in WR to get new glasses, spent $600 on two pair and have been back 4 times to try and fix them. The service there is lackluster in the sense that they are, on the surface, trying to appear like they want to help but it is apparent they don't really care all that much. I've heard that they have so many remakes for glasses that it's just commonplace for them. I imagine the employees' only way to get over this is to not go out of their way unless someone insists.

I went to dinner at Greek Village last night. It's usually an excellent experience. This time, however, the owner wasn't there and I got the sense that they weren't concerned about good service. They served me my dinner cold 3 times in a row. The 4th time they brought it out, after microwaving it repeatedly, they mashed it down and served it smoking hot. Then they proceeded to overcharge me for it. When I worked in restaurants a customer that had a less-than-smooth dining experience would be offered some sort of compensation, like not being charged or making it right in some way. Not this time. Not only did they overcharge me but they left it up to me to tell them I didn't think I should have to pay for it. Now, I will remember that next time I want to eat there and will probably go somewhere else out of embarrassment and doubt whether it will be a good dining experience.

I ordered a cacao "plant" (described as a seedling and a plant) on Etsy. You would expect an actual plant, right? Like, something with ROOTS? Nope. Just a cutting wrapped in tin foil with some coco peat for $18.

More and more I'm finding that if you want quality you have to go out of your way to make sure you get it. Professional service and excellence in business are falling by the wayside. These virtues have been in decline for a long time. There is little-to-no integrity or passion in business anymore, except for in marketing. To make sure you are getting what you expect you have to be one of "those guys" who does lots of research first and asks a whole lot of questions. Even then there are still no guarantees.

First world problems, yes, but it is ridiculous that this happens so often. I actually despise that term, "first world problems." Why? Because I live in the first world. If I lived in a third world country I'd have different expectations, right? We created this system because we wanted things to be better yet now we have people that justify the festering slack by saying, "Just be patient and deal with it. Chill man." With that attitude we can expect the customer shopping experience to only get worse. In all reality though, the Bible does say that Babylon will be destroyed. Perhaps it's best not to expect too much. After all, God is not concerned so much with our physical comfort as our spiritual growth. If we are to be patient and "deal with it," let us at least do it for the right reasons.

"All the nations have drunk the wine of the passion of her immorality. The kings of the earth were immoral with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown wealthy through the extravagance of her luxury... In fear of her torment, they will stand at a distance and cry out: 'Woe, woe to the great city, the mighty city of Babylon! For in a single hour your judgment has come.' And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, because there is no one left to buy their cargo — cargo of gold, silver, precious stones, and pearls; of fine linen, purple, silk, and scarlet; of all kinds of citron wood and every article of ivory and precious wood, of bronze, iron, and marble;" Revelation 18

It is good to remember that this present world is passing away and all things will be created anew. Even so I still wrestle with the problems we face now - the hypocrisy, the laziness, the selfishness, the deception... If we can't be faithful to the truth in the things we have created by our own hands then it is apparent that we cannot govern ourselves without God's indwelling Spirit. Perhaps this is what it means to "come out of her My people." Don't expect this beast system to give all it says it will. Read the writing on the wall. These are the signs of the times.

"MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN."

Psalm 110 Unveiled

The LORD (Yahweh) said to my Lord (Yahshua),
“Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your *footstool*
(see Revelation 14:19 - the winepress is tread by the feet of many in joyous shouting - Revelation 16:6-8).” 
The Lord shall send the *rod* (Revelation 2:26-28, 12:5, 19:15 - a consistent message throughout Revelation) of Your strength out of Zion.
Rule in the midst of Your enemies (Revelation 18:5-7)! 
Your people shall be *volunteers* (free will offering, to be done by the leading of the Spirit, not out of compulsion of guilt or fear like Saul, and at the place where God appoints.)
In the day of Your power;
In the beauties of holiness, from the womb of the morning (morning star? Here is a great clue as to who the morning stars are and the rod of iron - Revelation 22:16, Job 38:7, Isaiah 14:12, 2 Peter 1:19, Revelation 2:28 Read these carefully and hear what the Spirit says to the churches),
You have the dew of Your youth.
The LORD has sworn
And will not relent,
“You are a priest forever
According to the order of Melchizedek (the ancient priest of Salem, meaning peace by recompense, appointed by Yahweh according to his faith - zedek means righteousness and the sons of Zadok, as seen in David's time, the priesthood who superseded the Levitical priesthood by quality of service - and further seen in Ezekiel 44 as those who are given access to Yahweh's most holy things).”
The Lord is at Your right hand (God is your will to act);
He shall execute kings in the day of His wrath.
He shall judge among the nations,
He shall fill the places with dead bodies,
He shall execute the heads of many countries.
He shall drink of the brook by the wayside;
Therefore He shall lift up the head (Rosh, a foreign nation, as shaken, like the poisonous, intoxicating poppy).

The Abomination of Desolation is the Mark of the Beast

Have you ever noticed that there is a correlation between the abomination of desolation and the mark of the beast? I was reading in a blog written by Joseph Herrin the following statement:

"Satan is the adversary of God, and as Yahweh’s adversary he continually seeks to lead mankind into rebellion against God, and to defile everything that God calls holy. Satan is angry at the fact that God cast him out of heaven when he attempted to make himself like the Most High. He is filled with violence toward Yahweh, and is enraged with a bitter hatred of God. Satan disagrees with the judgment of Yahweh in casting him out of heaven and therefore he seeks to inflict every offense toward God that he can imagine. One such way that he seeks to offend God is by defiling those things that Yahweh has declared to be holy."

This got me thinking about the abomination of desolation which stands in the temple of God proclaiming to be God. Since we know the temple of God is not a temple made with human hands and that we as Christians are the temple then we must ask ourselves whether this abomination has set itself up within our hearts and defiled our bodies. I know it can be easy to overlook all the overwhelming input we receive from the world and miss what we are feeding on. Something is bound to sneak in. That is exactly what has happened over the course of time. Desolation has crept into our hearts through enticement and slow compromise of our faith. We tend to justify that which we desire. For example, most Christians cite 1 Corinthians 8 in defense of their idolatrous behavior.

1 Now concerning things offered to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. 2 And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know. 3 But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him.
4 Therefore concerning the eating of things offered to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one. 5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords), 6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.
7 However, there is not in everyone that knowledge; for some, with consciousness of the idol, until now eat it as a thing offered to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. 8 But food does not commend us to God; for neither if we eat are we the better, nor if we do not eat are we the worse.
9 But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak. 10 For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will not the conscience of him who is weak be emboldened to eat those things offered to idols? 11 And because of your knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? 12 But when you thus sin against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.

The problem with using this passage to justify partaking in things of this world that are defiled is that we take into ourselves unknowingly the things which defile us. This passage is talking about God-given food that has been sacrificed to another god, yet it can be applied to other areas of life if we discern the depth and height of the meaning in order to arrive at the truth. If we fail in this we open ourselves up to idolatry in our hearts. As I've discussed many times on this blog, idolatry is far more than what is portrayed in the old testament as carving a figure and bowing down or praying to it. The New Testament defines idolatry as anything arising from the human heart and the works of man's hands that causes you to stumble into sinful desire and thus distracts you from the truth in God. Is this not what He meant by, "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's goods?" Covetousness IS idolatry. Why do you think people offered their children to Marduk? They wanted prosperity. Why do you think Lot's wife looked longingly back at Sodom and Gomorrah?

I was traveling in my friend's truck a couple of weeks ago and we pulled up next to an expensive, new shiny vehicle that he really liked. He and the driver were commenting on how awesome it was and how they would like to have one. I made the comment, "Let's not covet now." My friend's reply was, "I'm not coveting, I'm just trying to figure out how to get one of my own."

Stop and think about what it means to covet. Most people think it is directly trying to take what is your neighbor's. They give no thought to the error in thinking, "Since my neighbor has that thing and now I want it then I should have one too." Some would call this good economics, even progress. I call it Mammon, and I think Christ would too.

If you are distracted by such things as the perceived progress of establishing yourself in this life then you are not able to focus on seeking Him with all your heart. This is why Paul warned of marriage. You would be more concerned about how to please your wife than God. The same with your children, and you career, community... soon your life takes over and you have no time for studying the Bible and seeking Him. The truth is not easy to understand or accept. It comes at a great cost. Make no mistake beloved, this world IS CORRUPTED on all fronts. It has been that way since the fall in the garden of Eden. Under this present sun nothing will change that. God has decreed that a New Heaven and Earth will be necessary and that we should be storing up our treasures in Heaven. We are sojourners here because of the fallen state of this world. That is why we are discouraged from debt and covenant relationships in the Bible. That is not to say we sin by doing these things because certainly God intended for some of these things to be a part of our lives (like marriage), however, they are corrupted and the only way out of this corruption is by letting Christ be your life.

This is also the essence of the subject at hand: The abomination of desolation is the mark of the beast. This is not to say that there will not be some physical expression of these things as spoken of by interpreters of prophecy. However, I'm trying to show how it is far more important to be proactively prepared now, spiritually, and guarded against the seeds that will bring about the fulfillment of such a prophecy. By then it will be too late because Satan is bringing the mark about by deception. You won't even know you've taken it unless you are spiritually prepared to avoid it. Remember, the Israelites had no idea why God was punishing them. Neither does the church. So you must take heed to the warning to come out of Babylon NOW. Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's and unto God that which is God's. See the distinction there? Christ was telling us that this physical life revolves around the traditions of idolatrous hearts. We must recognize that and place Yahweh first. Then all the things we need to operate in this world will be provided for us, but not that we are setting up our own kingdom or empire, rather we are building God's kingdom in the hearts of those who are being called out of this beast system. That is our calling. I hope that you hear it because all of what you are building will be shaken. Examine your life to determine what will be standing when God is finished with you. Just like the temple was destroyed and no stone was left on top of one another, and just as Christ's body was broken, so too will the temple of His body be broken again, the church. Yet Yahweh will take a rib from the second Adam's body to form His bride. I aspire to be one of the remnant overcomers who sit with Him on His throne and have access to His most holy things. Don't you?