THE PROPHECIES of RCI!

Good morning, blog readers, from sunny and cold (21 degrees) Wisconsin where, on my morning walk after a 4-inch snowfall, I saw “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Snowdog” playing in the snow for the third time since Christmas! Thank You, Jesus!

Here are a couple of prophetic headlines that we ought to be concerned about as a nation:

#1. “Extremely concerned: American generals raise alarm over Iran’s tightening ties with Russia, China (Breaking Defense)

#2. Biden Administration’s Jitterbug with Iran’s Regime: When Crime Does Pay – Spectacularly (Gatestone Institute)

In the first article, Agnes Helou reported: “They’re trying to get what they want. They’re trying to replace the West and, moreover, the United States in our access and influence across this crucial continent,” U.S. Africa Command chief Gen. Michael Langley told lawmakers.”

As wars rage in Gaza and Ukraine, senior US military officials sounded the alarm to lawmakers about the renewed relationships between China, Russia and Iran in both the Middle East and Africa, suggesting alliances of geopolitical convenience intertwining the three could threaten America’s position in both regions.

“I’m very concerned about this renewed relationship between Russia, China and Iran,” US Central Command head Gen. Michael Kurilla told a House Armed Services hearing Thursday. What we’re seeing is Iran is reliant on China and Russia is reliant on Iran.”

In the second article, Majid Rafizadeh wrote: “The recent decision to shower Iran, the ‘leading state sponsor of global terrorism,’ with yet another $10 billion in sanctions wavers, ‘freeing up 10 billion elsewhere to spend on terrorism, missiles, nuclear weapons and the repression of Iranian women,’ defies logic and morality.”

And yet, despite all these scary headlines and alliances, the Word of God prophesies that Russia and Iran, at some time in the future, will join forces to attack Israel when she is living in peace (not now), only to be defeated and destroyed by the Lord God Himself, according to Ezekiel 38:18-39:29. Then, at a later time, the so-called “kings from the east” (Revelation 16:12) which will, most likely, include China and the other surviving nations who will be drawn into battle at Megiddo where they will be defeated by the Lord Jesus Christ Who will then set up His kingdom on earth where He will reign, along with the believers in Jesus, I believe (not all Christians do) for 1,000 years (Revelation 20:1-6). Then, there will be “a new heaven and a new earth” for the believers in Jesus for eternity (21:1-22:21). Glory to God! So, in the meantime, let us continue to watch, wait, work, witness for, walk with and worship Jesus until He comes. And, if you are still not a believer in Jesus, please agree with God you are a sinner who needs a Savior Who is Jesus (Romans 3:23, 24) and believe He died on a cross for your sins, was buried and raised from the dead (I Corinthians 15:1-4) to forgive all your sins and give you eternal life (John 3:16). Blessings, Doug (3/23/24)

THREATS HERE and ABROAD!

Good morning, blog readers, from snowy and windy (27 degrees) Wisconsin where, on my morning walk in the snow, I saw: 5 deer and a crane! Thank You, Jesus!

This headline, from U.S. News, got my attention this morning: “FBI: Since October 7, ‘almost every major terrorist organization in the world’ has threatened the U.S.” In addition, Robert Wells, the assistant director of the FBI’s counterterrorism division, said: “We’ve also seen an uptick in threats against the Jewish community here in the United States and abroad.”

The JNS (Jewish News Syndicate) Staff reported: “The United States has been in a ‘heightened terrorism threat environment’ since Hamas’ October 7 terror attack on Israel, and ‘almost every major terrorist organization in the world, including Al Qaeda and ISIS, have called for terror attacks against the United States,” an FBI official testified before the House Committee on Homeland Security. We’ve also seen an uptick in threats against the Jewish community here in the United States and abroad,” said Wells, “and remain concerned about threats from lone actors or small cells radicalized to violence online. In addition, we are very focused on the threat posed by the more traditional foreign terrorist organizations and the state-sponsored terrorism threat from Iran,” added Wells, in his testimony on Wednesday.”

Let me remind you again that, according to the prophecy of Ezekiel 38-39, I believe (and I could be wrong), at sometime in the future, Russia, Iran and a host of other countries will, at a time when Israel is living in peace (not now), invade Israel to “capture spoil” which includes silver, gold, cattle and goods (wealth).” And, just when it looks like Israel is doomed with no one to defend her, including the United States, the Lord God Himself comes to Israel’s defense and destroys this massive army (Ezekiel 38:14-39:29). Jesus told us, in Mark 13:33, 35, 37, to “stay on the alert” and be ready for tougher times while we watch, wait, work, witness for, walk with and worship Jesus until He comes.

And, if you’re not a believer in Jesus, please know you may not have tomorrow. So, here’s what you need to do today: Simply agree with God you are a sinner who needs a Savior Who is Jesus (Romans 3:23, 24) and believe He died on a cross for your sins, was buried and raised from the dead (I Corinthians 15:1-4) to forgive all your sins and give you eternal life (John 3:16). And, if you do, I’ll see you in heaven! Glory to God! Blessings with love, Doug (3/22/24)

A DEFENSELESS ISRAEL?

Good morning, blog readers, from cloudy and cold (21 degrees) Wisconsin where, on my morning walk, I did not see any of God’s creatures, but had a nice walk. Thank You, Jesus!

This recent headline, from The Jerusalem Post, caught my eye this morning: “IDF (Israeli Defense Force) admits Houthis penetrated Eilat missile defense for the first time.”

In the article, Yonah Jeremy Bob reported: “The IDF late Tuesday night admitted for the first time that the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen have penetrated the country’s missile air defense. According to the IDF, reports of an unidentified object landing north of Eilat on Sunday night referred to a cruise missile which came from the direction of the Red Sea. Although the IDF did not specifically identify the Houthis, the Iranian-backed group in Yemen has tried to strike Israel numerous times for months. Until now, all of its missiles had been shot down, often by the Arrow 1 or 3 missile defense system. There was one case of a small drone fired from Syria penetrating into Eilat, but it did little damage and had little potential for damage.

In contrast, the cruise missile in question did not hit any structures and landed in an open area, but could have potentially done far more damage. The IDF said it was probing why the missile was not shot down. One possibility could be that it was a cruise missile that flies in a more line-drive fashion and which might have caught the air defense operators by surprise. Israel’s David Sling is also made to shoot down such cruise missiles, but it has not been used in Eilat to date.”

This made me (Doug) think of Deuteronomy 28 where the Lord spelled out for Israel His blessings for Israel’s obedience and curses for her disobedience. For example, we read in Deuteronomy 28:6, 7: “Blessed shall you (Israel) be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out. The Lord will cause your enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before you; they shall come out against you one way and shall flee before you seven ways.” On the other hand, in verse 15, He said to Israel: “But it shall come about, if you will not obey the Lord your God, to observe to do all His commandments and statutes with which I charge you today, that all these curses (verses 16-68.) shall come upon you and overtake you.”

Question: “Could it be that Israel’s humiliation on October 7, 2023, and the Houthi missile getting through Israel’s “defenses” came as a result of her disobeying the Lord’s commands?” If that is true, then I highly recommend to the people of Israel: “Believe in the Lord God and keep His commandments that it would go well for you not only in regards to war, but also in regards to salvation that you might be the “apple of God’s eye (Zechariah 2:8),” as He intended you to be.

And, if you are not a believer in Jesus, please know He is not only your long-awaited Messiah, but also your Savior Who died on a cross for your sins, was buried and raised from the dead (I Corinthians 15:1-4) to forgive all your sins and give you eternal life (John 3:16). Then, watch, wait, work, witness for, walk with and worship Jesus until He comes. Blessings, Doug (3/21/24)

FAMINES & QUAKES!

Good morning, blog readers, from clear and cold (27 degrees) Wisconsin where, on my morning walk, I saw: a deer, a plane, a shooting star and about 75% of the moon! Thank You, Jesus!

As many of you who have been reading my blogs know, I just love to write about Bible prophecy and the “second coming of Christ to the earth” which, sadly, Pastor Rick Warren once quoted Jesus as saying to His disciples “is none of our business.” I beg to differ since Bible prophecy makes up about 30% of Scripture and better be our business since the Word of God says in Deuteronomy 12:32, Proverbs 30:5, 6 and Revelation 22:18, 19 that we are not to “add to or take away from the Word of God.” I found it most interesting that God said this in the beginning (Deuteronomy), the middle (Proverbs) and the end of the Bible (Revelation).

And, I also found it interesting that, when Jesus was giving His disciples information about the “signs” leading up to His return, He said ,in Matthew 24:7, Mark 13:8 and Luke 21:11: “there will be great earthquakes, and in various places plagues and famines.”

According to the USGS, there are, on the average, one “great (8.0+) earthquake” every year. As we get closer to the Lord’s return, I believe we will see more and more of the “great quakes” and “famines in various places.” And speaking of “famines,” there was this recent and frightening headline from Technocracy News and Trends: “The Big Squeeze: Over 140,000 U.S. Farms Lost in Five Years!”

Yes, dearly beloved in Christ, Jesus is coming! Are you ready? Are you staying “on the alert,” as Jesus told us to in Mark 13:33, 35, 37)? And, if you are not a believer in Jesus, why not become one today by agreeing with God you are a sinner who needs a Savior Who is Jesus (Romans 3:23, 24) and believe He died on a cross for your sins, was buried and raised from the dead (I Corinthians 15:1-4) to forgive all your sins and give you eternal life (John 3:16). Blessings, Doug (3/20/24)

THE “QUAKE of the DAY!”

Good morning, blog readers, from cloudy and cold (28 degrees) Wisconsin where, on my morning walk in a strong wind, I did not see any of God’s creatures! Thank You, Jesus, for keeping me warm!

Along with the usual daily headlines, I have decided to give you what I am calling “the quake of the day” which will include some of the unusual or noteworthy places where earthquakes occur, like a “light” (4.4) earthquake, 6.4 km WSW of Maneromango, Tanzania.

Then, in the news, there was this (3/15/24) headline from the AP: “US, G7 allies warn Iran to back off deal to provide Russia ballistic missiles or face new sanctions.”

Did you know that the prophet Ezekiel, some 2,600 years ago, prophesied that Russia, Iran (aka Persia) and a host of other nations, would one day invade Israel when she is living in peace (not now) to “seize plunder, to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods and to capture great spoil.” And, just when it looks like Israel is doomed, perhaps in our lifetime, the Lord God Himself comes to her rescue and destroys her enemies. Read Ezekiel 38:-39. Glory to God!

So, let me ask you: “Are you a believer in Jesus? Are you 100% sure that, if you died today, you would be with Him in heaven for eternity?” Please know you can know that for sure if you have agreed with God you are a sinner who needs a Savior Who is Jesus (Romans 3:23, 24) and believed He died on a cross for your sins, was buried and raised from the dead (I Corinthians 15:1-4) to forgive all your sins and give you eternal life (John 3:16). Then, simply watch, wait, work, witness for, walk with and worship Jesus until He comes. Blessings with love, Doug (3/19/24)

HELL IS for REAL!

Good morning, blog readers, from clear and cold (21 degrees) Wisconsin where, on my morning walk, I saw: three dear lying down on a hill in our neighborhood, staring at me! Thank You, Jesus!

Back in 2010, you may remember (as I did), there was a movie called “Heaven Is for Real,” a true story of a little boy’s astounding trip to heaven and back which was based on a New York Times best-selling Christian book written by Todd Burpo and Lynn Vincent and published by Thomas Nelson Publishers which documented the report of a near-death experience by Burpo’s three-year old son, Colton.

Now, believe it or not, from my 40+ years of being a pastor, I have found that there are many people out there (perhaps you are one of them) who believe that both heaven and hell are not for real. In fact, there was a time when I was visiting a patient in the hospital who was dying. So, as usual, I was concerned about his salvation and asked him, “Do you know where you will go when you die?” He very casually responded : “to hell to party with my buddies!” And, when I tried to tell him that there would be no partying in heaven, he was not interested. Please believe me that hell, like heaven, is for eternity. So, let me ask you right now: “If you were to die today: “Where would you spend your eternity?” And, more importantly, “On what basis?” Please know there’s only one right answer: Jesus Christ Who said, in John 14:6, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father (goes to heaven), but through Me.” In other words, you need to agree with God you are a sinner who needs a Savior Who is Jesus (Romans 3:23, 24) and believe He died on a cross for your sins, was buried and raised from the dead (I Corinthians 15:1-4) to forgive all your sins and give you eternal life (in heaven).” That’s it. And, please know it doesn’t have anything to do with your good works like baptism, confirmation, church membership, giving money, etc. The apostle Paul made this clear in Ephesians 2:8,9: “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast.”

Let me remind you again: when you die, you will go to one of two places: heaven or hell for eternity. My prayer is that I will see you in heaven. And, if you are a believer in Jesus, watch, wait, work, witness for, walk with and worship Jesus until He comes. Love in Him, Doug (3/18/24)

WHAT’S in a NAME?

Good morning, blog readers, from cloudy and cool (31 degrees) Wisconsin where, on my morning walk, I did not see any of God’s creatures, but had a nice walk. Thank You, Jesus!

According to Google, when playwright William Shakespeare asked the question, “What’s in a name?” in Romeo and Juliet, he was referring to the idea that names themselves do not not have any worth or meaning.” I beg to differ, especially when it comes to the names of God in the Bible.

For example, in the Book of Revelation, God and or Jesus are called by the following names: Jesus Christ (1:1), God (1:1), the Word of God (1:2, 19:13), the seven Spirits of God (1:4, 4:5, 5:6), the Faithful and True Witness (1:5, 3:14, 19:11), the firstborn of the dead (1:5), the Ruler of the Kings of the earth (1:5), the Father (1:6, 3:21), the Alpha and the Omega (1:8, 21:6, 22:13), the Lord God (1:8, 4:8, 11:17), the Almighty (1:8, 4:8, 15:3, 16:14, 21:22), the Spirit (1:10, 3:6, 22, 4:2, 11:17, 14:13), the Living One (1:18, ), the Holder of the keys of death and Hades (1:18), the Son of God (2:18), the Beginning of the creation of God (3:14), the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David (5:5), the Lamb of God (5:6, 13, 6:1, 7, 9, 14:4, 15:3, 17:14, 11:15, 21:27), the true and righteous Judge (19:2), the reigning king (19:6), the KING of KINGS and LORD of LORDS (19:16), the Spirit of prophecy (19:10), Faithful and True (19:11), the bight morning star (22:16), the Lord Jesus (22:20, 21).

Wow! What a testimony to the Triune God: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit! So, let me ask you: “Do you know Jesus as your Savior and Lord? Have you agreed with God you are a sinner who needs a Savior Who is Jesus (Romans 3:23, 24) and believed He died on a cross for your sins, was buried and raised from the dead (I Corinthians 15;1-4) to forgive all your sins and give you eternal life (John 3:16)? If you have, you are on your way to heaven for eternity. If not, you are on your way to hell for eternity which some people think will be one big party which it won’t be. And, if you are a believer in Jesus, you know the drill: Watching, waiting, working, witnessing for, walking with and worshiping Jesus until He comes. Blessings with love, Doug (3/17/24)

NOW IS the ACCEPTABLE TIME!

Good morning, blog readers, from cloudy and cool (32 degrees) Wisconsin where, on my morning walk, I saw: 2 deer and heard the sound of a freight train! Thank You, Jesus!

This headline, from The 3/12/24 Christian Post, really got my attention this morning: “Revelation 22: The urgency of now, exposing Satan’s cunning strategy.”

In the article, Op-ed Contributor Mark Creech wrote: “There is this timeless tale, a fictitious story of strategy and urgency, set within the confines of Satan’s boardroom. The Evil One, being the cunning mastermind of malice, gathered his senior advisers together for a meeting, and posed to them a tactical question that echoed through Hell’s infernal chambers: “By what means might we bring about maximum despair, chaos and destruction among Earth’s inhabitants,” Satan asked. In response, one of Satan’s most shadowy advisers suggested: “O great Lord of darkness and desolation, let us tell them there is no heaven?” But the devil quickly dismissed that suggestion as antiquated, and no longer potent enough to deliver the best results.

With a tone of ambivalence, the devil replied, “You know most people never give a thought to the prospect of going to Hell at the end of their lives. If even for a short while, we should cause them to seriously think about the possibility of spending eternity in hell, it will more likely do damage to our efforts than benefit. You imp of ignorance! Don’t you understand that we don’t want them to earnestly think about it? Let the masses march thoughtlessly to the pit as they already do.”

Finally, a third demon stepped forward with a proposition dripping with deception. h thoughtlessly to the pit as they already do.”

Finally, a third demon stepped forward with a proposition dripping with deception. “O Master of Maleficence and Malignancy, let us work to convince them that time is not of the essence – that there is no urgency about where one will spend eternity. Let us say to them that there is no need to hasten – no rush about life’s most important questions.”

At this, Satan’s fiery eyes gleamed with diabolical delight. “Yes, yes, yes!!! he cried. “It is a brilliant strategy! Perhaps the greatest and most effective I’ve heard. Every day we shall lull them into complacency, whispering to them that they have plenty of time that there is no need to hasten – no rush about life’s most important questions.”

So, what does God say about this? Paul wrote, in II Corinthians 6:1, 2: “And working together with Him (Christ), we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain for He says, ‘At the acceptable time I listened to you, and on the day of salvation I helped you;’ behold, now is the acceptable time,’ behold, now is ‘the day of salvation.'”

As I have said before, if you are not a believer in Jesus, despite what the devil would want you to think and believe, you can still be saved from your sins and have eternal life, even today, by simply agreeing with God you are a sinner who needs a Savior Who is Jesus (Romans 3:23, 24) and believe He died on a cross for your sins, was buried and raised from the dead (I Corinthians 15:1-4) to forgive all your sins and give you eternal life. And, if you do, I’ll see you in heaven. Then, watch, wait, work, witness for, walk with and worship Jesus until He comes. Blessings, Doug (3/16/24) P.S. Thank you for praying for Laura and Luke. They are now home from the hospital!

FATHER KNOWS BEST!

Good morning, blog readers, from clear and cool (31 degrees) Wisconsin where, on my morning walk, I saw: the heavens declaring the glory of God (Psalm 19:1), heard a freight train, and, as I was writing this blog, saw 4 deer run through our backyard! Thank You, Jesus!

As I was thinking about what to share with you this morning in my blog, I couldn’t think of a particular news story or Scripture verse, but thought of our daughter, Laura, who along with our grandson, Luke, were, in the middle of the night, at CHOP (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia) where they have been numerous times over the years because of Luke’s inoperable, incurable brain tumor, kidney tumor and all kinds of complications which has put him in “hospice care” for some time. What is amazing is that Luke was originally given a “life expectancy of 2 months to two years.” He is now 22! Please pray for Laura, her husband Rick , Luke, his brothers (Aaron, Caleb, Peter, Caleb’s wife, Eliza) and Luke’s doctors and hospice care team. I will keep you posted.

And, if you are a believer in Jesus, keep watching, waiting, working, witnessing for, walking with and worshiping Jesus until He comes. And, if you are not a believer in Jesus, please know that He could come back at anytime for HIs bride, the church, for the most glorious wedding ceremony of all time. And, all you need to do to be there is to agree with God you are a sinner who needs a Savior Who is Jesus (Romans 3:23, 24) and believe He died on a cross for your sins, was buried and raised from the dead (I Corinthians 15:1-4) to forgive all your sins and give you eternal life (John 3:16). P.S. Laura and Luke are now home and resting. Thanks for praying. Love, Doug (3/15/24)

BIG SOLAR FLARE!

Good morning, blog readers, from cloudy and cool (44 degrees) Wisconsin where, on my morning walk, I saw: one deer! Thank You, Jesus!

The above headline, from a recent EarthSky, caught my eye and made me think again of the prophecy of Luke 21:25-27 where Dr. Luke wrote that, before the Lord’s return, “there will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and upon the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man (the Lord Jesus) coming in a cloud with power and great glory.”

C. Alex Young, Raul Cortes and Armando Caussade posted three days ago: “Sun news March 11, 2024: Big solar flare sends sun-stuff toward Earth. In the article, they reported: “Sunspot region AR3599 has shown a lot of potential over recent days and now its started living up to it. It blasted a big M7.4 flare at 12 UTC yesterday. And this eruption caused a coronal mass ejection (CME) – a huge blob of plasma and magnetic fields – to launch out into space.” Now, I am not an expert in solar activity but, based on the above prophecy from Luke 21, I am expecting, at sometime in the future, the sun, the moon and the stars to play a major role leading up to the Lord’s return.

So, stay tuned! And, if you are a believer in Jesus, keep watching, waiting, working, witnessing for, walking with and worshiping Jesus until He comes. And, if you are not a believer in Jesus, you can become right now by agreeing with God you are a sinner who needs a Savior Who is Jesus (Romans 3:23, 24) and believe He died on a cross for your sins, was buried and raised from the dead (I Corinthians 15:1-4) to forgive all your sins and give you eternal life (John 3:16). And, if you do, I’ll see you in heaven for eternity. Glory to God! Blessings with love, Doug (3/14/24)