The Flesh Versus the Spirit

Most of you know that I am a Christian. But do you know the struggle that being a Christian engenders in a human being with a flesh and blood natural body? For example my feelings about the results of the recent general election.

I voted for national because I was brought up conservative, loud and proud. I was a kid when Robert Muldoon was prime minister and the liberals were a shadow of what they have become in recent times. Common sense and hard work were what New Zealand was built on and most folks had a decent shot at a good start in this country.

In a nutshell this was the mantra of the dominant discourse in our time. It was not entirely the truth but the dominant discourse never is. Maori were gravely disadvantaged and had negligible access to the factors of production being a repressed minority.

However, watching the far left garner control of the media and use that with political power to engineer the right environment for either a revolution or a silent coup. This is not easy for me to watch and say nothing about.

One question is that is the new right wing coalition actually what it claims to be. Will they sort out the media circus, will they bring the gangs under control? We have witnessed the militarisation and dissemination of arms to the gangs by the state. The only reason the left would do that is create an army capable of bringing about a revolution.

What nonsense I hear you say and I would agree with you if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes. So, fleshly human me is really hot under the collar about all of this but as a Christian it is irrelevant. The purpose of this life and what ever happens in it is: A) To realise that you are a sinner and need forgiveness. B) To find Christ Jesus and ask him to forgive your sins and come into your life. C) To take the gospel of salvation in Christ Jesus to everyone else in the World.

So, on one hand I have crazy feelings of animosity toward various politicians and global malefactors but on the other I realise that regardless of what the world is like. It is not my concern. God has got this. My job is to preach the gospel to the “Ends of the Earth.”

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.”

How death becomes less formidable as you age.

When I was a child I feared death terribly. I was fearful that life would pass too rapidly or I would have some misadventure and die young. I must confess to still being apprehensive about death in my middle years. However as an older man in my early sixties I have to say I look forward to passing over the river and meeting my Saviour Jesus Christ.

I’m not in any great hurry to shuffle off this mortal coil, you realise, but I don’t fear death the way I once did. I love the Lord and I know I am saved so I just don’t have that fear any more. I wonder if this is the same for everyone or is it only my Christian faith that causes me to feel like this about death?

1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.”

These days deaths seems like a logical end to life as the old body ages and the end of the journey comes into sight. Perhaps the fact that so many friends and family members have passed onto eternity has an impact on my attitude to death. It is kind of like reaching the senior years of high school when so many of those who started the journey in Year 9 had left to find employment and I was one of the few to stay in the senior years. It was lonely actually and It is much the same as many we have known and loved have left this Earth and are no more. We miss them so much.

2 Corinthians 5:8 “Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.”

I think that the idea of our human spirit being with Christ Jesus is an appealing thought as we grow older. Some folks don’t like it that thought particularly as some feel there is no human spirit or that we don’t arrive with God until we are resurrected. The apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:8 “We are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.” So many Christians base their trust that we go immediately to be with Christ in Spirit awaiting the resurrection to gain our eternal body. I guess we’re going to have to wait and see for a final answer on that one.

Another death related foible is whether there is a real literal hell or is it that we are consumed by eternal fire. Again it seems that scripture is not completely clear on this one. There are scriptures that hint that eternal fire is similar to the eternal fire that fell upon Sodom and Gomorrah. Jude 1:7 “Just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these angels indulged in sexual perversion and went after strange flesh, are exhibited as an example in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire.”

Matthew 25:41 states this “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you accursed people, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels.” and it book ends the subject in Matthew 25:46 “These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” Seems like there is a Hell fire for eternity for those who reject the Saviour, Jesus of Nazareth.

I’m glad that I’m going to be with the Saviour. I wouldn’t want to be with those on His left hand side. I look forward to the day when this life full of death and suffering is over. Whether I have to wait in the grave for the resurrection or go straight to be with Jesus as a spirit. I’ll be glad when this life is over. There is one final scripture that lends some credibility to the being a spirit in the kingdom awaiting resurrection.

Revelation 6:9 “When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been killed because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained.”

Why Christians Need To Pray

I’ve prayed for a couple of things lately that have caused me to review my attitude to prayer. I’ve always felt like “Why would God listen to me?” I mean when I look back at my life I can see that God has plainly answered my prayer and the results have been amazing and astounding. Yet I still have felt that I have little that would be of consequence to God.

However, lately I’ve prayed for two separate situations that I felt were unlikely to see an answer to prayer. One because I could not see how it fit in with God’s plans and the other because it was at work and I did not see God intervening in that situation either. Yet the results were equally miraculous.

In situation one a specific outcome happened in a way that I asked for it too. In situation two, at work, there was a complete change in the situation that exceeded any thing I could have hoped for. It is worth noting that the prayer for situation two was with a group of Christians. So my point here is that generally speaking I feel that most Christians do not pray for a lot of situations in their lives. Largely because they do not believe that God would intercede on their behalves.

The reality is that much of the work of God depends on the prayer of his children in accordance with His will. So we don’t get because we don’t pray. We don’t see change because we don’t ask. We have wrong motives which don’t align with God’s will. James 4: 2-3 “You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.”

I do not mean to accuse anyone. I never really liked this piece of scripture because it made me feel uncomfortable and I didn’t agree with it. After a bit of an epiphany it finally makes sense. God answers prayer so if we search the scriptures and make an effort to seek God’s will. We can see answers to prayer that will further the Kingdom of God.

I have to say that I have never been a consistent pray-er. God has His methods of getting in touch with me. He often wakes me in the very early morning after a fitful sleep and places burdens on my heart. I usually pray long and hard for the things He puts on my heart. I never really know whether He answers those prayers but I assume that because they are close to His will that He does.

I think that if we all prayed to Yahweh Elohim more consistently we would see much of the social carnage in society begin to reverse. I know what you’re thinking. We already do pray consistently. I guess what I would say to that is that I think a lot of Christians don’t believe that God will answer their prayers. So, they either pray half heartedly or don’t pray at all. Scripture says in Mark 11:24 “Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you.”

I have certainly found that this works in my case. Believe that your prayer will be answered and seek to pray in accordance with God’s will and you will see answers. Remember “Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18.

So, remember my friends. Pray without ceasing for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. If we all pray and seek God. If we give thanks in everything and trust God in everything. I believe, there will be such a move of God that all of mankind will be moved to trust in Jesus of Nazareth. Now that would be something to see.

America in Bible Prophecy?

 

This is a short article to highlight the place of the United States of America in Bible Prophecy. This relates to current events in the 2020’s and events in the last 150 years. Over the past 100 years we have seen America get involved in World Events.

They entered the First World War and were influential in the outcome of that war being heavily involved in the negotiations at the Treaty of Versailles. The inequitable conclusion that saw Germany penalised even though they never lost the war but negotiated an end to hostilities. It has been said the First World War was to break the control of monarchy in Europe and that removing the Kaiser from power in Germany was the one of the major goals of those families that secretly influenced global policy at the time.

A number of American businessmen and politicians were involved in bringing that conflict into being and their ultimate goal was the establishment of a League of Nations. This was successful in that they brought a number of member countries together to discuss global policy but the organisation lacked cohesion and was too small to be really effective on a global scale. Good chat though.

A Second World War would be required and so the United States began to pressure Japan into a difficult situation by refusing to supply crude oil for fuels. This may have been a punishment for it’s imperialist expansion into Korea and China after World War One. Japan was also seen as a dangerous opponent that needed to be dealt with. Certainly it was identified as a threat.

At the same time Hitler was being groomed and brought into power in Germany. His connection to the Rothschild family was never stressed but it is almost certain that they played a part in bringing him to power and pursued an agenda through him. A fascist experiment to see if a global world empire could be established in Europe that would eventually dominate the entire world.

Hitler came to power in Germany in 1933 and the path to the Second World War was certain. There were fascist elements in the United States as well. This was to be expected given that many in the Southern States had never accepted the loss of the civil war and had pursued an apartheid society for non white Americans ever since. Hence there was some sympathy for Germany in America and there were those in the shadows who had wealth and were prepared to give Hitler their support.

The war in Europe started in 1939 and the United States decided to stay neutral on it as it was not their war. I suspect most people around the globe wondered what they were waiting for? Britain beseeched the United States for aid with the war effort as they were grossly out gunned by Hitler’s Germany. The Americans supported Britain grudgingly with a lend lease agreement to supply appropriate weapons.

In December of 1941 the Japanese, running out of fuel, attacked Pearl Habour in Hawaii drawing the Americans into the World War. The British had won the Battle of Britain in October of 1940. This was really the beginning of the end for Germany as they had insufficient resources and aircraft to sustain their various battle fronts in the USSR, Middle East and Europe. The Japanese entering the war made for a more prolonged route to victory for the United States, Britain and their allies but America’s enormous manufacturing capability and the push for new weapon designs spelled doom for their enemies. This was the beginning of the American Military Industrial Complex and the World has never been the same since.

The Second World War finished and the result was the formation of the United Nations. At the same time the United Kingdom and the British Commonwealth began to scale down. While the United States correspondingly increased it’s influence as one of the two emerging super powers along with the USSR. It was involved in the Korean War supporting South Korea and establishing bases there which remain open until today. This has been the case with every country that the United States has developed a relationship with and it now has several hundred bases around the World.

The Vietnam war enhanced the position of America as a serious player in world affairs and even though it essentially lost the war it still became steadily more powerful. Ronald Reagan was able to negotiate with Mikhail Gorbachev to disband the Soviet Union in the 1980’s. The Iron Curtain finally fell in 1991. The same year that Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait and Saudi Arabia and the Saudi’s along with the American Army and Air Force repulsed the Hussein’s Iraqi forces. It was a real display of US military might and a warning to any and all of the enemies of the United States, the United Nations and NATO to be very careful about what they did to their neighbours.

The next real expression to American power was post 9/11. With the attack on the World Trade Center in New York. The United States moved to silence terrorists around the World by invading Iraq, then invading the Al Qaeda base of operations with the Taliban, Afghanistan. They set up bases in both countries but subsequently withdrew from Bagram base in Afghanistan in 2021. The destruction of Syria lead out of Iraq by ISIS in the first place as they attempted to establish a Caliphate and which saw US and Russian interventions in 2014 - 2016. This lead to the current uneasy truce that exists now. Which more or less brings us to the present where NATO is assisting the forces of the Right in Ukraine against Putin’s Russia and the US is now involved in supporting Israel against Hamas and Hezbollah both armed by Iran who are determined to see and end of the nation state of Israel.

So, the United States of America has had a huge impact on world affairs in the last Century but does it figure in the Bible and most importantly in the End Times or the Great Tribulation described in Matthew 24? Well it is certainly the most influential nation in the formation of the coming One World Government. It is fair to say that it has been influential since its establishment in 1776 after the War of Independence.

It is the power house behind Europe which is described as the ten horned beast of Revelation 13:1-4 “Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns were ten crowns, and on his heads were blasphemous names. And the beast that I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave him his power and his throne, and great authority. I saw one of his heads as if it had been fatally wounded, and his fatal wound was healed. And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast; they worshiped the dragon because he gave his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?” This beast is Europe and the Anti-Christ.

The Second Beast is described in Revelation 13: 11-18 “Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spoke as a dragon. He exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence. And he makes the earth and those who live on it worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed. He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down out of the sky to the earth in the presence of people. And he deceives those who live on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who live on the earth to make an image to the beast who had the wound of the sword and has come to life. And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast would even speak and cause all who do not worship the image of the beast to be killed. And he causes all, the small and the great, the rich and the poor, and the free and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads and he decrees that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six.”

So the beasts are a description of nations and Anti-Christ. The First Beast arises our of the waters and that usually indicates the peoples. It is also a depiction of the ten country confederation of Europe thus the ten horns or Kings. The Second Beast arises out of the land and is like a lamb, has horns like a sheep, but speaks with the voice of a dragon.

Some Bible commentators have speculated that this beast symbolises the United States with one horn symbolising the affect of Christianity on the nation making it like a lamb in its gentle character and the way it has behaved righteously toward other nations at times. However, the other horn symbolising the activities of the Dragon and the Mystery of Iniquity, or the Vatican and the Jesuits, from the establishment of the nation through the last two hundred and fifty years as they have sought to create a one world government and the Beasts 666 system. This may be a stretch as this beast has long been held to be the assistant to the first beast and known as the false prophet. In any case, all will be revealed in due course. Bear in mind that this article is in no way exhaustive and is only my opinion. Hope it helps and you are less confused than you may have been.

Israel 2023

 

Well if you ever had doubts about Israel I guarantee that they have hatched into full blown panic attacks after the events in the Middle East this last month. Hamas invade Israel in a surprise attack to inflict death and mayhem in a well planned mission which on the face of it was very successful if the intention was to ram a stake into the bull’s flank.

Hamas was obviously hoping to draw a significant retaliation from Israel and to plunge them into a war with the rest of the Middle East. Israel rose to the bait and have killed in the vicinity of 10000 Gazan's displacing another 1.5 million. I do not think that either side are unaware of the consequences of their actions.

Hamas and Iran are completely aware that Israel would retaliate in the manner in which they have retaliated. Israel are aware that they can not go on delaying the war with Iran. Iran have made no bone of their ultimate goal to destroy the nation state of Israel and Turkey are keen to join the fray. The Jews have obviously decided it is time for war.

Interestingly they find themselves in a similar position to Vladimir Putin’s Russia. Backed against the wall and goaded until they have no choice but to attack the least significant adversary in the hope of warning their enemy they will fight if the have too. Russia against an old ally in Ukraine and Israel against an enclave that could be their own people in Gaza and Palestine. The outcomes of both wars will be united in the creation of World War III.

At some point the nations of the Soviet bloc that now seek admission to Europe will join with Ukraine and NATO in full scale war with Russia. Some forecast the United States are keen to enter into such a war in 2024. While the Israel war is in its infancy, if the Islamic States in the Middle East continue to be as incensed as they are at the present. It seems very likely that the region could be in a full scale war within months. I would say that it is likely that Israel will attempt to pre-empt an Iranian nuclear strike as soon as possible.

It is interesting that there is a prophecy in the Bible that describes a similar situation that has never been fulfilled to this day. Ezekiel 38: 1- 6 “The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshek and Tubal; prophesy against him and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against you, Gog, chief prince of Meshek and Tubal. I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws and bring you out with your whole army—your horses, your horsemen fully armed, and a great horde with large and small shields, all of them brandishing their swords. Persia, Cush and Put will be with them, all with shields and helmets, also Gomer with all its troops, and Beth Togarmah from the far north with all its troops—the many nations with you.”

Gog and Magog represent modern day Russia and Persia is of course modern day Iran. They will invade Israel and cover the land like an invading hoard. They Lord will set them against each other and in the confusion they will destroy themselves. It is interesting that there is a large scale invasion that might be this army that is described in the book of Revelation.

Revelation 9: 13-17 “Then the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” And the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released, so that they would kill a third of mankind. The number of the armies of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them. And this is how I saw in my vision the horses and those who sat on them: the riders had breastplates the colour of fire, of hyacinth, and of brimstone; and the heads of the horses are like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths came fire and smoke and brimstone

Admittedly this army is somewhat more supernatural than that described in Ezekiel 38 and seems to have a wider ranging remit than the army that invades Israel. But the mention of the Euphrates is significant in that that river has recently begun to dry up and so could be crossed from the North of Israel by a large armed force in the future. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzNADPlk0Gc

So, are we headed for world war and is this emerging war in Israel significant? I’ll leave the ultimate decision on that to Yahweh Elohim. It certainly bears watching and I would not be surprised if this is the entrance to the Last Days and the Great Tribulation described in Matthew 24. What do you think?

The Rapture in a Nutshell

 

1 Thessalonians 5:9 “For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

There are at least three scriptures and possibly four scriptures that can be cited to justify the concept of an event called The Rapture. The Rapture is an event which would see the Christians removed from the Earth before a period of judgement known as the Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:21).

As mentioned in the scripture reprinted above, the apostle Paul stated that God has not destined us for wrath for as is mentioned earlier in that passage, we are the Sons of Light and of day and we do not belong in the darkness. Hence it can be implied that the Church will not undergo the time of testing the occurs in the Great Tribulation or the wrath of God.

The second scripture is Matthew 24: 36-41 “But about that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so, will the coming of the Son of Man be. At that time there will be two men in the field; one will be taken, and one will be left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken, and one will be left.”

The event of the Rapture described in the scripture above seems to be different to the Second Coming of Jesus described in the book of Revelation. With this event no one knows when Jesus will come but with Revelation event, we know that Jesus returns directly at the end of the Tribulation period.

2 Thessalonians 2:7 “For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is removed.”

So, in our time we have only to listen to the rantings of Klaus Schwab to know that there is a great time of unrest about to descend on the World. One way or another, there is going to be a rapid depopulation of the Earth. According to Schwab it will be via whatever means necessary to save the planet and his elite will rule the Earth for generations to come in a utopian paradise of enlightened New Age folk. Unfortunately, Schwab hasn’t read the part of the book of Revelation which describes what happens to the followers of the Beast (Revelation 14:9-11).

Now prior to the beginning of the Great Tribulation the Holy Spirit or “He Who Now Restrains,” as he is called in the scripture above is removed. When he is removed the Church needs to be removed as well because otherwise the Christians would be left behind without the presence of the Holy Spirit. The Church therefore must be Raptured before the Great Tribulation or cease to be Christian. So, it stands to reason the Church will not see the wrath of God because the Holy Spirit is removed so that the Great Tribulation can occur.

Revelation 7:1-4 “After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth so that no wind would blow on the earth, or on the sea, or on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, holding the seal of the living God; and he called out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, “Do not harm the earth, or the sea, or the trees until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads.” And I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel.”

The final scripture that fits the puzzle that explains the Rapture. The 144000 from the Twelve Tribes of Israel who are sealed of God. They are the Jews who believe that Jesus Christ is the Messiah and their personal Saviour. They are the evangelists of the Great Tribulation and along with the Three Angels of Revelation chapter 14 they take the gospel to all the Earth.

The reason that they are from Israel and are entrusted with the purpose of proclaiming the gospel in the Tribulation time? Because the Church has been raptured. Those who deny the Rapture simply do not understand the consequences of it not coming to pass. It simply must happen to make the scriptures make sense.

Songs and Incantations

 

With the advent of Rock Music into the Western Democracies in the 1940’s and 1950’s. Christians were taken largely unawares that this music is sorcery. To those of us brought up in the era of the Beetles and The Rolling Stones we knew only the music was rhythmic, sensational, tuneful and as appealing to the ear as to the mind.

The dangerous aspect of this type of music is that it incites the mindless repetition of the verses. Many of its adherence do not actually know the words they are singing along with much less the import of those lyrics. These lyrics are runes or spells and when you sing along with them you cast them upon your self.

Hence the ability of the music to incite sexual emotions, as well as, violence and depression in those who sing them. Thus it follows that this music and the genres that follow along with it have laid waste to the morality of our Western Societies.

Hip Hop, Heavy Metal and Reggae have also been instrumental in this steep decline and de-Christianisation of the Western World. Our children are saturated with this kind of sorcery and the other types that are woven into the games that they play on their various devices. They are being sucked into witchcraft without realising it and are at the same time pulled away from Christianity.

Combine this with the Harry Potter Series which many Christians see nothing wrong with and you have created a highway to hell of the spiritual kind. As Christians we need to wake up and work to make as many people aware as we can of the terrible danger that this kind of sorcery represents. No Christian should meddle with any of this dark sorcery and we should be working to draw our fellow Christians and our children away from it.

I believe we should all be praying against this incredibly dangerous and toxic black magic and for our friends and children to be drawn toward Christ Jesus. Let us hope and pray that it is not too late. The day is late and Jesus is coming soon but will he find oil in our lamps?

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Cursing – Swearing and Speaking Evil into Someone Else's Life.

 

James 3:10 “From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.”

I teach at High School, and I have noticed that there are an increasing number of students who swear and curse constantly. Associated with this is the tendency for there to be an inability to control their emotions at the same time.

So, you have a youngster who swears incessantly and who also provokes other students to make comment about the profanity or to respond to the content of it. The result being that the swearing youngster loses their temper and literally curses at the person who responded to their terrible swearing.

What this amounts to is that people do not seem to realise that words have power. If you doubt this then consider the number of people who have committed suicide because of bullying through social media. Those who say “Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me” are really misapprehending the import of the situation. Words are powerful and can literally kill.

This is a short message so I will come to the point now. We need to teach our young people and, if necessary, our older people too, that when they curse and swear. That they are speaking evil into the lives of those around them. Their words have power, and they need to be careful what they speak out of their mouths. Far better to be kind to others and offer a kind word to someone else than to utter profanities.

1 Peter 3:10 “For Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit.”

The Election Consequences

I do tend to be quite cup half empty in my approach to matters of politics and bible prophecy. I have found it amazing how after the election here in New Zealand that many of the folks who voted for the new opposition party are not moving on.

In fact, they are holding a grudge against those who voted for the new government. I remember as a youngster that a similar situation was in evidence. The right wing of politics was the dominant discourse. The left tended to be the minority and most of the right-wing folks couldn’t relate to the thinking of the left wing and vice versa. When the 1969 Labour government came into power a lot of the folks on the right wing were distraught and were fearful for the immediate future.

I am seeing this now with those on the left wing of politics. It amazes me that we are seeing a time where there is such a divide between the left and right wings that there is very little in the center. The reason that this is a concern is that when the majority are in the center then the most at risk are relatively safe. A moderate majority tends to be reasonable and tolerant toward the poor and the secular minorities. When you get far left or far right majorities then you see groups begin to pursue their own agendas often at the expense of the minorities of the opposing wing.

The last time the dominoes began to fall toward the political extremities, like this, was in the decade before the Second World War. I don’t like to bring up cell phones and Covid again, but they do seem to be responsible for a considerable move in the political mood and general up-swell in the feeling of impatience and intolerance toward Christianity and conservative right-wing governments around the world now. Like a plan to promote unrest between the two wings which could result in the lead into the Third World War.

Particularly if you factor in the Ukraine War and the emerging war between Israel, Hamas, and the Arab Nations. A flash point could be approaching that may lead the world into a turbulent, high technology, nuclear exchange that will result in the death of billions. The kind of apocalyptic scenario described in the Bible and called the End Times or The Day of Jacob’s Trouble.

The devil and those who serve him have learned how to manipulate people over the last millennia. They have it down to fine art and digital devices combined with the news media, and social media, have refined that process even further. So that everyone is now able to be reached and controlled in a way that was not possible in the past and now even newer technology will make this even more efficient.

Biotech will enable nano chips to be inserted into the human brain and to connect to the cell tissues. This will make it possible for all of humanity to be online together with the danger that manipulation and control will take us to the brink of losing our individuality. In effect the creation of a hive mind like the Borg in the Star Trek series. Communism on steroids and the complete suppression of individuality in favour of the rational majority. Oh my, how I wonder if that has ever existed?

This could explain why many Christians speak of the Mark of the Beast being irreversible. Once you join with the Beast’s 666 system you are forever lost to God (Revelation 13). You couldn’t go back if you wanted to because you will not be able to want to. You would, having become connected to the beast network be totally possessed by that network. Of course, it is not inconceivable that the evil one could create a spiritual network that causes all men possessed of a demon to be linked together in a counterfeit to network that Christians become a part of when we are joined to God through the Holy Spirit. Certainly, food for thought.

Finally, I would return to the idea of the people now being gradually influenced to take up the ideas that our would-be spiritual rulers, who knowingly serve Satan, want us to believe. I think everyone needs to scrutinise their thoughts and derive if those thoughts are theirs or someone else’s? Do they really hate conservatives or are they being influenced by circumstances, events that they do not control or their smart phones and the algorithms of social media and artificial intelligence. Kind of adds a new dimension to the old Hill Street Blues adage of the 1980’s “Let’s be careful out there.” And watch what you’re thinking and saying you Christians.