I have been reading this wonderful book on Lewis and Clark by John Bakeless. The first few chapters were a little boring—with a lot of background stuff. But once I got into the reading of the expedition it was quite good. I am thrilled with all their adventures. Every day they are faced with a new challenge. But they were prepared for most of it. They kind of knew what they would face with the Indians, the Missouri river, and the wild animals. So, they brought along many things to trade with the Indians; and they recruited a few expert hunters. They were always well fed with fresh meat—buffalo and deer, and other small animals.
I was so impressed with Lewis, with his knowledge of the wild—how he knew of all the natural berries and herbs to use for eating and health. Several times he used wild herbs and berries (choke cherries) to restore health to those who got sick.
I am about half-way through the book now. I just finished reading about how they encountered grizzly bears when they were in the area of present Montana. They were especially ferocious, and big—some up to 1,000 pounds. They commented that since the grizzlies had never experienced the loud and deadly rifle shots, they did not fear them. And their hides were so tuff that it took 5 or 6 shots to kill them.
I was amazed in my reading of the bravery of the men, how they continued on even after being chased by huge wounded bears for miles. And it was amazing, miraculous that no one was killed by the bears. In fact, in the entire expedition there was only one death; they were well prepared and very good survivors.
When I say “they,” there were more of them than I originally thought. It wasn’t just the two men. There were about 30 or 40 of them—most were soldiers in the army. And there were also a couple Indian squaws, including the famous Sacagawea who was the best interpreter, and also very helpful with many things.
Well, that’s all I will write today. I’m gonna do some more reading of this book and drink more coffee at my favorite hangout. Good day to you!
In this blog post we will take a look at the importune prayers of two holy men—Abraham and Moses.
Abraham’s prayer, from Genesis 18:22-33
Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, while Abraham was still standing before the Lord. 23 And Abraham came near and said, “Wilt Thou indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 “Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; wilt Thou indeed sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous who are in it? 25 “Far be it from Thee to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from Thee! Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?” 26 So the Lord said, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city…
1. He will come on a day that is dark and when the power of the heavens are shaking (Matt. 24:29).
2. Heaven opens (Rev. 19:11).
3. Suddenly, He appears in the sky and sitting on a white horse; and is coming on the clouds of heaven (Matt. 24:30; 26:64; Rev. 1:7; 19:11).
4. And the armies in heaven (the angels) and the holy ones (the redeemed) will be following Him on white horses (Rev. 19:14; Zech. 14:5-6).
5. Every eye will see Him (Matt. 24:30; Rev. 1:7).
6. All the tribes of the earth will mourn Matt. 24:30; Rev. 1:7).
7. Those who are of the house of David will mourn (Zach. 12:10).
I will write now on the last five events.
8. Jesus will fight for Israel and bring them to safety (Zech. 12:9-9; 14:3-4; Rev. 12:16).Because a remnant of Israel will choose to believe in Him, He will fight for them and bring them to safely. There are two groups of Jews that He will appear to and fight for. First, there are those who earlier fled into the wilderness. And when the Antichrist comes against them, he and his armies will easily be defeated (Rev. 12:16).
A second group will be those who are trapped in Jerusalem after the city is sieged. Jesus saves them by stepping down on the Mount of Olives, causing it to split in the middle, and produces a large valley from east to west. Hence, Jesus will give them this way to escape to safety.
9. Jesus will cast the beast and the false prophet into the lake of fire (Rev. 19:20).
10. Jesus goes out to judge (to kill) all unbelievers.According to Revelation 19:20-21, after He casts the beast and the false prophet into the lake of fire, He then goes to kill the rest with the sword. There are five different references on this point.
Revelation 19:15. “From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations…”
I like what John MacArthur says on this: “That the sword comes out of His mouth indicates that He wins the battle with the power of His word.”4
Revelation 19:15. “He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.”
This is a vivid picture of judgment. And notice that Jesus is the one who is stomping on the grapes in the great wine press of God.
Revelation 19:17-18, 21. Here an angel summons birds to come to the great supper of God. Many thousands of birds will come and feast on all the dead bodies lying on the battle field.
Revelation 14:14-19. Here is a picture of Christ along with certain angels harvesting the ungodly people of the world with a sharp sickle. The harvest is illustrated first by grain and then by grapes. In both cases the harvest is ripe for judgment and ready to be reaped.
Revelation 14:20. “The wine press was trodden outside the city, and blood came out of the wine press, up to the horses bridle, for a distance of two hundred miles.” John MacArthur comments:
God will determine that this bloodbath will occur outside Jerusalem, as if God wants to protect the city from the carnage all around. Zechariah 14:1-5 makes clear that Jerusalem will be attacked, but will not be destroyed in the end, but spared for the glory of the kingdom, and the believing remnant will be saved…5
11. A description of what happens to those who will go to war against Jerusalem (from Zechariah 14:12-15).From this passage we see three things that will happen to all people that go to war against Jerusalem. These things we may recognize as curses that were promised by God to Abraham in Genesis 12:3: “And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse.’
The first curse we see is a plague on all the people as well as their animals (vv. 12, 15): “…their flesh will rot while they stand on their feet, and their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongue will rot in their mouth.”
The second thing that will happen is this: “It will come about in that day that a great panic from the LORD will fall on them; and they will seize one another’s hand, and the hand of one will be lifted against the hand of another” (v. 13).
Thirdly, God will energize the Jews who remain in Jerusalem to fight; and they will capture the wealth of the surrounding nations (gold, silver and garments). I take it that this will happen right before they escape to safety through the valley (Zech. 14:4-5).
12. A description of the positive changes made after the Tribulation (Zech. 14:6-11).In these verses God reveals to us that there will be some differences in the earth and in the people—positive differences (We don’t know how wide spread these differences will be, whether it will be only to Israel, or to the entire world. It is my guess that we will see the differences mainly in Israel, but in some cases to the entire world.) Here are five things that will be different.
The lights (vv. 6-7). “In that day there will be no light, the luminaries will dwindle. For it will be a unique day which is known to the LORD, neither day nor night, but it will come about that at evening time there will be light.”
From these verses it seems that after the Tribulation the Lord will create something new for the earth (for all the earth)—which will endure throughout the millennial kingdom. Here we see that there will be a change in the light. It seems that out present light source, from the sun and moon, will be changed. According to Isaiah 60:19-20, we will see by the light of Christ’s glory; and only He knows the full extent of what it will be like (read Isa. 30:26).
The water (v. 8). “And in that day living waters will flow out of Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea and the other half toward the western sea; it will be in summer as well as in winter” (Read also Ezek. 47:1-2; Joel 3:18; Jn. 7:38; and Rev. 2 2 :1-2). It will be glorious to drink of the “living water” in that day. The source of it will be from the temple of God in Jerusalem. It will flow all over the land of Israel, and possibly also in all other lands of the world. There will be no more pollution and sickness caused by water. Instead, the water will bring health to all the fish of the sea and to all the plants and fruit trees for a healing. It will be wonderful.
One religion (v. 9). “And the LORD will be king over all the earth; in that day the LORD will be the only one, and His name the only one.” John MacArthur comments:
There will be only one religion in the entire world during the millennial reign of Christ. Ruling with a rod of iron, Christ will have done away with all false religions spawned by Satan. This will be the ultimate fulfillment of the Abrahamic Covenant providing a Jewish people, the nation of Israel, and the land given to Abraham; the Davidic Covenant which promised a king from the tribe of Judah and the line of David; and the New Covenant which held out the hope of spiritual redemption for Jew and Gentile. All of this will be fulfilled in and by the Lord Jesus Christ.6
The land (v. 10). “All of the land will be changed into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem; but Jerusalem will rise and remain on its site from Benjamin’s Gates far as the place of the First Gate to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king’s wine presses.”
The great earthquake (from the seventh bowl) will change not only the land of Israel, but all the earth’s land in preparation for the coming millennial kingdom (Rev. 16:20; Isa 40:4-5).
Security (v. 11). “People will live in it, and there will no longer be a curse, for Jerusalem will dwell in security.”
After the Tribulation is over, and because Jesus has come and is king over all the earth, all people will dwell in security.
4 John MacArthur, John MacArthur’s notes on Revelation 19:15.
Generally speaking importune prayer is persistent prayer and demanding prayer. Read these two biblical stories and then please check out my brief findings.
The healing of a Canaanite woman’s daughter—Matthew 15:21-28
Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.” 23 But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, “Send her away, for she cries out after us.” 24 But He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 25 Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, help me!” 26 But He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and…
U.K.’s Tony Blair says West is counting on China to ‘hold back Russia’
Former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair and Lord William Hague sat for a 14–minute interview on Wednesday, February 22, with the BBC that provides insight into the level of Western arrogance and hubris regarding Russia. Blair has always been a conduit for the globalist Luciferian cabal, so when he speaks we should listen. Luciferians always tell us their plans ahead of time, and yet so few conservatives pay them any heed.
They start off the interview by parroting the usual Western propaganda line of the moment, which is their fixation on ridding the world of Putin, whom they see as the last obstacle to them ushering in their utopian one-world technocratic superstate.
This superstate will transcend national sovereignty and be based on global digital IDs for everyone and replacing cash with central bank digital currencies — these are the two things that will allow for 24/7 surveillance and assessment, think social credit scores, of all citizens living within the system.
Who is spending what amount of money on what goods and services, where, and with whom are they spending it?
The tracking of all resources with designated carbon allotments for each global citizen.
Tracking the movement of global citizens throughout the system.
Even tracking what goes into the body of every global citizen.
Human beings are seen as just another asset or liability in the system, no different than widgets, machines, and raw materials.
This entire system — their utopia our dystopia — depends on Putin’s defeat.
Though it might seem that all the events of His return (twelve events) will take a good bit of time, I have an idea that it will take a very short time. Armageddon itself, from the gathering of the armies of the world (in the sixth seal), to the great earthquake, the fall of Babylon, and of Jerusalem (the seventh seal), I think will take up to a year. But I really don’t think that the events of His coming will take much more than three or four days.
So let us set it up. For some time before His coming (for many months) the armies of the world, and primarily the armies of the beast, have been battling against each other for power. And their main goal will be to capture and plunder Jerusalem. I am sure that seeing Christ will be the last thing on their minds; and His appearing will change everything.
We will take a look now at all the events of His return in chronological order as I see it.
The First Seven Chronological Events of Christ’s Return
1. He will come on a day that is dark and when the power of the heavens are shaking (Matt. 24:29). It will be at a time when there is little hope for the world and for Israel.
2. Heaven opens (Rev. 19:11). All at once there will be a parting of the dark clouds and the darkness, so that all the world will see Him and His glorious light.
3. Suddenly, He appears in the sky and sitting on a white horse; and is coming on the clouds of heaven (Matt. 24:30; 26:64; Rev. 1:7; 19:11).
4. And the armies in heaven (the angels) and the holy ones (the redeemed) will be following Him on white horses (Rev. 19:14; Zech. 14:5-6).
5. Every eye will see Him (Matt. 24:30; Rev. 1:7). Everyone in the world will see Him. How this is possible I don’t know. It will either be by some miracle or through the internet or TV cameras.
6. All the tribes of the earth will mourn Matt. 24:30; Rev. 1:7). All the tribes of the earth means every person on earth. Apparently, they will feel the guilt of their sins and fear of punishment, but they all will not genuinely repent of their sins. Some, I think, will even blaspheme God as they did previously because of the severity of the plagues (Rev. 16:21).
7. Those who are of the house of David will mourn (Zach. 12:10). This mourning is a genuine mourning of repentance, which is poured out by God as a gift to them. It will come to them because they will look to Jesus, the One whom they rejected and crucified; and they will be truly sorry. Zechariah 12:10-14 prophecies this mourning, which will result in their salvation.
“I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn. 11 “In that day there will be great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the plain of Megiddo. 12 “The land will mourn, every family by itself; the family of the house of David by itself and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself and their wives by themselves; 13 the family of the house of Levi by itself and their wives by themselves; the family of the Shimeites by itself and their wives by themselves; 14 all the families that remain, every family by itself and their wives by themselves.
True prayer is prayer with importunity. The word “importunity” is a King James word used in Luke 11:8. It is translatednow in most other versionsas “persistence,”however I think importunity is really a fuller and betterword.Well, here infive points, is what importune prayer means.
1. Importune prayer is prayer made in faith, which is continual and persistent, with a goal of receiving what we desire. This first definition is proved well in Luke 11:5-10 and in Luke 18:1-8; however, I like the stories in Matthew 15:21-28 and Luke 18:35-42 better, because the aspect of faith is included. In both stories (if you will read them for yourself), the Canaanite woman and the blind man cry out persistently and continually for mercy; and in both cases Jesus commends them for their faith, and He heals the woman’s daughter and the blind man.
Here we see that these characters, by their continual persistence…
In general terms, the purpose of Christ’s return is to judge the evil world and to set up His new kingdom. More specifically, I will lay it out in ten points—with Scripture references.
1. To fulfill the prophecies of His coming. Here are a few of those prophecies.
Acts 1:10-11
And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. 11 They also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.
Zechariah 14:4
In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south.
2 Thessalonians 1:7b-8
…when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, 8 dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
Matthew 24:30
“And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory.
Revelation 1:7
BEHOLD, HE IS COMING WITH THE CLOUDS, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen.
2. To destroy the Antichrist and Satan’s power (2 Thess. 2:8-9).
3. To judge all nations (Matt. 25:31-46).
4. To have the throne of David (Isa. 9:6-7; Lu. 1:32) and to sit on that throne (Matt. 25:31; Rev. 5:13).
5. To have a kingdom (Dan. 7:13-14).
6. To rule over His kingdom with His saints (Dan. 7:18; Rev. 5:10).
7. That the kingdom of the world would become His kingdom (Zech. 9:10; Rev. 11:15).
8. That all kingdoms would serve Him (Ps. 72:11; Isa. 49:6-7; Rev. 15:4).
9. That every knee would bow to Him (Isa. 45:23; Phil. 2:10).
10. That the entire covenant program with Israel would be fulfilled, and they would forever be blessed with physical and spiritual blessings (Gen. 12:2; 22:17).
Stephen Nielsen 