In the nearly two millennia since the Holy Spirit was given to the Church at Pentecost, what have we learned from Him? “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” (James 1:17 KJV). Everything a Spirit filled Christian has ever accomplished has been a demonstration of His Spirit and the “power of Christ” (2Corinthians 12:9). Each part of the Body of Christ is necessary to think, say, and do what the other might or could not. “For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ” (1Corinthians 12:12). We are not complete without the other. “For God had provided something better for us, so that they would be made perfect together with us” (Hebrews 11:40 NET). LORD, complete the good work You began in us. Amen.
Author: Ken
Blessed Are The Poor
Rich people are not necessarily blessed, and poor people are blessed with more of a need to depend upon God. “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God” (Luke 6:20 NIV). I like to think of myself as “poor in spirit” (Matthew 5:3 KJV), but ‘rich’ and ‘poor’ are only terms of comparison, for the “poor always ye have with you” (John 12:8). Show me where prosperity is a tool or weapon in our Spiritual Warfare for the Kingdom of God, then I can become excited about prospering, for “no weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper” (Isaiah 54:17). Prosperity for (1) believing His prophets: “Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe His prophets, so shall ye prosper” (2Chronicles 20:20), (2) walking with God: “And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper” (Psalm 1:3 KJV), (3) praying for and loving Jerusalem: “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee” (Psalm 122:6), and (4) confidence in God’s words: “So shall My word be that goeth forth out of My mouth: it shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11). LORD, prosper Your servants that Your Kingdom would be increased and all would know our prosperity comes only from You to be used only for You. Return quickly, in Jesus’ name. Amen and amen.
Hastening or Hindering, Restraining or Unleashing
Hastening or hindering, the Almighty allows us much more than we imagine. Children can help parents accomplish their goals or get in the way. When we pray for the fulfillment of prophecy, we are hastening Christ’s Second Coming. “Looking for and hasting [literally, hastening] unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat” (2Peter 3:12 KJV). We may pray, “Thy kingdom come” (6:10) and promote His return. But, if we should discourage the faithful from seeking our Lord’s imminent appearing, then we are hindering the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. When Jesus promised, “Surely I come quickly” (Revelation 22:20), shouldn’t we hasten His return by praying, “Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (22:20)?
Restraining or unleashing, the LORD God seeks our comradeship in warfare. Allies can assist or delay final victory. Working with the Spirit of God, the godly, as the “salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13), represent the greatest restraining influence in the world against the adversary, his Antichrist, lawlessness, anarchy, malevolence, utter disregard for life, property, and the morals of others. Not simply the influence noticed by the world, e.g., anti-abortion, anti-pornography, pro-family, but the freedom, prosperity, and peace enjoyed by all, results from the peace the LORD grants to the righteous. “And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the LORD for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace” (Jeremiah 29:7). Though Abraham’s concern was for the welfare of “just Lot” (2Peter 2:7), his intercession provided the Judge of All the Earth (Genesis 18:25) the sanction or approval to unleash His judgment upon Sodom and Gomorrah, after Lot was removed.
By contrast, the Great Removal of the Church at the Pre-Tribulational Rapture represents the LORD determining He had sufficient sanction to remove the Restraining Influence — the Spirit Indwelt Saints — from the world. “7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he [Holy Spirit] who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. 8 Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming” (2Thessalonians 2:7-8 NASB). As an omnipresent influence, the Holy Spirit continues His function in the world, but the noticeable absence of the restraining influence of the raptured believers will be profound. The Almighty will be proceeding with His masterful end game in dealing with the earth.
LORD, You are sovereign in determining when You will return. We are humbled that You would seek our companionship, labor, and approval in what You choose to do. Grant to us an understanding heart that You may be even more greatly magnified, when You choose to rapture Your Church. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. Amen.
False Prophet: Mark of the Beast (Revelation 13:16)
The Mark of the Beast is a loyalty oath with survival benefits. Worship or die. Receive the mark or not survive. Death by beheading (Revelation 20:4) appears to be the execution. “And he [the False Prophet] causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads” (Revelation 13:16 KJV). Either you worship and live, or you refuse and die. You receive the mark and eat, or you refuse and die. “And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name” (Revelation 13:17). Antichrist purposely makes the choice obvious, for the devil knows his time is short. It is now easy to say; but, “Isn’t this the best example of sacrificing the eternal on the altar of the immediate?” May God give His martyrs the conviction and power to make the right choice! Speculation of the meaning of 6-6-6 is endless, but, since man was created on the sixth day, perhaps it means, “Antichrist is only a man-man-man?” “Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six” (13:18).
Why No Revival?
God is not to be blamed for the lack of revival in the churches. Reviving the same failed ideas does not require the moving of the Holy Spirit. Pulpit preaching seeking to inspire the congregation to recreate past ideas, only on a larger scale, and by getting out of our comfort zone, simply bewilders the hearers. Before the Holy Spirit will grant the miraculous, He requires a better comprehension of Him and what He is about to do. How does the Holy Spirit act? He moves upon us to cause us to obey Him without forcing us. “And I will put My spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep My judgments, and do them” (Ezekiel 36:27 KJV). What does the Holy Spirit expects of us? He is both given to those who obey Him, as well as to cause us to obey Him. “And we are His witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey Him” (Acts 5:32). Miracles will be wasted on the Church, if God’s people have not learned the fundamentals of Spirit inspired obedience. If we still have reservations about why we can’t obey, then that must be removed before God’s Spirit will act. “Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow Me” (Luke 18:22). LORD, we need revival in the Church, but we need to address the deficiencies in our understanding before we can receive the outpouring of Your Spirit. Grant to us the new wineskins of better understanding that we may have the appropriate vessel for the filling of Your Spirit. Transform Your Church. Even so, return quickly. In Jesus’ name, amen.
False Prophet: Worship the Image of the Beast (Revelation 13:15)
An image of the Antichrist will be made, brought to life, and worshipped by all earth dwellers, as demanded by the False Prophet. “And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed” (Revelation 13:15 KJV). No one can remain neutral about worshipping the “image of the beast” (13:25). Worship or die. Before the events of the Tribulation Week, one might proceed to the end of their natural life before a decision might be made. Now, “the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time” (12:12). Rationality is not the question. Do you value your present physical life more than your eternal life? Even the young in Christ can understand the choice. God can give His people the power to persevere a martyr’s death. “Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life” (2:10). LORD, You alone can make us faithful to bear a martyr’s death. Make us faithful and cause us to hang on, when we have no one else but You to grasp. Bless Your Name and all those, who hold fast to You. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
When I Say Duck
Do you drop your head to avoid being hit by a foul ball at a baseball park, or do you quickly look around to see a feathery bird swimming on the lake? How you interpret my words depends on your circumstances. How do we respond to the Almighty? Do we take Him at His word? Literal or figurative interpretation depends on context; but, shouldn’t we allow God the same benefit we give to anyone else of taking His words literally until shown otherwise? “And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left” (Isaiah 30:21 KJV). Genesis is a miracle, but it has literal days and poetic language. Interpret it as literal as you can until you can’t, but trust God’s account of His miraculous work. LORD, You are our Creator. May we magnify You for Your wonderful work. Cause us not to limit Your glory in our attempt to understand Your creation. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
Hope for the Prodigal
How often do you think about sons and daughters, who once enjoyed your close fellowship as disciples, but now bear little resemblance to Christ? Especially for you, Christ’s Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32) is meant for your encouragement. Christ had just reproved the “Pharisees and scribes” (15:2) for their hypocrisy of not rejoicing in the penitence of the “publicans and sinners” (15:1), when they would rejoice over the recovery of one lost sheep (15:4-7) or one lost coin (15:8-10). His story of the Prodigal Son reminds Christian parents that our Heavenly Father yearns to restore our hardened, impenitent children, but first they must be reduced “to be in want” (15:14) of their former provisioned circumstances, and be Spirit led to confess their need (15:17-18). Only then can the Holy Spirit “give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth” (2Timothy 2:25). The Father restores gladly, but the rest of the family needs to understand the Spirit filled significance of using the bounty of the Body of Christ to call Home the wayward. LORD, You are the Good Father watching for the return of our prodigal children. Your compassion is encouragement they will return. Make us to prosper to draw them home. Make it to be so. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
Gospel in the OT Genealogy of Genesis 5
To illustrate God’s good intentions towards humanity, even when most all were adamantly against Him, look at what God was saying through the Hebrew meanings of the genealogical names of the godly in Genesis 5. The following is an insight from Bible teacher, Chuck Missler (The Book of Genesis Handbook, Koinonia House, Inc., 2020, p. 153).
“Adam” signifies “Man (is)”
“Seth” signifies “Appointed”
“Enoch” signifies “Mortal”
“Kenan” signifies “Sorrow; (but)”
“Mahalalel” signifies “The Blessed God”
“Jared” signifies “shall come down”
“Enoch” signifies “Teaching (that)”
“Methuselah” signifies “His death shall bring”
“Lamech” signifies “The Despairing”
“Noah” signifies “Comfort, Rest”
Translated as a whole, the genealogy reads:
“Man is appointed mortal sorrow; but the blessed God shall come down teaching that His death shall bring the despairing comfort and rest.”
Isn’t that the Gospel? And, didn’t that ultimately result through Yahweh’s actions from the cataclysmic Flood judgment?
“Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:34 KJV).
Excerpt From:
Understanding Spiritual Warfare
Kenneth Fall
https://books.apple.com/us/book/understanding-spiritual-warfare/id6472605817
This material may be protected by copyright.
False Prophet: Directs the Worship of the Antichrist (Revelation 13:13)
Worship director for the Great World Leader is an esteemed role, except the Antichrist is that leader, who blasphemes Almighty God (Revelation 13:6), because he receives his power from the dragon (13:4). How does the world go so horribly wrong? Why does the LORD God allow this affront on such global display? “And he [the False Prophet] doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men” (Revelation 13:13 KJV). Toleration of the smallest wickedness in ourselves is the camel’s nose in the tent that brings down the house. “Abstain from all appearance of evil” (1Thessalonians 5:22). If we could not tolerate such sin in ourselves now, then would not such wholesale wickedness be condoned so easily later? “Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth” (James 3:5).
Yahweh is carefully teaching the world, directing our hearts back to Him. It has not been apparent to the Church that the Judge of All the Earth has been teaching His people, we must submit our case before the Courts of Heaven, before He can act. He will not unilaterally perform His will in judging the earth until He gets our agreement or sanction. He created us to walk in agreement with Him, not to function as an independent tool. “O our God, wilt Thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon Thee” (2Chronicles 20:12). When sanctioned by the Courts of Heaven, Jehovah will do what He did for Jehoshaphat and Judah. “And when Judah came toward the watch tower in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped” (20:24). The world will need to know the god of the World Leader and his Prophet is not the True God, and we, His people, call upon the LORD to judge the dragon, the Antichrist, and the False Prophet.
LORD, we know it is Your desire that all should repent and none should perish, but Your Spirit will not always strive with man. You alone know, when humanity’s iniquity is full. Save such as should be saved. Honor Your holiness, love, and perfection. Fulfill all righteousness. Use the devil, the Antichrist, and False Prophet, then judge them. Save Israel. Return quickly, in Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen and amen.
We Need A Miracle 
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