Bloomberg Editorial: “Bring On the Cashless Future”

And no one could buy or sell anything without that mark, which was either the name of the beast or the number representing his name. (Revelation 13:17)

Many bible-reading Christians realise that a cashless society a major step towards instalment of a ‘mark of the beast’ system throughout the globe.

However, what they may be unaware of is how rapidly the world is approaching this scenario.
Indeed recently, there have been numerous calls by experts and leaders for physical cash to be banned. As reported by financial website ZeroHedge, they include:

• Norway's Biggest Bank Demands Cash Ban
• Bank Of England Economist Calls For Cash Ban, Urges Negative Rates
• Citigroup's Gold "Expert" Demands A Cash Ban
• Leading German Keynesian Economist Calls For Cash Ban

Perhaps the most poignant sign of how close we are towards a cashless society is this recent editorial by Bloomberg, one of the world's most influential financial news media, entitled “Bring On the Cashless Future”:

Bring On the Cashless Future
Cash had a pretty good run for 4,000 years or so. These days, though, notes and coins increasingly seem declasse: They're dirty and dangerous, unwieldy and expensive, antiquated and so very analog.

Sensing this dissatisfaction, entrepreneurs have introduced hundreds of digital currencies in the past few years, of which bitcoin is only the most famous. Now governments want in: The People's Bank of China says it intends to issue a digital currency of its own. Central banks in Ecuador, the Philippines, the U.K. and Canada are mulling similar ideas. At least one company has sprung up to help them along.

Much depends on the details, of course. But this is a welcome trend. In theory, digital legal tender could combine the inventiveness of private virtual currencies with the stability of a government mint.

Most obviously, such a system would make moving money easier. Properly designed, a digital fiat currency could move seamlessly across otherwise incompatible payment networks, making transactions faster and cheaper. It would be of particular use to the poor, who could pay bills or accept payments online without need of a bank account, or make remittances without getting gouged.

For governments and their taxpayers, potential advantages abound. Issuing digital currency would be cheaper than printing bills and minting coins. It could improve statistical indicators, such as inflation and gross domestic product. Traceable transactions could help inhibit terrorist financing, money laundering, fraud, tax evasion and corruption.

The most far-reaching effect might be on monetary policy. For much of the past decade, central banks in the rich world have been hampered by what economists call the zero lower bound, or the inability to impose significantly negative interest rates. Persistent low demand and high unemployment may sometimes require interest rates to be pushed below zero -- but why keep money in a deposit whose value keeps shrinking when you can hold cash instead? With rates near zero, that conundrum has led policy makers to novel and unpredictable methods of stimulating the economy, such as large-scale bond-buying.

A digital legal tender could resolve this problem. Suppose the central bank charged the banks that deal with it a fee for accepting paper currency. In that way, it could set an exchange rate between electronic and paper money -- and by raising the fee, it would cause paper money to depreciate against the electronic standard. This would eliminate the incentive to hold cash rather than digital money, allowing the central bank to push the interest rate below zero and thereby boost consumption and investment. It would be a big step toward doing without cash altogether.

Digital legal tender isn't without risk. A policy that drives down the value of paper money would meet political resistance and -- to put it mildly -- would require some explaining. It could hold back private innovation in digital currencies. Security will be an abiding concern. Non-cash payments also tend to exacerbate the human propensity to overspend. And you don't have to be paranoid to worry about Big Brother tracking your financial life.

Governments must be alert to these problems -- because the key to getting people to adopt such a system is trust. A rule that a person's transaction history could be accessed only with a court order, for instance, might alleviate privacy concerns. Harmonizing international regulations could encourage companies to keep experimenting. And an effective campaign to explain the new tender would be indispensable.

If policy makers are wise and attend to all that, they just might convince the public of a surprising truth about cash: They're better off without it.

To contact the senior editor responsible for Bloomberg View’s editorials: David Shipley at davidshipley@bloomberg.net.

EM Bounds: Christians Are Obliged to Pray; Not Obliged to Grow Rich, Nor Make Money

Here's a timely reminder to Christian businessmen, from the late EM Bounds, concerning their true priorities. The text can be found in the book Reality of Prayer.

Prayer is God's business to which men can attend. Prayer is God's necessary business, which men only can do, and that men must do. Men who belong to God are obliged to pray. They are not obliged to grow rich, nor to make money. They are not obliged to have large success in business. These are incidental, occasional, merely nominal, as far as integrity to Heaven and loyalty to God are concerned. Material successes are immaterial to God. Men are neither better nor worse with those things or without them. They are not sources of reputation nor elements of character in the heavenly estimates. But to pray, to really pray, is the source of revenue, the basis of reputation, and the element of character in the estimation of God. Men are obliged to pray as they are obliged to be religious. Prayer is loyalty to God. Non-praying is to reject Christ and to abandon Heaven. A life of prayer is the only life which Heaven counts.

God is vitally concerned that men should pray. Men are bettered by prayer, and the world is bettered by praying. God does His best work for the world through prayer. God's greatest glory and man's highest good are secured by prayer. Prayer forms the godliest men and makes the godliest world.

Jesus Christ was always a busy man with His work, but never too busy to pray. The divinest of business filled His heart and filled His hands, consumed His time, exhausted His nerves. But with Him even God's work must not crowd out God's praying. Saving people from sin or suffering must not, even with Christ, be substituted for praying, nor abate in the least the time or the intensity of these holiest of seasons. He filled the day with working for God; He employed the night with praying to God. The day-working made the night-praying a necessity. The night-praying sanctified and made successful the day-working. Too busy to pray gives religion Christian burial, it is true, but kills it nevertheless.

Generational Sin Gets Passed on Through Epigenetics

Christian author Retah McPherson shared her insights recently on how generational sin gets passed on through epigenetics:

...Epigenetics means –‘whatever you hold on to, you pass on’. Or as the text books explain it - epigenetic memories are passed through generations from the sperm and egg transmitting memories of gene repression to the embryo.  Body, soul, and spirit memory will be paid out in a memory tag on your children or grandchildren’s genes in a form of a marker filled with memories. It is called the epigenetic marker on your genes. Even what you eat, your stress, nutrition, environment, the choices that we make, the situations we find ourselves in, the lies, the secrets, the trauma, PTS, your emotions such as hate and bitterness, the difficulties you face, abuse, even SRA abuse are passed on – will be biologically payed out to our children, and even to future generations. Even the demons that we accumulate, the generational spirits and every soul that latches onto us because of sexual sin will be passed on.
This is one big messy payout!

These markers are passive until one day when something happens and shock, trauma or even small things like environmental change activate the markers - switching it on like a light. The child will become just like Grandma or Grandpa or even just like you! The familiar spirits, dead human spirits and demons all live in the markers that first operate in the spirit and we only see the fruit in the flesh. They take over the steering wheel of you and/or your children’s lives. You can no longer think straight because you are blinded by the markers that now control and direct your life. The marker is like an octopus on your brain. It squeezes the life out of you. People will find themselves struggling to concentrate and many mind diseases and anxiety or depression will follow.  It has tentacles and those tentacles feed your senses with the poison that you carry of the marker in the wound of your heart. Because of the marker on you (the curse) you have been wounded in some form or another. Grandpa killed someone, the marker is passed on and you were nearly killed in an accident and after that you are fighting for your life just to survive. You find yourself once drinking too much and a person was killed – ‘payback time’, says the marker.

I struggled for years to get rid of the spirit of death that fought Aldo so much. Until I understood that one marker on us is the marker of death, the marker of harming us and of course it carries the spirit of death!  The Word of YHVH says – what you sow you shall reap – if it is not you then your generations to come. For example your forefathers stole from someone and you find that people keep on stealing from you. Or grandma cheated on grandpa and now you find yourself cheating all the time.  You started to do drugs, just like your forefathers, or drink, or lie, or steal, or cheat, or poverty, stress, depression, diabetes, asthma, mental illness, or are angry, resentful or even sleep with your boyfriend at just the same age as your mom and grandma did? Bowing to Baal, trusting not on God but your own insight, being involved in the occult, Freemasonry – it all pays out later. It is like steroids, you think you gain while you use it, but some day it is payback time. Involvement with the occult and Freemasonry always pays out in the mind.

The markers are filled with time bombs because of the sin defiling time and land, and this too pays out. You were abused, rejected, are accident prone, filled with lust and much more – and this you will pass on to your generations if you don’t remove the epigenetic marker (curse) and don’t get out of that wound and get healed. The maggots feast on the wound and their plan is to keep you in the wound and harden your heart so that you increasingly start doing that which you don’t want to do. They feed your senses and you get driven by those emotions, lusts, hate and the result is living a double life.  The epigenetic marker filled with generational demons wants to kill, steal and destroy your destiny and identity. The darkness within seals your vision and your life becomes like Lazarus in the tomb. The plan is to keep you in the wilderness (far from the presence of YHVH) just like your forefathers, so that you can die there and never taste the Promised Land (being one with YHVH). 

However, according to Retah McPherson, the blood of Jesus Christ can "reset the format of these genes after we came to Him with a repented heart". To find out more, please read her full article:  http://www.retahmcpherson.com/tabid/116/Default.aspx

Zika Virus Patented by Rockefeller Foundation? Is There a Vaccine Out There?

According to Christopher Everard, the Zika virus is patented by the Rockefeller Foundation. He is unaware if there is already a vaccine developed.

According to ZeroHedge, the epicentre of the Zika outbreak is in the same area where genetically-modified mosquitoes were released In 2015. Coincidence?

Does Fluoride in Drinking Water Cause Cancer?

According to the PUB, "fluoridation is a requirement by the Ministry of Health and has been a practice since 1957. It helps in the prevention of dental caries."

However, according to the late biochemist Dean Burk, fluoride in drinking water may also be harmful.

"Apostle" David Taylor --Unsettling Revelations of His Private Life

"Apostle" David E. Taylor is the founder of Joshua Media Ministries International (JMMI). He is also author of the book “Face-to-face Appearances from Jesus: The Ultimate Intimacy”, and with a book title as extraodinary as this, it leave one the impression that this man walks closely with God.

However, some rather unsettling details of his private life has emerged, specifically, of how he uses ministry money to live in an expensive home, and his “need” for expensive clothes.

For more information, visit: http://apostledavidtaylor.com/

A Prophetic Exparable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins

In a recent blog, Kevin Mirasi, a prophet, revealed what the Lord is showing him concerning the parable of the wise and foolish virgins (Matthew 25:1-13).

1-They both took their Lamps and went out to meet the Bridegroom:

-Meaning that they both desired to worship and to serve The LORD, as they heard the message of the coming of The Messiah (The LORD Jesus Christ). They thus even attended Church services and fellowships, including even Bible Studies.

2-The Foolish Ones Took Lamps but no Oil, while the wise Ones took Lamps as well as Oil:

-Meaning that the foolish ones heard the message but they were superfluously excited and so did receive the message shallowly and so it quickly “evaporated”. The devil actually came and took it away from them.

The Wise ones heard the message and received it deeply i.e. they opened their hearts and allowed the message to sink very deep within them and to be firmly rooted within them. The wise ones thus yielded to and allowed The Holy Spirit to sanctify them and to firm them up. The Foolish ones on the other hand resisted The Holy Spirit and they relied on their own human wisdom, human doctrines and Self-Righteousness.

3-The Wise ones had vessels while the foolish ones did not even have vessels:

-Meaning that the wise ones allowed The LORD to Purify them, Refine them, Wash them, Cleanse them and Sanctify them so that they became Vessels of Honour; worthy and acceptable before The LORD and Ready to be used by The LORD for the Glory and Honour of His Mighty Name..

4-Both of them Slumbered and Slept as they both felt that The Bridegroom Delayed:

-Meaning that they both grew weary of waiting for the coming of The Messiah.
-Both of them were eventually awakened from their very deep midnight sleep (slumber).

5-At Midnight a Cry was Heard:

-Meaning that very late in the night (when already the birth pains and the distresses of the hour) had heavily taken its toll on the darkening earth, and evil and wickedness had increased tremendously on the earth, The LORD sent forth His Servants to proclaim the imminent arrival of The Messiah and the need to Prepare The Way in earnest for the Coming of The Messiah.

These were very bold Servants of The LORD whose Primary proclamation was: “Prepare Yee The Way of The LORD, and make Straight Path for The LORD!!!”

Normally at night, the sound is very clear, very loud and travels longer distance. Meaning that the Shouts (Cry/Proclamation) covers far and wide and all corners of the earth. Literally everywhere then hears this “Final” proclamations, because it was made at "midnight." Many people are normally very deep asleep at midnight, and only a shout or a Cry can wake them up from their very deep sleep (slumber) at midnight. So both the Wise Ones and the Foolish Ones were thus very deep asleep at midnight as well, and only a Great Spiritual awakening could wake them up from their very deep slumber.

6-Both of them Arose and Trimmed their Lamps:

-Meaning that both of them heard the proclamation by the Servants of The LORD about the imminent arrival of The LORD and so the need of Preparing The Way for The Coming of The LORD and making Straight the Path of The LORD.

It is very important to note that The Wise Ones (Virgins) awakened and Prepared in earnest for the coming of The LORD by making Straight path for Him. The Foolish ones awoke as well but did not Prepare the way for the coming of The LORD.

7-The Lamp of the Foolish Ones Was Going Out, while the Lamp of the Wise Ones was Shinning Very Bright:

-Meaning that the form of worship by the Foolish Ones was defiled and laced with the lusts of the flesh, and the garment they put on was soiled, darkened and full of spots and wrinkles.

They had veered off the Road of Purity, Faithfulness and Humility before The LORD and so had allowed Impurity (The Worldly lifestyles) and Pride to enter them.

That same Worldly lifestyle and a compromised way of life that they had been so much used to is the one the wise ones teased them into; because essentially they had chose to serve the world.
“Choose Yee whom you will serve, but for us we will serve The LORD!!!”

The Wise Ones had embraced Repentance for the forgiveness of their sins and thereby walking in Righteousness, Holiness, Truth and Complete Surrender to The LORD Jesus Christ.

8-The Foolish Ones went to Buy Oil for their Lamps that were Going Out:

-The Foolish ones in their foolishness confirmed their foolishness status and stature because they unbelievably actually went to the World to get the oil for their Lamps. They were essentially attempting to buy their way into the Kingdom of The LORD God Almighty in Heaven, as they had been so used to the Corruption, False Miracles and Prosperity gospel to the extent that they now believed that they could bribe their way to Heaven.

9-The Bridegroom Came and Found the Wise Ones Ready, while the Foolish Ones were nowhere to be found:

-The wise ones were Ready as their Garment was Bright, White and Spotless having submitted themselves before The LORD for Purification, Cleansing, Washing, Refining and Sanctification through the Blood, The Holy Fire and the anointing of The Holy Spirit.

“Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.)

10-Those who were Ready went in with the Bridegroom to the Wedding and the Door was Shut:

-Meaning that the Bridegroom took the wise ones to the Wedding Supper of The Lamb and shut the door, as it was now “Invited -Guests Only”, “Private Members Only” Grand Ceremony, hence no room for intruders, trouble-makers and non-invited guests.

SHALOM!!! SHALOM!!! SHALOM!!!

Are you a Wise One (Virgin) or a Foolish One (Virgin)? Let Us make every effort through the Help of The Holy Spirit (The Oil for the Lamp) so that we be Watchful and be Ready for the Coming of The Messiah Jesus Christ to take to Heaven His Faithful Sons and Daughters (The Bride of Christ/The Invited Guests). This is the hour of Spiritual awakening; may we yield to the awakening of The Holy Spirit and Prepare the way for the coming of The LORD.

PREPARE THE WAY FOR THE COMING OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST IN ABSOLUTE REPENTANCE, RIGHTEOUSNESS, HOLINESS, TRUTH AND COMPLETE SURRENDER TO THE LORD JESUS CHRIST (YESHUA/YAHUSHUA HA MASHIACH). TIME IS ABSOLUTELY OVER; THE MESSIAH JESUS CHRIST IS IMMINENTLY COMING TO PICK HIS BRIDE!!!

REPENTANCE PRAYER:

Precious Jesus,
I acknowledge today that you are LORD and savior of all mankind,
and today I have recognized my shortfall,
I repent and turn away from all sin.
Please cover me with your precious blood,
and establish your word in my life,
that I may be found in righteousness and holiness
and write my name in your book of life
and baptize me with the power of the Holy Spirit
in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.
AMEN.

Dealing With Sinful Thought Patterns and Bondages Passed On By Ancestors

The bible alludes to us that the iniquity of one’s ancestors can be passed on from generation to generation (Exodus 34:7 and Numbers 14:18), and some of you who are reading this right now may be acutely aware of this, because you are struggling with the same sinful thought patterns and bondages that your parents or your ancestors had once yielded to in the past. This is in spite of the fact that you may already be "saved", or indeed, have been "saved" for many years.

That said, the following powerful presentations by Christian author Retah McPherson may help you break free from these inherited bondages.

May the Lord bless you and may He pour out His grace mightily on you and set you free as you watch these videos!

Parable of the King Who Lost His Finger (Story with a Moral): God is Good, Even When Bad Things Happen to Us

A king had a male servant who, under all circumstances always said to him: "My king, do not be discouraged because everything God does is perfect, and He makes no mistakes."

One day, they went hunting and a wild animal attacked the king. The servant managed to kill the animal but couldn't prevent his majesty from losing a finger.

Furious and without showing any gratitude, the king said; "If God was good, I would not have been attacked and lose one finger".

The servant replied: "Despite all these things, I can only tell you that God is good and everything He does is perfect; He is never wrong."

Outraged by the response, the king ordered that the servant be imprisoned.

Later, the king left for another hunt and was captured by savages who used human
beings as sacrifice.

On the altar, the savages discovered that the king did not have one finger in place,
and released him because they considered him to "incomplete" to be offered to their gods.

On returning to his palace, the king authorised the release of his servant and told his servant: "My friend, God was really good to me. I was almost killed but for lack of a single finger, I was let go."

"However, I have a question," the king added. "If God is so good, why did He allow me to put you in prison?"

The servant wisely replied: "My king, if I had gone with you, I would have been sacrificed because I have no missing finger."

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. (1 Thessalonians 5:18. KJV)

Are You Thinking of Suicide? Please Watch This Video First

Deeply tormented by rejection, emotional anguish and despair, 16-year-old Tamara Laroux decided to commit suicide in September 1985 by shooting herself.

She was successful, but when her soul left her body, she discovered the reality of the afterlife, and of how suicide was not a way of escape from her anguish and despair, but only worsened it...

After watching this video, you might wonder why did Laroux end up in hell after attempting suicide?
Laroux wrote a book entitled, Delivered, and in it, she explains:

I wasn’t in Hell just because of my attempted suicide: I was there because Jesus was not Lord of my life. The way you die is not important but it’s the condition that your soul is in when you die that matters. Granted, if I had known Jesus before this happened, I wouldn’t have even considered suicide.

I know there have been many people who have committed suicide and claimed to know Jesus. I can’t speak for them or where they are for eternity – only God knows and He is a just judge. Yet, I do know there is a difference between just knowing that Jesus exists and is real versus really taking the extra step to make Him Lord over their lives.

Please, I beg you to listen to this warning! Hell is real and I experienced it. Every second you delay in bowing down before Almighty God is one you can’t afford to waste. You aren’t guaranteed another second in this life because God owes you nothing, yet you owe Him everything. Jesus paid a debt He did not owe and we owe a debt we cannot pay.

Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess Jesus as Lord. The question is this: Will you do it now and live your life serving Him, or will you be stubborn believing you know what’s best for your own life and have plenty of time to do it later? If “later” is in your heart, then you might end up confessing with great sorrow. If “later” never comes, then there won’t be any way for you to turn back and change the eternal decision you have made once this life is over. Self-righteousness will destroy your soul, so I urge you to search your heart, repent of your sins and confess Jesus as Lord now. Live your life for Him or you will end up where I was experiencing torment that knows no end.

Testimony of Ex-MediaCorp Celebrity Jacelyn Tay 郑秀珍

Jacelyn Tay was an unbeliever when she decided to challenge a pastor from Kampong Kapor Methodist Church on his Christian beliefs.

The pastor was the father of a chiropractor whom she had been receiving treatment from, who welcomed her to speak to his father after Sunday church services.

So, Tay attended the church service on 19 February 2006, sitting at back of the church, armed with a defiant attitude and looking forward for the service to end so that she could question the pastor.

She was, however, casually flipping through a bible that had been placed on the pew in front of her, when she chanced upon the twelfth chapter of the book of Revelation.

What she read shocked her, as it fitted to a tee recurring vivid dreams she had had three years earlier.

Eventually, instead of challenging the pastor on his beliefs, she ended up walking towards the altar to commit her life to Jesus Christ.

For Tay's complete testimony, please watch the Youtube box below.

Former Ultra-Feminist Quits and Now Warns People About the Movement; Apologises to Christians

Sara Fernanda Giromini, a Brazilian who under the alias “Sara Winter” became the founding member of Femen Brazil in 2012, has quit feminism and has declared “war” on the movement, together with abortion.

In addition, she has apologised to Christians for her previous offensive behavior.

According to LifeSiteNews, Giromini’s changing attitudes were first revealed in October last year, when she expressed her repentance for an abortion that took the life of her first child, and acknowledged that the recent birth of her second child had changed her attitudes regarding the right to life.

“I have repented of having had an abortion and today I ask for forgiveness,” wrote Giromini, in a book that she recently published.

“Yesterday marked one month after the birth of my baby and my life has taken on a new meaning. I’m writing this while he sleeps serenely on my lap. It is the greatest sensation in the world.”

“Please, women who are desperate to abort, think carefully about it. I was very sorry I did it. I don’t want the same for you,” she added.

In the months that have followed, Giromini has revealed to her readership her disillusionment with feminism and gender ideology, and has repudiated her “bisexual” orientation.

She has also expressed remorse for having offended Christians in January of 2014, when she engaged in a well publicized same-sex kiss with another semi-nude girl with a cross in the background.

Although she left Femen in 2013 after denouncing it as a “business,” she had continued her bare-chested protests as the leader of a new feminist group comprised of both men and women. She has now made it clear that she regards herself as having no affiliation with feminism at all, repudiating the movement as a religious “sect” that uses women as objects, promotes lesbianism, and covers up pedophilia in its ranks.

“For the feminist sect women are not the inspiration, they are prime matter in the worst sense of the term. They are convenient objects useful for the purpose of inflaming hatred against the Christian religion, hatred against men, hatred against the beauty of women, hatred against the equilibrium of families. That’s what feminism is, and I can guarantee it is like that because I was on the inside!”

“I saw the feminist movement cover up for PEDOPHILES,” writes Giromini. “I saw the feminist movement PERSECUTE WOMEN ... I am a witness to the fact that today in the feminist movement women are not of any importance but serve as fuel for the fires of hatred that the feminist sect cannot allow to die.”

Giromini says that she felt pressured by the feminist movement to declare herself “bisexual” so that she could receive maximum respect. “Lesbian and bisexual women have much more voice and respect within the movement, so in the search for recognition of my struggle, with each day that passed, I deconstructed my heterosexuality and was substituting it with an artificial bisexuality.” Upon leaving feminism, Giromini ceased to regard herself as a “bisexual” and has also rejected gender ideology, a sine qua non of social acceptance in the feminist movement.

In her new book, Giromini writes that she was repeatedly pushed to do drugs, to engage in sex with strangers, and was even molested by a lesbian, all at the hands of feminists who claimed to be fighting for women’s equality. She also recounts that when she once confided in a feminist academic that she was involved in prostitution while still a teen, she was devastated to find that the woman affirmed her behavior and did nothing to offer her a way out.

She notes that one of the few times she received affection, kindness, and understanding from a female friend, it was from an older, conservative “anti-feminist,” who treated her like a daughter.

According to Giromini, she is making progress in her own spiritual life, although the exact nature of her current beliefs remains unclear.

“I left that movement of which for four years I was one of the principal symbols in Brazil, and no one can say the contrary!” writes Giromini.

“The result? Today I’m much happier and I’m able to help women more.”

 Above:  Photo of Sara Fernanda Giromini (Source: LifeSiteNews)

Sin Can Cause Sickness in Christians

James 5:16 (NIV) alludes to the possibility that sin can cause sickness in believers:

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. (emphasis mine)

That said, if a believer is sick, and if he discerns that his sickness is due to sin, he should consider making an appointment with an elder of his church, and confessing his sin to the elder, and having the elder pray for him and anointing him (that is, the sick believer) with oil (James 5:14-15, NIV):

¹⁴ Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵ And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.

Hidden Types of Sin in a Christian’s Life

The bible (1 John 1:9) advocates that all believers should make it a practice of confessing their sins to the Father, for “if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness”.

However, how can believers confess their sins if they are not conscious of them in the first place?

Based on the experience of the late Chinese church leader Watchman Nee and his meditations of the scripture, there are by and large eight types of sin that a Christian may possess. These are detailed in the book The Overcoming Life:

1. Spiritual Sins
Pride is a spiritual sin. Jealousy is a spiritual sin. Unbelief is a spiritual sin. Picking out others' mistakes is a spiritual sin. Lack of prayer is a spiritual sin. Doubting God is a spiritual sin, and failure to commit ourselves to God is also a spiritual sin. There are some who are victorious in spiritual matters, but there are more who are defeated in these matters.

I once was beset by pride. Any kind of pride is a spiritual sin. Any kind of pride that hinders you from going on is a spiritual sin. A proud person cannot stand to see others being better than himself. He cannot bear to see others being more advanced in worldly affairs, and he cannot bear others being more advanced in spiritual matters. If there is anyone who is more advanced spiritually, he will do anything to find his faults and put him down. Jealousy is a sin in our spiritual life as well as in the Lord's work.

Some are filled with an evil heart of unbelief. If you ask whether or not they believe, they will answer that there is not one word or sentence in God's Word that they do not believe. But if you ask whether or not they trust in God's promises, they will admit that they are unable. As soon as they suffer a little trial, they panic beyond measure. They cannot trust in God's Word at all. Martin Luther's wife once put on a funeral dress and told him that he was in such distress that it seemed as if his God had died.

Many people do not have a proper living or fellowship with Him. Day by day, they live in a loose way. They spend their days without praying or reading the Bible. They spend their days without seeing God's face or fellowshipping with Him. They even spend their days dreading the thought of fellowshipping with the Lord. This is a life of godlessness. We have sinned, we have failed, and we have not lived a spiritual life. Many of us have never been diligent to learn the proper lessons of dealing with the self. Many of us have never been diligent to learn the proper lessons of putting the self aside.

Once there were two brothers who were not on good terms with each other because of a very small matter. They ate meals together, taking their servings from the same plate. One always selected the few choice meats from the plate for himself. When the other saw this, he kept quiet for several days.After two weeks, he could bear this behavior no longer, and he separated himself from the other brother. The kind of person you are is manifested in the small things you do. I love to read the biography of Mr. Hudson Taylor. When he traveled in his preaching itinerary, he almost always chose the worst room and the worst bed. Although these are small things, the way in which a person deals with them shows whether or not he lives before God.

2. Sins of the Flesh
Not only are there spiritual sins. There are also sins of the flesh. Adultery is a sin of the flesh, undisciplined eyes are a sin of the flesh, and improper relationships with others are also a sin of the flesh. Many have failed in these things. Many have sinned with their eyes because their eyes have not been disciplined. Many are improper in their relationship with friends. These are sins of the flesh. They are sins in one's conduct. Some sins have nothing to do with the body. Other sins are related to the body.

Brothers and sisters, have your eyes been dealt with? I admit that today there are plenty of opportunities for the eyes to sin. You have to deal with this matter before the Lord. There are many Christians who will never experience God's overcoming life unless their eyes are dealt with by the Lord.

Friendship is another thing that we have to watch carefully. A brother may build up an extraordinary friendship with an unbeliever. According to the world, this is not sin. But according to God's ordained life for a Christian, this extraordinary friendship is a sin.

This is true also with the sisters. A Western missionary once said that some unbelievers tried to develop extraordinary friendships with him. When he realized that it was a sin, he rejected the friendships.

3. Sins of the Mind
Not only are there spiritual sins and sins of the flesh. There are sins of the mind as well. Many do not have spiritual sins. To an extent, they have been dealt with in their flesh. But they cannot overcome their thoughts. Some have wandering thoughts. Others have circumventing thoughts.

Some have unstable thoughts. Some thoughts are not wandering, circumventing, or unstable, but they are unclean or illusionary. Some are filled with doubts. Others are obsessed with a drive for knowledge. They want to know everything, and they will not stop until they do. Those who have these kinds of thoughts have not experienced the overcoming life. We should not think that there is nothing wrong with us. Few are actually victorious over their thoughts. Many have wandering, unstable, and drifting thoughts. Having drifting thoughts is serious, but having unclean thoughts is even worse. Some have unclean thoughts that tenaciously linger over them. I once met a sister who confessed that her thoughts were always wandering. I met another Christian who confessed that his thoughts were always unclean. This shows that we are not living out the life of God. We have to deal with all these matters.

Imaginations have damaged many Christians. Doubts have also damaged many Christians. For example, when we meet a brother on the street and he is not very friendly, we may think that he is angry with us or that he thinks unfavorably of us. But when we arrive home, we may learn that his unfriendly attitude was related to the fact that he did not sleep well the night before, that he had a headache, or that he was going through some terrible experience. We thought that it was a problem related to ourselves, but actually there was nothing wrong with us. Our imaginations often hurt us, yet we often think that we can discern the hearts of others. We must realize that only the Lord can search "the inward parts and the hearts" (Rev. 2:23). Many imagine that others are one way or another. We have sinned in our thoughts. We have made too many judgments. We have too many illusions. Brothers and sisters, we must come to the Lord and deal with these things. If our thoughts are not dealt with, we cannot enter into a life of victory in God.

There is a brother who has an obsession for knowledge. He has to know the reason for everything. He analyzes everything and wants to know everything. His mind is very active. He does not trust in God, yet he wants to know about every single thing around him. Brothers and sisters, this kind of drive for knowledge is also a sin. We must deal with this as well.

4. Sins in the Body
There are some sins that are related to the body. They may not necessarily be unclean things. Humanly speaking, they may not be big things. But to a Christian, these are sins. Some pay too much attention to eating. Others pay too much attention to sleeping. Some pay too much attention to health or to personal grooming. Some are bound by the habit of indulging in snacks. Some love their bodies too much. All of these are sins before the Lord.

Many Christians are bound by eating. They have never fasted as a Christian. It is possible to know the kind of person they are from the way they eat. The minute they pick up their chopsticks, others know the kind of person they are. A brother said, "I have a large appetite. My appetite is extraordinarily large." Brothers and sisters, overindulgence in eating is also a sin. Those who cannot control themselves in the matter of eating are committing a sin.

Some have a terrible look on their face when they only lose a little sleep. They become impatient in handling things and talk incoherently. This also is a sin.

Some indulge in eating snacks. They spend a great deal of money on snack food. Others pay too much attention to their personal grooming. They always insist on good clothes. There are also some who are obsessed with health. Everything has to be just right for them. They consider this or that to be poisonous or bad for the body. They are confined and threatened by everything. Brothers and sisters, these are examples of being obsessed with our bodies. Too many people love their own body too much. They cannot suffer at all, and they cannot bear to even approach those who are sick.

They are bound by their body. Paul said, "I buffet my body and make it my slave" (1 Cor. 9:27). He put his body under his subjection. Failing to put one's body under one's subjection is a sin. The body should be put under our subjection. Many have sacrificed their prayer in the morning for sleep.

Many have sacrificed their time in the Word for food. Many are unable to serve the Lord because they pay too much attention to snack foods and outward appearance. Any negligence in bridling ourselves in these areas is a sin.

5. Sins in Disposition
Disposition is related to man's character. It is his personal traits. Every person is born with a certain disposition. The Lord has not come to deliver us from sin only, but also from our disposition.

Some are born stubborn. Others are born very legalistic. For them, two plus two must be four. They are very proper, but at the same time, they are very rigid. What they regard as right is right, and what they regard as wrong is wrong. They are very unbending. Wherever they are and whatever they do, they are always the supreme judge. There is no doubt that they are often very righteous, but their righteousness has horns. They lack gentleness and sweetness toward the brothers. Their righteousness is hard and unbending. Brothers and sisters, this also is sin.

Others are too weak. They are afraid of bearing any responsibility. Everything is acceptable to them.

They are exactly the opposite of the stubborn ones just mentioned. Some are misled to think that a nice man is a holy man. But how many nice men has God used? Was the Son of God a nice man on earth? Brothers and sisters, this kind of disposition is also a sin and needs to be dealt with.

Some are not too hard and not too nice, but they like to exhibit themselves. Wherever they are, they want to be noticed. Wherever they go, they always want to speak. Even when they do not have the opportunity to do anything, they still want to walk around and greet everyone. Wherever they are, they are not satisfied until they let everyone else notice their presence. They make their presence conspicuous no matter where they go, and they can never be quiet.

Some brothers are very withdrawn. Wherever they go, they do not like to exhibit themselves. They always sit in a corner. This is also sin, and it should be dealt with.
Some brothers are very quick. Others are very slow. One brother said once, "Praise God! I have a quick disposition. I lose my temper quickly and I forget about it just as quickly. I can explode with a big temper in the morning, but in five minutes it is over. When I go to work I have forgotten about it." However, his wife and children suffer for the whole day. When he comes back from work, his wife is still suffering. This is very strange to him. He even considers himself to be very good! This is a sin, and it needs to be dealt with also.

Some are slow in everything. A matter can go unattended for a day or for ten days. This is laziness. This disposition also needs to be dealt with.

Every person has his own peculiarity. Although some are saved, they are very severe towards others; they antagonize situations. Everything is important to them. They never take advantage of others, but they never allow others to take advantage of them either. They never hurt others, but if others hurt them, they will take an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. They are very calculating and never let anything go.

Some are not severe to others. But they are very mean. They take advantage of others even when it is only a matter of a few pennies. They do not rob others, but they take advantage even of their servants or chauffeurs.

Some are very talkative. Wherever they go, there is never a dull moment. They gossip about this family and criticize that family. Some are glib about the truths. Whatever they know, they have to speak to others about them. Some like to speak words of exaggeration. They are not lying, but whatever they say, they exaggerate. All these dispositions have to do with our speaking. If we desire to overcome and live an overcoming life, we have to deal with all these things. If we are unable to rid ourselves of these things, we need to overcome.

I have to talk about these matters because the daily walk of Christians today is far from being godly.

Some brothers can only see the faults of others; they cannot appreciate the virtues of others. Only words of criticism come forth from their mouths. One time a brother from northern China had a breakthrough in overcoming. Formerly, he could never stop finding fault. When a person came to him, he would point out six or seven things wrong with him. When another came, he would point out six or seven more problems with the second one. I told this brother that he saw so many problems in others because he himself was the problem. This was his disposition, his nature.

Brothers and sisters, all of these are sins. Every overcoming Christian lives above these things, not under them.

6. No Willingness to Obey God's Word
Not only do we have sins on the negative side. The Bible shows us that being negligent before God in our intention to obey His Word is also a sin. Brothers and sisters, how much of God's commandments have you read, and how much have you obeyed? How many husbands love their wives, and how many wives submit to their husbands? A wife once said that she knew that she should submit to her husband; however, she always argued a little before submitting. She eventually realized that she has never had any true submission according to the standard of God's commandment. This, of course, is sin.

How many Christians realize that being sorrowful is sin? The Bible says that we have to always rejoice. How many Christians have obeyed this commandment? We have to realize that being sorrowful is sin. Everyone who does not rejoice has sinned. God's commandment is to be anxious in nothing. If we become anxious, we have sinned. According to God's commandment, being sorrowful and anxious is to sin. Of course, according to man, being sorrowful and anxious is not sin. However, God's Word says that sorrow and anxiety are sins.

We should give thanks in everything. It is God's commandment that we give thanks in everything. In everything we should say, "God! I thank You and praise You!" Even when we encounter difficulties, we should still say, "God! I thank and praise You!" There is a story about a woman with nine children. She thought that the word on not being anxious must be very wrong. She argued that a mother has to be anxious. She thought that not being anxious was a sin. She had lost two children through anxiety, and she thought she had to raise up the other seven in anxiety. This sister did not see that anxiety is a sin. She thought that it was her duty to be anxious.

To always rejoice is a commandment of God. To be anxious for nothing is also a commandment of God. To give thanks in everything, even more, is a commandment of God. Victory and strength enable one to keep the commandment of God. Those who are unable to overcome cannot keep God's commandments.

7. Failure to Render to God What He Requires
God requires that we consecrate ourselves absolutely to Him. He requires that we consecrate our wives and children to Him. He also requires that we consecrate our business entirely to Him. He requires that we consecrate all of our money to Him. Every Christian wants to save something for himself. But dear brothers and sisters, we have to realize that in the Old Testament there was the ordinance of tithing, the offering of one tenth; in the New Testament our consecration should be ten tenths. Our house, our land, our wife and children, and even ourselves must be fully consecrated to God.

Many Christians are afraid that God will trouble them. There was a Christian who was very afraid of consecrating himself to God. He said, "If I offer up myself to God, what will happen if He sends sufferings to me?" I said to him in a serious way, "What kind of God do you think our God is? If a disobedient child becomes yielding and tells his parents that he will be obedient to them from now on, do you think that the parents will purposely ask him to do what he cannot do? Do you think that the parents will make him suffer on purpose? If they do, they are no longer his parents but his judge. If they are truly his parents, they will surely care for their child. Do you think that God will give you sufferings on purpose? Do you think that God will play tricks on you on purpose? You have forgotten that He is your Father!"

Brothers and sisters, only those who are consecrated to God have real power. They can place their business in God's hands. They can place their fathers, mothers, wives, and children in God's hands.

They can place their money in God's hands. They will not take what God has given to them and waste it in the world. They have consecrated even their own lives to the Lord. Those who are afraid of consecrating their belongings, their material goods, and their relationships with others to God have not yet overcome. The more one consecrates to God, the more strength one has. Those who willingly consecrate to God almost seem to encourage God to take more. They seem to say to God, "Please take more!" The life of consecration is a joyous life. It is a life of power. If a man does not consecrate himself, not only has he sinned, but he is also lacking in power.

8. Regarding Iniquity and Refusing to Repent of Sins That Should Be Confessed
Many people have dealt with many things, but in their heart they refuse to admit that the things they have dealt with are sins. According to Psalm 66:18, these ones "regard iniquity" in their heart.

Their heart loves these sins; they are unwilling to relinquish them. Not only is there a desiring, there is the loving, the regarding, and the unwillingness to relinquish these sins. There is a hidden love toward sin, a heart that refuses to acknowledge the sins as sins. Although we would never admit our love for these things and although our mouth would never say that we crave these things, our heart goes after them even before our feet follow after them. Many times, sin is not a matter of outward behavior, but a matter of love in the heart. If there are iniquities that we regard in our heart, we have to overcome them.

Many people not only have a heart for iniquity, but they also refuse to acknowledge many of their sins. A believer often offends a brother. When the matter is brought to his attention, he readily admits that he has offended the brother. Consequently, he makes some outward adjustments; he begins to treat the other brother better, shakes his hand in a warmer way, and receives him more affectionately. Brothers and sisters, the most we can do is change our attitude, but God does not recognize this. God does not recognize changes in our attitude. Many things require restitution. Money needs to be returned. Although many people do not have the time to listen to our long stories, we still have to confess our sins.

Concerning confession, the Bible never says that we should tell others of our sins in detail. The Bible never tells us to enumerate our sins like a novel. The Lord says, "If your brother sins..." (Matt. 18:15). It does not matter how many sins there are. When a brother comes to us and confesses, "Brother, I have sinned against you," we have to forgive him. Many hidden stories need not be told. No ear on earth is worthy of listening to all these stories, and no ear on earth could bear them all.

Brothers and sisters, how many sins do our hearts still cherish? How many sins are left untouched? If there are any sins, we have to overcome them. Unless we overcome, we will not be able to prevail over these sins.

Does Revelation 5:9 Suggest a Pre-Tribulation Rapture?

It is bad practice to make a doctrine on the rapture (or for that matter, any other topic) based on a single verse in the bible.

Nonetheless, we are presenting this video to you for your consideration, as you study the entire bible over the issue of the rapture.

And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation (Revelation 5:9; KJV; emphasis added)

Prophet Kevin Mirasi on the Great Tribulation

In a recent blog, Kevin Mirasi, a prophet, revealed what the Lord is showing him about the Great Tribulation.

In the morning of 25th January 2016, in a very shocking and powerful vision (Supernatural dream) of The LORD God Almighty, The LORD Jesus Christ and The Holy Spirit, I see a very very dark World in tremendous chaos; a darkness you can “smell and feel”.

I see beasts roaming all over. The water is contaminated, so the animals (livestock and domestic animals) are being trained to get used to the contaminated water.

I see people (especially in Europe) who have arisen and taken law into their own hands in the midst of lawlessness; these are organized gangs roaming all over, I even saw them dragging girls and women and raping them. These people will have acquired a beast (wild animals or worse) mentality.

I see People feel that the Governments can no longer Govern, so they become Governments unto themselves.

I see people (especially leading and influential American Jews and other Jews staying outside of Israel) saying that Pope and Obama can’t help them (and Israel).

I see Pope (Francis) and Obama scheduled to hold public address across the earth.

The vision of The LORD then ends.

That is what I see coming to the earth during The Great Tribulation period; a period of turmoil and distress on the earth, such as has never been and will never be since the beginning of nations.

The LORD shall have Raptured (Suddenly Taken to Heaven) His Bride (The Faithful Sons and Daughters of The LORD into Heaven for the Wedding Supper of The Lamb) by the time The Great Tribulation sets in on the earth.

May those who have ears hear what The Spirit of The LORD is saying to every human being on the earth; to Prepare The Way for the Coming of The LORD Jesus Christ and make Straight path for The LORD, by embracing Repentance for the forgiveness of sins through The Blood of The LORD Jesus Christ, and thereby walk in Righteousness (Right before The LORD by following the Ways and the Requirements of The LORD), Holiness (set apart and separated for the Glory and Honour of The LORD), Truth (according to the Word of God as stated in the Bible), and Complete Surrender to The LORD Jesus Christ.

Healing Revivalist William Branham's 7 Prophetic Visions Concerning Events from the 1930s to The Time of America’s Future Destruction

One morning in June 1933, just as the late healing revivalist William Branham was about to preach, he received a series of seven prophetic visions concerning future events from the 1930s to the time of America’s destruction.

A number of these prophetic visions have already come to pass, and we present all 7 of them for your prayerful consideration.

The Seven Visions

Vision One:
He saw in a vision that the dictator of Italy, Benito Mussolini, would invade Ethiopia and according to the voice speaking to him, Ethiopia “would fall at his (Mussolini’s) steps”. However, the voice continued and prophesied a dread end of the dictator, for he would have a horrible death and his own people would literally spit on him.

Vision Two:
The next vision indicated America would be drawn into a world war against Germany which would be headed up by the Austrian, Adolph Hitler. The voice predicted that this terrible war would overthrow Hitler and he would come to a mysterious “end”. In this vision he was shown the Siegfried line whereat a great toll of American lives would be exacted, but Hitler would be defeated.

Vision Three:
The third part of the vision showed that though there were three ISMS, Fascism, Nazism, Communism in the world: that the first two would come to nothing but that Communism would flourish. The voice admonished him to keep his eyes on “Russia” concerning future involvements, for Fascism and Nazism would end up in Communism.

Vision Four:
The fourth vision that appeared to him was one in which there was predicted to be tremendous technological advances right after the war. This was symbolized by an egg shaped car with a plastic bubble roof, going down beautiful highways completely under perfect remote control. There was no steering wheel in the car and the occupants of the car appeared to be playing a game like checkers.

Vision Five:
The fifth scene that appeared involved the womanhood of the world. In this scene there appeared the fast moral decay of women. Starting back when she received her so-called liberty to enter into worldly affairs by means of the vote, she soon began to wear clothes that were too revealing. she bobbed her hair and adopted the clothing of men. Finally the vision showed her all but stripped naked and she merely covered herself with a tiny apron about the size and shape of a fig leaf. With her womanhood so little valued a terrible decay of all flesh came upon the earth and with it perversion even as set forth by the Word of God.

Vision Six:
Then there arose in the United States a most beautiful woman clothed in splendor, and great power was given to her. She was lovely of feature but there was a hardness about her that defied description. Beautiful as she was, she was yet cruel, wicked and cunning. She dominated the land with her authority, she had complete power over the people. The vision indicated that either such a woman would literally arise or that this woman of the vision was merely a type of an organization which is scripturally characterized by a female. Though the voice did not speak out and reveal who she was, he felt in his heart that this woman represented the rising Roman Catholic Church, and he inserted in parenthesis beside at the end of this vision which he had written out, (perhaps the Catholic church).

Vision Seven:
The voice bade him look once more. As he turned and beheld, a great explosion rent the entire land, and left the land of America a smouldering, chaotic ruin. As far as the eye could see there was naught but craters, smoking piles of debris, and no humanity in sight.

The vision then faded away.

(Source: The William Branham Home Page)

Born Deformed and Crippled, But Miraculously Healed by Jesus Christ (The True Story of Betty Baxter)

Betty Baxter was born deformed and crippled, and for 14 years she lay bedridden and had the doctors tell her to her face "Betty, there is no hope" and "There is nothing medical science can do".

But through the debilitating pain of her condition, she and her praying mother trusted the Lord Jesus Christ, and believed He could do the impossible and heal Betty.

And so He did.

On this very date (August 24th, Sunday) in 1941 at 3:00 PM, the Lord Jesus Christ came into Betty's room and healed Betty, in the presence of witnesses.

This is Betty's narration of her encounter with Jesus:

I didn’t lose consciousness but I became lost in the Spirit of God. I saw before me two rows of trees, standing tall and straight. As I watched, I saw one of them in the center begin to bend until the tip of it touched the ground. I wondered why this one tree was all bent over. Then down the road I saw Jesus. He came walking through the trees and my heart thrilled as it always does when I see Jesus. He came and stood by the bent tree. He stood and looked at it a moment and I wondered what He would do. Then looking at me he smiled and placed His hand on the bent tree. With a loud crack and pop it straightened up like the other. I said, “That’s me alright. he will touch my body and the bones will crack and pop and I will stand up straight and be well.”

Suddenly I heard a great noise as if a storm was coming up. I heard the wind as it roared.

I tried to speak above the noise. “He’s coming. Don’t you hear Him? He has come at last.” Then all at once the noise subsided. All was calm and quiet and I knew in this quietness Jesus would come. I sat in the big chair, a hopeless cripple. I was so hungry to see Him. All at once I saw a great white fleecy cloud form. It wasn’t the cloud I was waiting for. Then out of the cloud stepped Jesus. It wasn’t a vision, it wasn’t a dream. I saw Jesus. As He came walking slowly toward me I looked on His face. The most striking thing about Jesus is His eyes. He was tall and broad and was dressing in robes glistening white. His hair was brown and parted in the middle. It fell over His shoulders in soft waves. I will never forget His eyes. Many times when my body is worn and I’m asked to do something for Jesus I would like to say no. When I remember his eyes they compel me to go out into the harvest fields to win more souls.

Jesus came slowly toward me with His arms outstretched toward me. I noticed the ugly prints of the nails in His hands. The closer He got to me the better I felt. When He came real close I began to feel very small and unworthy. I wasn’t anything but a little forgotten girl who was deformed and crippled. Then all at once He smiled at me and I wasn’t afraid anymore. He was my Jesus. His eyes held mine and if I ever looked into eyes filled with beauty and compassion, they were the eyes of Jesus. There aren’t many people I’ve seen who have eyes like Jesus. When I see one who has that love and compassion in their eyes I wish I could just stay close to them. That is the way I feel about Jesus; I want to live as close to Him as I can.

Jesus came and stood at the side of my chair. One part of His garment was loose and it fell inside my chair and if my arms had not been paralyzed I could have touched His garment. I had thought when He came to heal me I would start talking to Him and ask Him to heal me. but I couldn’t say a word. I just looked at Him and kept my eyes on His dear face trying to tell Him how much I needed Him. He leaned down and looked up in my face and spoke softly. I can hear every word right now because it is written in my heart. He said very softly, “Betty, you have been patient, kind and loving.” As He spoke these words I thought I could suffer 15 more years if I could see Jesus and hear Him speak to me again. He said, “I am going to promise you health, joy and happiness.” I saw Him reach out His hand and I waited. Then I felt his hand go over the knots on my spine. People say, “Don’t you ever get tired of telling of your healing?” No, because every time I tell it I can feel His hand again.

He placed His hand on the very center of my spine on one of the large knots. All at once a hot feeling as hot as fire surged through my body. Two hot hands took my heart and squeezed it and when those hot hands let my heart go, I could breathe normal for the first time in my life. Two hot hands rubbed over the organs of my stomach and I knew my organic trouble was healed, I would not need a new kidney and I would be able to digest my food because He had healed me. The hot feeling ran on through my body. Then I looked at Jesus to see if He would leave me just healed inside. Jesus smiled and I felt the pressure of His hands on the knots and as His hands pressed in the middle of my spine there was a tingling sensation like I had touched a live wire. I felt this sensation like an electrical current and stood on my feet just as straight as I am on this platform speaking to you tonight. I was healed inside and outside. In 10 seconds Jesus had healed me and made me every whit whole. He did for me in a few moments what the doctors on this earth could not do. The Great Physician did it and He did it perfectly.

You say, “Betty, how did you feel when you jumped out of the chair?” You’ll never know unless you once were a hopeless cripple. You’ll never know unless you sat in a chair with no hope. I ran to my mother and said, “Mom, feel, are the knots gone?”

She felt up and down my spine and said, “Yes, they are gone!” I heard the bones crack and pop. Betty, you’re healed! You’re healed! Praise Him for it!”

I turned around and looked back at the chair that was empty and tears rolled down my cheeks. My body felt light all over because I didn’t have any pain and I had always had pain.

I felt tall because I had been bent almost double with my head on my chest, the knots were gone and my spine was straight. I raised my arms and pinched one of them. My arms had feeling. They weren’t paralyzed anymore.

Then I looked and saw my baby brother standing in front of the chair. Big tears were rolling down his little cheeks. Looking up at me I heard him say, “I saw Sis jump out of the big chair. I saw Jesus heal Sis.” He was really thrilled. I picked up the chair, raised it above my head and said, “See what the God I serve can do!”

Standing right behind my baby brother Jesus still stood. He looked at me from the soles of my feet to the top of my head. I was straight and normal. Holding my eyes with His, He began to speak slowly and going to tell you what He said. “Betty, I am giving you the desire of your heart to be healed. You are normal and well. You have health now. You are completely well because I healed you.”

Betty went on to become an evangelist and shared her amazing story across the United States and in various countries, even in Singapore, where it is believed she held her final meeting before retiring in 2003.

Please listen to her amazing story in the Youtube video below:

Before Bill Baxter (Betty's brother) passed away, he shared about his sister's miraculous healing in the Youtube video below:

False Prophecy? Israeli Teenager Claims NDE Vision of the End Times and of Obama Being “Gog”

The Internet has been abuzz with the story of a 15-year-old Israeli boy named Natan, who testified having seen a vision of the end times and of US president Barack Hussein Obama being “Gog”, while having a near-death experience (NDE) on 28 September 2015.

For those who are unfamiliar with Natan’s testimony, an outline has been provided by Internet blog Dreaming of Moshiach:

• The beginning of Gog U'Magog began three days before the Rosh HaShana, September 11, 2015 or lunar calendar 27 Elul 5775.
• One of these days, there will be a security breach that will cause riots to erupt leading to severe civil unrest. This will burst into a war and will be all over the news internationally. Everyone will know and understand it.
• Israel will not yet be involved.
• This will cause the world to unite against Israel and come fight us.
• The war will begin by Gog ... Obama is Gog and he will fight us.
• After the first 2 days of war in Israel, Israel Defense Force (Tzahal) will be abolished and the nations of the world will enter Israel.
• People will be killed as well as kidnapped. It will be total chaos.
• An atom bomb will be aimed at Israel and HKB'H will freeze it in midair. After a few weeks, it will land in Tel Aviv and Haifa.
• They will capture Israel and enter Jerusalem.
• The entire war will take 2 weeks and millions will perish.
• To be saved we need to do Teshuva and learn Torah. Only true servants of HaShem will remain alive.
• The Moshiach (Messiah) is among us (living in Israel) and many know him, but did not know he is the Moshiach. When he will be discovered everyone will be surprised. He's a popular Baal Teshuva that does kiruv work.
• After the war, building of the Temple will be built followed by resurrection
• We will be able to see the patriarchs, Moshe Rabenu (Moses), and all the saints only from a distance because of their divine
• Graves will open and the resurrected will come out of their grave wearing beautiful clothes.
• Mount of Olives will split into two and all who remained alive will see Moshiach.
• It's a matter of months till the final redemption.

In addition, according to Dreaming of Moshiach, Natan allegedly claimed that:

• Moshiach will stand in the entrance of the Mount of Olives and thru smell, will decide who will enter the Mount of Olives.
• Moshiach will fight Obama and will bury him in Eretz (the land of) Israel.
• HKB'H will be revealed dressed in a white robe with blood stains from the blood of the Jews who were prosecuted because of their religion.

Natan’s testimony has been received with mixed reactions – either amazement intermingled with fear, or incredulity and denial.

Susan Constantine, a world renowned body language expert specializing in deception detection, vouched for the credibility of Natan’s testimony. “I have reviewed the entire video and it is my professional opinion the boy Natan truthfully believes he experienced a visitation in heaven and was not being deceptive,” said Constantine, in a signed statement obtained by Breaking Israel News. Constantine was hired by an Orthodox Jewish non-profit organization in Israel to assess the video.

Natan’s background makes his testimony convincing. According to Dreaming of Moshiach, “Nathan is a regular Israeli 15 year old teenager from a secular background and never learnt in Yeshiva (a religious school). He was clueless about the most simple Jewish things such as Tzizit (knotted ritual fringes)… After his near death experience, he went to a Rav and told him his frightening experience and asked him for a Kipa (skull cap) and Tzizit”.

There seems to be little doubt over Natan’s sincerity and truthfulness over what he has shared about his experience.

However, the source of Natan’s NDE vision must be carefully weighted – was it from God, or from an ungodly source?

From the perspective of a Christian, one area of concern is that in Natan’s NDE vision, the Lord Jesus Christ is not explicitly revealed as the Moshiach (Messiah), and it begs the question of “Why not?”

Indeed, according to Natan, the Moshiach (Messiah) is presently “among us”, “living in Israel”, and that “many know him, but did not know he is the Moshiach”. Some commentators have opined that Natan was referring to the Lord Jesus Christ. However, could it also be that Natan was instead referring to a False Messiah – someone who is actually alive in our present day and living in Israel, but who has yet to come under the media spotlight?

Another area of concern is that Natan seems to be alluding to the appearance of the “Moshiach” before the rebuilding of the Temple. In particular, Natan seems to have claimed that during the war, “Moshiach will fight Obama”, and that it is after the war that the rebuilding of the Temple will commence, with the “Moshiach” presumably having a role in its rebuilding.

That said, does the bible not say that it is the “man of lawlessness” who must come first before our Lord Jesus Christ comes, and that he (the “man of lawlessness”) comes to defile the Jewish temple?

Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things? And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. 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; that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness. (2 Thessalonians 2:3-12; NASB; with emphasis added)

On the issue of Obama being Gog, this seems to be highly unlikely. According to Revelation 20, the Gog-Magog war takes place at the end of the Lord Jesus Christs’ future millennial (1000-year) reign on earth. Revelation 20:8 suggests that Gog and Magog are not world leaders or some other personalities; rather, they represent “nations that are at the four corners of the earth”. In addition, Revelation 20:7 suggests that it is Satan who will instigate the Gog-Magog war all by himself, and not the beast, the false prophet or some other individual.

Further concerns that Christian believers might have over Natan’s testimony are expressed in the Youtube video below:

Overall Natan’s testimony is interesting and the teenager’s sincerity is not in doubt. However, one concern is that Natan could be unwittingly leading his audience to a False Messiah, and only time will tell.  Hence, Christians should exercise discernment and ask the Lord for wisdom and understanding before deciding whether to embrace his testimony wholeheartedly. Because the original testimony given by Natan was in Hebrew (and not in English), we (Singapore Christian) acknowledge the possibility that there may have been mistranslations in the subtitled video, or that we may have misunderstood some of the details given by Natan (for example, on his chronology of the appearance of the Messiah). If so, we stand corrected and humbly apologise in advance.

The Near Death Experience (NDE) of a 15-year-old Jewish Boy During which He Learns about Future World Events and that Obama Is “Gog”

A 15-year-old Jewish boy named Natan was pronounced clinically dead on the night of Monday, September 28, 2015 (which some observers note that it coincides with the night of the final Blood Moon).

However, his ‘death’ was to last only 15 minutes, and during that short period time of time, his soul purportedly exited his body and entered heaven.

Speaking to an Orthodox Jewish audience in a synagogue in Israel just days after his near-death experience (NDE), Natan claims that while out-of-body, he received knowledge about world events that were “imminent” – which he says may take place “in the coming months”.

Specifically, Natan claims that there is coming a serious global conflict that will escalate into a world war and would eventually lead the nations of the world to attack Israel. According to Natan, the leader that starts the war is “Gog”, and whose true identity is none other than Obama.

The full video of Natan’s testimony at the synagogue is below (without English subtitles)…:

…and a shorter version, which includes English subtitles, is presented here:

Nonetheless, from the perspective of a Christian, we (Singapore Christian) have a number of concerns over Natan’s testimony, which we elaborate on in this post.

You Cannot Be Born Again Without First Dying to Self

In an earlier article, I had touched on the importance of being born again as a condition for inheriting eternal life (Proof text -- John 3:3 [NLT; with emphasis mine]: "Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.""). Now, let me show you what it means to be born again.

However, a person cannot be born again, unless he/she first dies:

For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:3; New American Standard Bible; emphasis mine)

You might ask, "What do you mean to say that I must die? Are you asking me to commit suicide?"
No! (and God forbid that you attempt suicide!) It is to self that you must die of, as the Aramaic Bible in Plain English version of Colossians 3:3 makes clear: "For you have died to yourselves and your lives are hidden with The Messiah in God." (emphais mine)

The specifics of what this entails is detailed for us further in the chapter:

⁵ Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. ⁶ Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.^{[b] 7} You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. ⁸ But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. ⁹ Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices ¹⁰ and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. (Colossians 3:5-10; NIV)

In addition, you need to die to the things of this world:

Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. (Colossians 3:2; ESV)

But you might protest and say: "What you ask is very difficult to do!"

Indeed, it is, which is exactly why the Lord Jesus Christ told those who wished to be His disciple to "count the cost":

²⁶ If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. ²⁷ And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. ²⁸ For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? ²⁹ lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, ³⁰ saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. ³¹ Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? ³² Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. ³³ So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:26-33; Authorised KJV; emphasis mine)