PERILOUS TIMES
by Bob Vermaat
"This know, that in the last days perilous times shall come" (2
Timothy 3:1)
This statement by the Apostle Paul to Timothy seems to be coming
to fruition in these days that we are now living in. Paul wrote
those words approximately 1950 years ago, but if we look around
us and see what is happening in the world today we can surely see
this prophecy, for that is what it is, coming to pass right
before our eyes.
Just look at the world's economic picture. For the last eighteen
to twenty months or so our governments have been trying to stop
and correct the financial meltdown, that occurred mainly through
corruption and greed, and even though they, the bankers and
officials, are saying that they are gaining the upper hand, all
indications are that they are failing. Just look at the rate of
unemployment, home foreclosures, lost savings for many and
overall poverty that is coming about because of these
predicaments. Now we see financial trouble in the European Union.
Greece is financially kaput and had to be bailed out to the tune
of almost 500 billion. Italy, Spain and Portugal are broke and in
an article in The National Post it stated that even Great Britain
is not financially stable. So, you see, it is a domino affect and
it all points to the fall of economic Babylon. "Babylon the great
is fallen, is fallen...., and the merchants of the earth are
grown rich through the abundance of her delicacies." (Rev.
18:2-3). "And the fruits that thy soul lusteth after are departed
from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are
departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all. The
merchants of these things, who were made rich by her, stand afar
off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing."
(Rev.18:14-15).
Perilous times, "For men shall be lovers of self,....having a
form of godliness, but denying the power of it....But they shall
proceed no further, for their folly shall be manifested unto all
men...."(2 Tim.3,5,9).
The Church of Rome, the scarlet woman, is in more trouble than it
has possibly ever been, with all its scandals, perversion and
pedophilia coming out in the open. For years they have been
trying, and to some extent succeeding, to hide all under fire
over those facts by transferring the perpetrators to different
locations, but it seems that their sins are too great to
whitewash anymore and have therefore come out in the open for
everyone to see. "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which
are these; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness."
(Gal. 5:19). "Be not deceived, God is not mocked."(Gal.6:7). So
you see, eventually all deeds will be laid bare by our Heavenly
Father and it seems that their time has so arrived.
But the same goes for all of us, so let us strive that all our
deeds, actions and thoughts are always geared toward the honour
and glory of God our Heavenly Father. So, what should our deeds
be? What should our actions be? Let's look around us in our
Israelite nations. Look for instance at the abortion issue. What
are our actions regarding this murder of the unborn? When the law
was given at Mt.Sinai, the Sixth Commandment reads, "Thou shalt
not kill." The Hebrew language employs several words to
express the idea, to kill. The verb used in this instance is a
special word which can only mean "murder" and always indicates
intentional slaying. So, what is our action toward this
abomination? Sadly, we condone it by our inaction.
How well we remember how Romans 1:26-27 used to be understood,
"For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections; for even
their women did exchange the natural use for that which is
against nature; and likewise also the men leaving the natural use
of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another, men with
men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves
that recompense of their error which was fitting." Today it is
interpreted differently and it has advanced the cause of those
not following natural relationships, as intended by God. One
cannot dispute the fact that as the practice has grown to be an
alternative lifestyle, so has the "AIDS" pestilence. I want to
say, "Shame on the Christian community for being so complacent"
but I think one thing is crystal clear, "God is not mocked."
It's difficult to say anything about it in our present day
society but in Genesis 1, at the time of creation, God mandated
that all creatures should procreate in kind after kind. That's
gone by the boards as all the races are freely intermixing and
when it is brought to attention by strict Bible-based Christians,
or, for that matter, elders of all races, it is met with derision
of some sort. No one even speculates on the reasons why God
mandated this, or, for that matter, His subsequent instructions
to His People, but rather than summoning up the desire and
courage to question, we go along and add to our well deserved
shame. Again, "God is not mocked."
The Apostle Paul faced a similar problem way back in the
beginning of the church-age. Because the Jews did not want him to
preach Jesus Christ, Paul was therefore arrested and He then
appealed to King Agrippa, after which Paul was sent to Rome. You
can read this account in full in Acts 25,26,27. But this
adversity did not deter Paul. In the face of everything he went
on preaching the message of the Kingdom until the end of his
life. Paul wrote in Eph.6:12, "For we wrestle not against flesh
and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against
the rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual
wickedness in high places."
Yes, perilous times indeed, but if the Apostle Paul could
persevere, then so must we stand strong in our convictions. Jesus
told us not to fear, "For greater is he that is in you, than he
that is in the world." (1 John 4:4).
......
(The above was taken from "Thy Kingdom Come" - July 2010 - a
publication of the Association of Covenant People, Burnaby, B.C.
Canada)
RECORD HEAT
It was announced on CBC evening news this Friday July 16th 2010,
that the world as a whole has had the warmest June in recording
history
......
BP oil has managed, so far, this middle of July, to cap the oil
leak in the Gulf of Mexico, with its new "cap" - they hope it
holds until the two relief wells are completed, about the middle
of August. The clean up and restoring the area will take years to
finish and bring life (for people and nature) back to the way it
was before the blow up of that deep sea oil rig.
......
New laws for the USA banking world and Wall Street world are just
about to be the laws of the land. I got through the book "The Big
Short" by Michael Lewis. 95 percent of it I do not understand,
never been into the "money game" of USA banks and Wall Street
guys. But one thing I was made quite aware of by all Lewis told,
was that the "money making fellows" were making big bucks for
themselves while building a ponzy pyramid, which a few were
telling was fraud, lies, crazy, stupid, and was sure to finally
blow up the economy of the USA and the world. If you understand
all the technicalities of the Wall Street money world, the "Big
Short" book needs to be on your book-shelf. Some of the fellows
that brought the economic house of cards crashing down need to be
behind bars, but I doubt that will ever come to pass. Money talks
as they say, even if it is bad money. So yes, I hope the USA
brings in real tough laws so such guys will never get away with
it all ever again. These fellows have had a slap on the wrist
while most of them still have big fat pay-offs for their dirty
and greedy schemes. It looks like Obama just does not have the
guts to make them pay-up like they should and even prosecute some
for fraud.
......
SPAIN won the FIFA world soccer cup in 2010. The first time that
country has ever won that cup.
Now, looking at the Spain soccer team in the overall of the last
few years, they deserve to be the world champions. They have been
playing super skilled soccer that first made them European
champions. A delight to watch, a model for the way the game
should be played.
BUT ... that final of the FIFA world cup ... is was SHOCKINGLY a
school-yard roughhouse. It would seem that both teams
(Netherlands and Spain) had beforehand decided to play the dirty,
roughest, more fouls than you could count - the Netherlands
playing the roughest, yet Spain was a close second. I have seen
every FIFA cup final since 1982, so that is 1986, 1990, 1994,
1998, 2002, 2006, and now 2010. It was the most disgustingly
rough game of any of those finals, by far. I was very
disappointed in Spain. Both teams had much poor passing, some
chances on goals that should have been in the back of the net,
and lack of ball control and shooting that you'd expect from
grade school kids, certainly not from pro soccer players that
play the game for a full time living.
Bad ... just plain bad ... a disgrace for the soccer world and
certainly far from the "beautiful game" they want to tell us
"soccer" has been called. And I speak as one who knows what the
game is about, as I was captain of my High School soccer team,
for the last two years of High School. Two thumbs down on that
FIFA world cup final - one thumb down for each team - Netherlands
and Spain.
......
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