Standing in support of Israel, Jews, and believers in all the nations, in the name of Jesus (Yeshua). Sharing biblical truth, encouragement, news and prophecy.
Recently it was announced that Bob Dylan won the Nobel Prize for Literature. In light of this, I thought I would share about the connection between Bob Dylan and Messianic Judaism.
For many years the background (or "wallpaper") on my computer's desktop screen was a blurry picture of a man in desperate need of a haircut, wearing tefillin [worn by Jewish men during daily prayers]. People often say, "Cool picture, but who is that?" When I tell that it's Bob Dylan at the Western Wall attending his son's bar mitzvah, I get a mixture of reactions that range from "I didn't know he was Jewish" to "Who's Bob Dylan?"
I was first introduced to Bob Dylan at, of all places, a Christian summer camp. Although I was too young to realize the impact Dylan had had on the culture and politics of the 1960s, I thoroughly enjoyed his anthemic songs such as "The Times They Are A-Changin'" and "Blowing in the Wind."
When I got home from camp. I was pleased to find a few of Bob Dylan's records among my father's record collection, but what surprised me the most was the gospel album entitled "Slow Train Coming." Unbeknownst to me, Dylan had produced three gospel albums from 1979 to 1981 after a born-again experience through which he said Jesus came and visited him personally. I immediately wondered whether he was still a believer.
Along the way I found the book Restless Pilgrim: The Spiritual Journey of Bob Dylan, coincidentally at my father's house. In it, the author describes a man who has often been misunderstood on his biblical faith journey. The entertainment business would not accept the fact that their cultural icon had become a believer in Messiah Jesus.
While Dylan preached to his crowds in 1979 about the need to repent and turn to the Lord, it was him that fans and critics viewed as Judas. It is not surprising that after only three gospel albums, which included three years of relentless persecution from the media, Bob Dylan hid his face from the public eye. Author Scott Marshall writes in his book of these years:
Perhaps the second verse of Dylan's 1962 song, "Mixed-Up Confusion," best summarizes the situation: "Well, there's too many people/And they're all too hard to please."
Yet besides the newspaper critics and the fans, probably the biggest obstacle that Bob Dylan faced was trying to be a believer in Jesus and still actively practice his Jewish roots. As difficult as this is for Jewish people today, it was even harder in the early 1980s. To most people it was either belief in Jesus or Judaism:
Seemingly, every foray into the Jewish arena is interpreted as flat-out return to Judaism, a renunciation of the truth of Jesus Christ that he confessed more than two decades ago.
Here's a great example of this apparent dichotomy. In the fall of 2001, Dylan spent the holiest day of the year, Yom Kippur, at an Orthodox synagogue in Encino, California. Then he began his tour in early 2002 with the overt gospel tune "Hallelujah, I'm Ready to Go," a song that speaks of a "wonderful Savior to know." The next night he opened with the song "I Am the Man, Thomas." This song covers the story where the Jesus reveals Himself to a doubting Thomas and declares:
"Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen, and have yet believed" (John 20:29)
For Dylan, it was not an either/or scenario between Judaism and Christianity. He was comfortable with a world that drew from both.
As I read the story of Dylan's spiritual life, I began to appreciate him more and more. I saw a man who struggled with his identity much as we do today—stuck in between Christianity and Judaism. As with Dylan, many misinterpret the actions of those in Messianic Judaism as either too Jewish or too Christian.
For me, in Dylan's words I often find the heartbeat of a man who at times seems to know the Master better than I do:
"Even so, as far ahead of the pack as Dylan traveled, there's something almost first-century about him. It's not hard to imagine Bob Dylan sitting under the teaching of the Master on a Palestine hillside, listening attentively, questioning respectfully, analyzing thoughtfully. Could it be that this is where Dylan has been getting his insights all along?"
Over the years, Dylan has continued to infuse the biblical text into his songs. It is estimated that between 1979 and 1990, 67 out of the 80 songs he wrote contained allusions to the Bible. As a person, Jesus Himself was not known to answer questions in a straightforward manner.
So too, with Dylan, who dodges them left and right. He has developed it into such an art that any imitation of this style is often labeled "dylanesque." It seems the only way to find out what's in his head is to listen to his music:
If it's really all right there in the music, then Bob Dylan is without a doubt a man who continues to express faith in Jesus while holding on to his Jewish heritage.
Toby Janicki is a teacher, writer and project manager for First Fruits of Zion (ffoz.org). He contributes regularly to Messiah Journal and has written several books including God Fearers: Gentiles and the God of Israel. You can reach Toby atoutreach@ffoz.org.
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Pastor Jim and Lori Bakker talk about the importance of voting in the upcoming election, and what implications our votes will have. Vote for the platform, not the person. With special guests Doctor William Forstchen and Pastor Carl Gallups.
Quotes
This is the most important election in the history of the world, because it stands in the middle of the most prophetic times this world has ever seen since the first coming of Jesus Christ. – Pastor Carl Gallups
This election will establish where the church has any freedom left in the next 4 years. – Pastor Jim
This is the most important period of time in history. – Pastor Jim
Vote, vote, vote. Even if you’re not going to vote in the presidential election, vote for your senators, your state reps, and House of Representatives. – Doctor William Forstchen
Scriptures
Galatians 6:7 KJV Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
Acts 2:13 KJV Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine.
Acts 2:15 KJV For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.
Matthew 24:9 KJV Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.
The SpiritLed Woman podcast is empowering women weekly to follow their purpose in Christ and boldly walk in faith. Listen at charismapodcastnetwork.com.
"That you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore" (Eph. 6:13-14).
It's breath-catching, heart-breaking and soul-searing to watch our nation implode morally and spiritually. The mental picture of the Twin Towers on 9/11 collapsing in a cloud of debris and dust comes to my mind as I pray for America.
It is not buildings that are collapsing today. It is us—our nation.
What can God's people do?
We can humble ourselves, seek God's face and pray. Yes, we can!
We can fast. Yes, we can!
We can turn from our wicked ways. Yes, we can!
We can return to the Lord our God. Yes, we can!
We can plead for God's mercy to hear our prayer, forgive our sin and heal our land. Yes, we can!
And we should do all of the above!
But I believe it's also time for something else. It's time to take a stand against evil by applying our biblical values not only to our worldview, but to all we say, do or think, which includes the way we vote.
In the Old Testament book of Esther, God's people were threatened by an evil decree. Queen Esther fasted and prayed. But if she had done nothing else, she would have ensured the triumph of the wicked. Instead, she acted on what God laid on her heart. She stepped into the situation, encouraged by her uncle, who exhorted her, "And who knows if you may have attained royal position for such a time as this?" (Esth. 4:14)
As a result of the action Queen Esther took after her prayer and fasting, the evil was exposed, but it was not defeated. So her action alone was not enough. God's people themselves were called to get involved. Each and every one of them were called upon to resist the evil that was threatening. They answered the call, stood up to the enemy, and the tables were turned (Esth. 9:1) God's people won the victory over the evil.
Like Queen Esther and God's people of her day, I believe it's time for you and me to take a stand against the evil that has come into our nation. Evil that defies God in rebellion against His Word and against His principles. Evil that is trying to destroy the very fabric and foundation of our nation.
This November we have the privilege of taking a stand the American way—at the ballot box. Make it your priority to know the candidates you are voting for, from the presidential race to the Senate races to the governorships to the judicial races to every other contest on the ballot. Go to the polls on Nov. 8 and vote your biblical values.
Nothing less than God's blessing, or judgment, is at stake in our nation.
Anne Graham Lotz,the second child of Billy and Ruth Graham, is an acclaimed Bible teacher and the founder of AnGeL Ministries. She also is the author of books, including The Glorious Dawn of God's Story and The Vision of His Glory, both from Word Publishing.
Draw closer to God. Experience the presence of the Holy Spirit every month as you read Charisma magazine. Sign up now to get Charisma for as low as $1 per issue.
Get to know the Holy Spirit and how to interact with Him on a daily basis. Learn to enter God's presence and hear His voice clearly for yourself! Go deeper in your faith with Life in the Spirit and change your life and destiny. Are you ready to start your journey?
The SpiritLed Woman podcast is empowering women weekly to follow their purpose in Christ and boldly walk in faith. Listen at charismapodcastnetwork.com.
"That you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore" (Eph. 6:13-14).
It's breath-catching, heart-breaking and soul-searing to watch our nation implode morally and spiritually. The mental picture of the Twin Towers on 9/11 collapsing in a cloud of debris and dust comes to my mind as I pray for America.
It is not buildings that are collapsing today. It is us—our nation.
What can God's people do?
We can humble ourselves, seek God's face and pray. Yes, we can!
We can fast. Yes, we can!
We can turn from our wicked ways. Yes, we can!
We can return to the Lord our God. Yes, we can!
We can plead for God's mercy to hear our prayer, forgive our sin and heal our land. Yes, we can!
And we should do all of the above!
But I believe it's also time for something else. It's time to take a stand against evil by applying our biblical values not only to our worldview, but to all we say, do or think, which includes the way we vote.
In the Old Testament book of Esther, God's people were threatened by an evil decree. Queen Esther fasted and prayed. But if she had done nothing else, she would have ensured the triumph of the wicked. Instead, she acted on what God laid on her heart. She stepped into the situation, encouraged by her uncle, who exhorted her, "And who knows if you may have attained royal position for such a time as this?" (Esth. 4:14)
As a result of the action Queen Esther took after her prayer and fasting, the evil was exposed, but it was not defeated. So her action alone was not enough. God's people themselves were called to get involved. Each and every one of them were called upon to resist the evil that was threatening. They answered the call, stood up to the enemy, and the tables were turned (Esth. 9:1) God's people won the victory over the evil.
Like Queen Esther and God's people of her day, I believe it's time for you and me to take a stand against the evil that has come into our nation. Evil that defies God in rebellion against His Word and against His principles. Evil that is trying to destroy the very fabric and foundation of our nation.
This November we have the privilege of taking a stand the American way—at the ballot box. Make it your priority to know the candidates you are voting for, from the presidential race to the Senate races to the governorships to the judicial races to every other contest on the ballot. Go to the polls on Nov. 8 and vote your biblical values.
Nothing less than God's blessing, or judgment, is at stake in our nation.
Anne Graham Lotz,the second child of Billy and Ruth Graham, is an acclaimed Bible teacher and the founder of AnGeL Ministries. She also is the author of books, including The Glorious Dawn of God's Story and The Vision of His Glory, both from Word Publishing.
Draw closer to God. Experience the presence of the Holy Spirit every month as you read Charisma magazine. Sign up now to get Charisma for as low as $1 per issue.
Get to know the Holy Spirit and how to interact with Him on a daily basis. Learn to enter God's presence and hear His voice clearly for yourself! Go deeper in your faith with Life in the Spirit and change your life and destiny. Are you ready to start your journey?
Posted: 23 Oct 2016 Michael Snyder THE ECONOMIC COLLAPSE BLOG
Some of these polls are going to turn out to be dead wrong. With just over two weeks to go until election day, some surveys are showing a very tight race, while others say that Hillary Clinton has a massive lead. For example, the tracking polls put out by Rasmussen, the L.A. Times and IBD/TIPP have all consistently shown that the race is either tied or Donald Trump is winning by a small margin. But Fox News has Hillary Clinton ahead by six points, Bloomberg has Clinton ahead by nine points, and the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll has Clinton ahead by twelve points. So what in the world is going on here? If the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll is correct, we are likely to see a landslide of historic proportions for Clinton, and this is what many of the experts are now projecting. But if Rasmussen and the L.A. Times are correct, the race could easily go either way. So who are we supposed to believe? Could it be possible that some of the polls are rigged against Trump? Well, when you take a closer look at the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll, it does appear that it is not as accurate as it could be. It turns out that those that conducted the survey purposely included 9 percent more Democrats than Republicans…
“METHODOLOGY – This ABC News poll was conducted by landline and cellular telephone Oct. 20-22, 2016, in English and Spanish, among a random national sample of 874 likely voters. Results have a margin of sampling error of 3.5 points, including the design effect. Partisan divisions are 36-27-31 percent, Democrats – Republicans – Independents.”
But as Zero Hedge has pointed out, registered Democrats have never outnumbered registered Republicans by 9 percent at any point over the last several decades. So how in the world can ABC News and the Washington Post possibly justify their methodology? Other major surveys have also purposely oversampled Democrats. The following comes from Gateway Pundit…
With all the liberal distortions and dishonesty we decided to have a small team of actuarial and statistics professionals take a look at a couple of the recent polls to get their take on the reliability of these polls. They selected the recent FOX poll from October 14 showing Hillary up by 7 and the WSJ/NBC poll from October 16 showing Hillary with an 11 point lead. The first observation is that both polls are heavily skewed towards Democrats. At a high level, the FOX poll consists of 43 Dems to 36 Reps to 21 Other while the NBC poll shows 44 Dems to 37 Reps to 19 Other. By selecting more Dems the polls are designed to provide a Dem result. Our experts next analyzed the data and calculated results using the same data from the two surveys on a split of 40 Dems, 40 Reps and 20 Other. The results show that using either sets of data Trump comes out ahead with a larger margin of victory using the FOX data.
Why would these major news organizations purposely try to give us distorted results? One reason to do this would be to try to discourage Trump voters. If they believe that Donald Trump is going to lose big, that might discourage some of them from going out to vote. At this moment, the Real Clear Politics average of national polls has Trump down by 5.6 percent. But some polls actually have him winning. Here are the nine latest surveys that Real Clear Politics has compiled… ABC News Tracking: Clinton +12 IBD/TIPP Tracking: Trump +2 Rasmussen Reports: Trump +2 Quinnipiac: Clinton +7 Economist/YouGov: Clinton +4 FOX News: Clinton +6 Bloomberg: Clinton +9 Reuters/Ipsos: Clinton +4 Monmouth: Clinton +12 There is a 14 point swing between the polls that show Trump up by 2 points and the polls that show Clinton up by 12 points. This should not be happening. There is no way in the world that there should be a 14 point difference between scientific polls at this stage in the game. On November 8th the polling organizations that were way off are going to be exposed, and it will be exceedingly difficult for them to regain their credibility afterwards. At this point, some of the largest news organizations in the country are openly projecting a Clinton landslide. For example, Reuters says that Clinton now has a 95 percent chance of winning…
Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton is on a definite path to the White House, according to the latest Reuters/Ipsos States of the Nation poll. The survey, released Saturday, found that Clinton is on track to win more than 300 votes in the Electoral College, which would solidly secure her the presidency. If the election were held this week, Clinton would win 326 Electoral College votes while Trump would win only 212, the poll said. According to Reuters, Clinton currently has a 95 percent chance of winning the White House.
If Reuters isn’t right about this they are going to end up looking awfully foolish. An analysis by the Associated Press also has Clinton as the overwhelming favorite. And it is true that the poll results coming out of individual states seem to show Clinton with a seemingly insurmountable lead on the electoral map. But once again, can we trust those polls? Trump has regularly dismissed the national polls, but on Sunday his campaign manager did admit on national television that they are losing. The following comes from the New York Post…
Donald Trump’s campaign manager on Sunday acknowledged something her boss hates to do — losing. “We are behind,” Kellyanne Conway admitted on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” The GOP nominee routinely brushes off negative polling as untrustworthy but Conway said Democrat Hillary Clinton does have an edge.
However, it is important to remember that the big national polls have been very wrong in the past. Back in 1980, a Gallup survey that was released on October 26th showed Ronald Reagan trailing Jimmy Carter by 8 points, but of course Reagan went on to win the election by a landslide…
“For weeks before the presidential election, the gurus of public opinion polling were nearly unanimous in their findings,”wrote John F. Stacks for TIMEin April 1980. “In survey after survey, they agreed that the coming choice between President Jimmy Carter and challenger Ronald Reagan was ‘too close to call.’ A few points at most, they said, separated the two major contenders. “But when the votes were counted, the former California Governor had defeated Carter by a margin of 51% to 41% in the popular vote — a rout for a U.S. presidential race. In the electoral college, the Reagan victory was a 10-to-1 avalanche that left the President holding only six states and the District of Columbia.”
Could a similar thing happen on November 8th? Without a doubt, Trump supporters are far more enthusiastic than Clinton supporters are, and that matters. The key on election day is to get your voters to turn out in large numbers, and the fact that Donald Trump is drawing record crowds to his rallies is a very good sign. But even if Donald Trump legitimately wins the election, it could still be stolen from him via election fraud. In recent days Democrats have been playing down the idea that this could possibly happen, but the truth is that even Barack Obama has admitted that election fraud is a major problem in the past. For instance, just consider what he said about this back in 2008…
“Well, I tell you what it helps in Ohio, that we got Democrats in charge of the machines,” Obama said regarding the threat of election-rigging. He continued, “Whenever people are in power, they have this tendency to try to tilt things in their direction. That’s why we’ve got to have, I believe, a voting rights division in the Justice Department that is nonpartisan, and that is serious about investigating cases of voter fraud.” “That’s why we need paper trails on these new electronic machines so that you actually have something that you can hang on to after you’ve punched that letter—make sure it hasn’t been hacked into,” he added, admitting that even Democrats have “monkeyed around” with election results: “I want to be honest, it’s not as if it’s just Republicans who have monkeyed around with elections in the past. Sometimes, Democrats have, too.”
I know that these comments almost sound too good to be true, but you can actually watch video of Obama making these comments right here. And it is odd that he specifically mentioned Democrats having control of the voting machines in Ohio, because I documented extreme voting irregularities in Ohio in the last election during a recent visit to Morningside. And an increasing number of Americans are starting to become concerned about election fraud. In fact, a brand new Reuters survey found that 70 percent of Republicans believe that if Hillary Clinton wins the election it will be “because of illegal voting or vote rigging”. So even if Hillary Clinton gets into the White House, she may find that she has an exceedingly difficult time trying to govern the nation. A lot of people have made a lot of predictions about the outcome of this election, and we don’t have very long until we find out who was right and who was wrong. At this point, voting has already begun in many states, and the early results in Nevada don’t look encouraging for the Trump campaign…
According to the estimable Nevada journalist Jon Ralston, Democrats have a 20-percentage-point turnout edge so far based on early and absentee voting in Clark County (home to Las Vegas), Nevada. And they have a 10-point edge in Washoe County (home to Reno).
But in the key swing state of Florida, so far 498,153 Republicans have voted compared to just 478,175 Democrats. So that would seem to be some very good news for the Trump campaign, because Trump cannot win without carrying the state of Florida. To me it seems as though Americans are more emotionally invested in this campaign than they have been in any presidential campaign in decades. The stakes are incredibly high, and in just over two weeks we will find out what happens. Let us just hope and pray that America makes the right choice.
This video was posted by the IDF and showcases soldiers from the co-ed Lions of the Jordan Valley Battalion overcame their fears to become true lions – protectors of Israel’s border with Jordan.
Jennifer LeClaire is now sharing her reflections and revelations through Walking in the Spirit. Listen at charismapodcastnetwork.com.
Dutch Sheets, internationally-known best-selling author, speaker and founder of the Appeal to Heaven Movement, has an important message for the church as voters prepare to head to the polls. I've presented it below and wholeheartedly agree.
As you can tell from my greeting, I am writing primarily to you, the American church. I am doing so personally, not representing Dutch Sheets Ministries. Though this is longer than the blogs I normally send, please read it as an urgent, heartfelt appeal. The sense of urgency I feel is hard to put in words. I have prayed and wept much over the condition of our nation, and continue to be deeply burdened. We are so close to the precipice of a complete self-destruction—a devastation of such magnitude that it would take decades to recover. Some believe a complete recovery would never be possible. The America we have known and loved is being systematically dismantled and reshaped.
Voting is a precious right and a serious responsibility; I realize it is also a very personal and private one. We do it by secret ballot in America for a reason. I don't want to be another voice of manipulation—there are so many in presidential election campaigns—therefore, it is with the utmost caution and conviction that I do this.
I also want to state up front that I am neither a registered Republican nor Democrat. Years ago, I concluded that if my "calls to prayer" were to be trusted by believers across the board, I would have to issue them as an independent voter. With this in mind, I relinquished my party affiliation, along with the rights to vote in primaries, help shape party platforms, possibly become a delegate and so forth and became an Independent. Since then, like many of you I have become fed-up with both parties—disillusioned with the Republicans, offended and appalled by the Democrats. I say this to assure you that I am not making this appeal in order to stump for "my party's candidate."
Finally, I want to also preface my appeal by saying I have not been a huge Trump fan. Had I been allowed to vote in the primaries, he would not have been my first choice. His seeming arrogance, insults, history of philandering, personal ambition and so on were very disconcerting to me. I kept an open mind, however, knowing God uses imperfect people and that He is very merciful—I don't condone sin, but neither do I cast the first stone—and knowing that people do, indeed, change. I was also challenged to remain open-minded about Trump by the fact that several spiritual leaders I trusted were convinced God wanted to use him to overthrow an ineffective and corrupt system. Over time, I came to agree with them. However, for me, this election is not nearly as much about who I am for, as it is who and what I am against; and frankly, even with my initial concerns, the decision has never been easier.
One of the most devastating occurrences in America in our lifetimes, ranking up with The Supreme Court's decisions of Roe v. Wade and Engel v. Vitale (the removal of prayer from schools), was the election of Barack Obama. I gave a strong warning about what would happen to our nation if he was elected. Sadly, it has all come to pass: a continued liberalization and empowerment of the judicial system in America; a weakened economy (our national debt has doubled in seven years to $19 trillion!); further moral deterioration, along with a rebellion to and mockery of God (does anyone remember the White House lit up in the colors of the LGBT movement after marriage was redefined by the Supreme Court?
If that wasn't an "in your face" to God and those of us who "cling to their God, guns and religion" by the man who mockingly said it, I don't know what could ever be!); increased violence; a weakened position in the world, along with a weakened military; the advance of radical Islamist terrorism; a setback in race relations; and more. I rejoice that our nation has been able to elect our first black president. I am deeply saddened, however, that it was Barack Obama.
The damage has been so great that America is now one president away from a complete transformation to secularism, a loss of our Judeo-Christian foundation, the loss of our position as the stabilizing force for good in the earth, and the leading voice of the gospel to all the world.
If elected, Hillary Clinton will be the president who finishes the job. She stands almost entirely against everything we, the church, are for, and for everything we are against. Hillary is pro-abortion, including partial-birth abortion, the most insidious evil of the last century; will raise taxes while continuing out-of-control spending; will further weaken our military; is for completely open borders; is pro-gay marriage; supports Obamacare; has no respect for our Judeo-Christian heritage; sells influence; and is a proven liar. Do not be fooled—she will completely finish what Obama started.
The notion peddled by some "Never Trump" Republicans that they can keep Hillary from accomplishing what she wants for four years, then replace her with someone they prefer, is laughable. The fact that they should know this, and don't, is truly scary. Even more frightening is perhaps they do. The Republican Congress has done nothing to stop Obama; why should we believe they will do so with Hillary?
When they threaten to curb Obama with "the power of the purse," he simply calls their bluff and either bullies them into giving him what he wants, or simply does as he pleases through unconstitutional executive orders. A Republican-controlled Congress has done nothing to defund Obamacare, slow down the trillions of dollars of debt he has accrued, prevent his treasonous acts with Iran, defund Planned Parenthood and their selling of babies' body parts (can you even believe such a thing even exists, and that the Obamas and Hillary condone it?), or stop any number of other inappropriate actions and wasteful expenditures. Much of Washington, D.C., is an out-of-control cancer that must be cut out.
To be sure, there are Republican leaders who desperately want to change things but the entrenched, lobbyist-owned, career politicians—many of them liberals in conservative clothing—have neither the will, backbone and perhaps not the intellect needed to change it. Radical surgery is necessary. Again, it is laughable to think that the leadership of this weak and diluted Republican Congress would be able or willing to stop the agenda of the libs once they enjoy an even greater momentum from another White House win. Someone please tell me why we should believe that. If the Republican Party has not sold us out, why did they spend $18.2 million on Bush's election in 2004, $53.5 million for McCain in 2008, $42.4 million for Romney in 2012 and $0 on ads to elect Trump? They have sold us out.
It is also ridiculous, and perhaps insincere, for the "Never Trump" Republican leaders to suggest "we would only need to reverse four to eight years of damage if Hillary is elected, which in the long run isn't much." Again, these leaders are either lying or horribly deceived. The damage presently occurring to our nation is—in the sense of time—exponential. Every year of damage means closer to 10 years in its longevity.
How long will it take America to reverse another $4-8 trillion of increased debt? Decades!
How long will it take us to recover from the decimating of our military? Decades!
How long will it take to defeat a now entrenched Obama/Clinton-enabled ISIS? Decades! (And honest military and intelligence leaders admit that we now have many radical Islamist terrorists here in the U.S., not just abroad.)
How long will it take to undo the loss of appropriate fear, which our enemies and the enemies of freedom around the world once had toward us? Decades! (Our enemies now laugh at us, while attacking us with our own weapons, or weapons purchased with millions in ransom money we paid them. While Putin rebuilds the Soviet empire and China makes plans to rule the world, we are disarming. We can't even identify our enemies. Obama and those around him are foolish and spineless, and our military leaders know it. We are the laughingstock of our enemies. Hillary helped to set this debacle of foreign policy, and she will continue it.)
How long will it take to recover from two to five Clinton lifetime appointees to the Supreme Court? Decades! If she appoints five, which is feasible, she will have single-handedly appointed over half the Supreme Court and will have given the liberal non-constitutionalists a 30- to 40-year, 7–2 majority advantage! (There is one vacancy now, and of the other eight justices, the three oldest are 77, 79 and 83; two more are in their late 60s.) Then there are the several hundred lifetime federal judges she would appoint. Obama has already appointed nearly half of our federal judges—all liberals—and Hillary would appoint the other half. This entire scenario is unthinkable! If all this occurs, these over-reaching, legislating ideologues will finish the job of decimating everything you and I stand for. America as we have known it may then be gone forever. We have less than three weeks to stop this.
Do not listen to the "only four years" crowd!
I also want to make an appeal to those who say their conscience won't allow them to vote for either Trump or Clinton, so they simply won't vote at all. I sincerely respect your convictions, but in this election, that argument fails the logic test (as does voting for someone who cannot possibly win). Trump's potential negative developments do not come close to the magnitude of those Hillary would produce.
We simply cannot—regardless of our concerns regarding Trump—allow all the above-mentioned consequences to happen. I respectfully appeal to you to turn your "conscience" and "principles" toward the unborn, your children, grandchildren and the destiny of this nation. Please! We have already been down this "not voting" path once before when millions of evangelicals refused to vote for Romney because he was a Mormon. As disgusted as I am with Romney's current choice of Hillary over Trump, how much better off would we have been with him, rather than four more years of Obama?
To see how Trump would actually lead, I would challenge you to look at those with whom he has surrounded himself: Pence; Carson; Huckabee; Giuliani; Christie; Gingrich; Palin; trusted generals; law enforcement officials; border patrol officials; evangelical leaders of all races; and otherwise, ethical, conservative leaders. What does this tell us? It is probably the greatest indicator of who Trump now is, clearly making the case that he has changed his moral ways over the past 10 years, as he claims.
I personally believe he has changed. I also believe God has gripped his heart for the nation, and is in the process of further transforming Mr. Trump. God has certainly allowed him to be humbled. Of course, the statements made by Trump on the video released from 2005 were despicable. However, if we reject him because of the sins of his past, we would also have to reject Abraham, King David, Rahab, "the woman at the well," Mary Magdeline—all adulterers in their unrighteous past. And don't forget murderers like the apostle Paul. A lot of formerly despicable people will be in heaven! And a lot of them, by the way, became great leaders and champions for God. Some changed the world.
These associations also tell us that Trump's stated conservative bent is genuine, and they state that he is wise enough to know what he doesn't know! I believe Trump is showing us that he will function, if elected president, as any wise businessperson does: find qualified people who know how to get the job done, as in the above examples, and empower them to do it. I like those whom he is signaling to us would be those leaders. They are proven, trustworthy and honorable. If you cannot vote for Trump, vote for them.
Hillary, on the other hand, would give us four to eight more years of polytheists, liberal progressives, media elites, police-haters, global statists, financially irresponsible leaders and a weak military.
Perhaps a better way for the disenchanted to approach this election is to vote against someone. I would suggest to you that voting against a candidate is a good reason to vote! "Neutrality" is not a valid option at this critical crossroads in history. The times demand that we make a stand! If not for, make your stand against the following:
Vote against the foolish, selfish, shortsighted, establishment Republicans fighting to maintain their power.
Vote against an immoral, ungodly Democratic Party. To those who take issue with this characterization, don't forget that they booed God at their convention in 2012.
Vote against an unelected, unaccountable, over-reaching, out-of-control judiciary that believes it has the right to reshape America.
Vote against the unethical, biased, lying and untrustworthy media. We will never reclaim America until we reject their influence. They may be the single greatest obstacle to America's recovery.
Vote against a weakened military.
Vote against a loss of national sovereignty and a one-world government.
Vote against open borders.
Vote against policies that enable radical Islamist terrorism.
Vote against the removing of our 2nd Amendment rights.
Vote against higher taxes.
Vote against Obamacare.
Vote against the redefining of marriage. It is not too late to reverse this.
Vote against abortion-on-demand, partial-birth abortion and Planned Parenthood with its selling of babies' body parts.
Vote against liberalism and progressivism.
Vote against the silencing of the church. Only the totally naïve do not see this coming quickly.
Vote against revising our history and the loss of our Judeo-Christian heritage.
Vote against the politicization and exploitation of racism and the polarizing of America.
Vote against the slandering and weakening of law enforcement.
Vote against the politicization of the Justice Department, the FBI and other important departments of government. Both departments are now undeniably and shamelessly used for political purposes and to oppose Christians and conservatives.
Pastors, if you've ever made a stand, make one now—it may be your last chance. Tell your people the truth clearly. Pray and fast! Turn your services into prayer meetings.
To all believers, if you agree with what I have written, forward it to all of your friends and family members. Most of them hear only from a hypocritical, lying media, which is now the propaganda arm of the liberal agenda. Speak up. Appeal to them to read this and think about it.
And vote!
Vote for a future, one that includes what you love and believe in. Trump has flaws, but Hillary will be fatal.
3 Reasons Why you should read Life in the Spirit. 1) Get to know the Holy Spirit. 2) Learn to enter God's presence 3) Hear God's voice clearly! Go deeper!
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