Category: Resource Notes

On July 4, we celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence and call it Independence Day. Actually, our Independence came 7 years later, in 1783. On July 4, 1776 we made a declaration of our basic principles, and so the holiday should really be called Declaration Day.
Our Founding Fathers declared first of all that all men were created equal. This powerful statement acknowledges that we are created by God, and that all else comes from Him. It was God who created us equal, with no preference for ancestry, skin color, gender, or other distinction. They actually echoed the Biblical statement that, in Christ, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal 3:28).
Secondly, they declared that it was God who endowed us with inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. No one can take our life, because “God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.” (I John 5:11 b). In the same way, it is the Spirit of the Lord who gives us freedom (2 Cor 3:17b), not to indulge ourselves, but to serve others in love (Gal 6:13). The Lord gives us the choice of which path to follow in pursuit of happiness (Deut 30:19), but he guides us to happiness by showing us that life, prosperity, and honor come from pursuit of righteousness and love (Prov 21:21).
In the many years since 1776, our nation has struggled to live up to the principles declared by our Founding Fathers. The stain of slavery and racism, denying God’s declaration of equality, has only now begun to disappear from society. Yet, in modern times, many have forgotten that our rights come from God, denying Him and looking to the State as our source of rights and happiness. Even the right to life has been subverted to a false freedom to serve ourselves. We stand in grave danger of losing the God given rights and freedoms declared so eloquently in 1776.
Its time to turn things around.
Let us start with ourselves and join the Founding Fathers in their declaration:
* God created us, and everything comes from Him.
* God created us equal, to be one in Christ.
* God has given us the right to life through Christ.
* God has given us freedom in order to serve others.
*God has given us the right to pursue genuine happiness through righteousness and love.
Let us pray that the Church will recapture the Spirit of Declaration Day and pass it on to a nation desperately in need of real equality, life, liberty, and happiness.

This week, on June 28, we remember two anniversary dates which are linked together in a cycle of bloodshed and unforgiveness.

On June 28, 1914, 104 years ago, a young Serbian terrorist assassinated the Archduke and Crown Prince of the great Austro-Hungarian Empire. The act led Austria-Hungary to revenge itself by declaring war on Serbia. The Russians entered the blood feud to protect their fellow Slavs, the Serbians. The Germans came to the support of Austria-Hungary, France and England came to the aid of Russia, and Europe erupted into the massive slaughter we now call World War I. All because of a cycle of unforgivness.

Five years and millions of deaths later, the war was officially brought to a close on June 28, 1919 in the Treaty of Versailles. Once again, unforgivness carried the day as the victorious Allies imposed draconian conditions on the defeated Germans. The resulting hardship and resentment created an opportunity for Adolph Hitler and his Nazi party to drive Europe into a second horrendous conflict which became the Second World War. Then, for another 50 years, the Russians extracted their revenge by turning the Eastern European nations into subservient police states. The First World War, called the “War to end all wars,” ended with the peace treaty of Versailles, which a critic called “The peace to end all peace.”

It was up to the Americans to break the cycle of unforgiveness. With the Marshall Plan in Europe and a humane occupation of Japan, the Americans turned their German and Japanese enemies into friends. America has also forgiven its cold war enemies in China, Vietnam, Russia, and Eastern Europe, leading the World into a time of prosperity and relative peace, and making way for the unprecedented worldwide Christian revival.

The American ability to forgive goes back to our history as a Christian nation. The Lord commands us to forgive our enemies, and the experience after the Second World War showed how the Biblical command to love our enemies produces Godly fruit of peace and revival. Forgiveness is perhaps the most powerful spiritual weapon to change the atmosphere and bring God’s answers into a situation.

There will always be those who are driven to attack others, and we thank God for those who protect us. But we must also know that there is no true peace without forgiveness.

Let us pray that we will remember that we are called to bless and not curse, and that we can use the spiritual weapon of forgiveness to end destructive cycles of unforgiveness.

This week on June 21 the Summer begins on the Summer Solstice.

Astronomically, the Summer Solstice is the day when the sun reaches its highest point in the sky over the northern hemisphere. It is also the longest day of the year. The opposite solstice, the Winter Solstice, is the day when the sun is lowest in the heavens and the night is longest. The other seasonal markers, the Spring and Fall Equinoxes, occur when the sun is at mid point and day and night are of equal length.

These important calendar dates are important in God’s religious calendar. The first three Hebrew feasts, pointing to Christ’s death and resurrection, occur near the Spring Equinox, while the last three feasts, picturing the second coming of Christ, occur near the Fall Equinox. The Spring and Winter are associated with the appearance of Christ in Hosea 6:3, and the story of Christ’s advent begins with the conception of John the Baptist which is believed to have occurred near the Winter Solstice in 7 BC. Summer is associated with the second coming of Christ, as we are told that the Summer is near when the fig tree (Israel) comes to life. (Matt 24:32). You may have a free download of our book The Stars of His Coming at www.dropbox.com/sh/qa0m17n2q1f6gvv/AAAil7jgo8QIJHAmaHZEdbtya?dl=0 for more information.

These important spiritual times have also been hijacked by the followers of the religion of the False Messiah, the Pagans. The Winter Solstice came to symbolize the birth of the False Messiah, and structures like New Grange in Ireland are aligned with the sun on the Winter Solstice. Pagans celebrated the Spring Equinox as the beginning of the year, as it was in God’s calendar, and celebrated the harvest at the Fall Equinox. The Summer Solstice, when the sun is highest, marked the power of their Pagan False Messiahs, and temples like Stonehenge were aligned with the sun on the Summer Solstice.

In modern times, the believers in the Godhood religion (i.e. we are all Gods) have latched onto the Pagan calendar in an attempt to get in touch with the spirits behind Paganism. They have also tried to revitalize the ancient Pagan sites with their New Age religion. They can be seen at Stonehenge, New Grange, Chitzen Itza, Angkor Wat, Chaco Canyon, and other sites trying to bring back the demon spirits which dominated these civilizations. And, of course, the High Holy Day for many is the Summer Solstice.

As Christians, we need to pray for those poor New Age souls who are falling into demonic bondage. We also need to remember that dates like the Summer Solstice were created by God for his glory, and we can celebrate them as part of God’s prophetic calendar.

Yes, the Summer is near, and we should be telling folks the real meaning: the return of Christ is near.

This week we look back on the dedication of the Titanic Memorial in Washington D.C. on June 9, 1913.

In the aftermath of the tragic sinking of the Titanic in 1912, hearings were held in the U.S. Senate. During these hearings, the doctrine of “Women and Children First” was reviewed and it was found that 90% of those who died in the disaster were men. The First Lady, Nellie Taft, was so moved by the courage and sacrifice of those men that she raised funds to build a memorial to them. It was placed near the White House, bearing the inscription, “To the brave men who gave their lives that women and children might be saved.”

Not everyone was in favor of the Titanic Memorial. Feminists argued that “Women and Children First” was a disguised form of paternalistic oppression. They even criticized the women of the Titanic for accepting preferential treatment. The Memorial apparently remained offensive to Feminists, and in 1973 it was removed from its prominent place and put in storage. In 1979 it was moved to an obscure location overlooking the Potomac River.

Today the Feminist agenda is at its ascendency, and they are well on the way to eliminating special preferences for women and children. Institutions which are designed to protect children are being forced to put them at risk to sexual predators in the name of equality, and almost 60 million have been killed in furtherance of the Feminist abortion agenda. Women, especially single mothers, are increasingly left to fend for themselves and now, thanks to the Feminists, women can be sent into front lines of military conflicts. They are even thinking of subjecting women to the draft. The old belief of chivalry and sacrifice is ridiculed, and then the Feminists are surprised as young men thrown into close contact with young women in the military behave badly. And the abandonment and abuse of women and children by men encouraged to have no sense of honor is increasing every day, with tragic results.

We need to pray that there will be a revival of chivalry and sacrifice in our men. The Biblical role of men, to love their families even to the point of sacrificing themselves like Christ (Eph. 5:25) and the men of the Titanic, must be restored.

Let us remember the Titanic Memorial and pray that its message is moved from the Potomac into the hearts of our men and women.

Next Sunday, Father’s Day, would be a good time to start.

Next week the on-again off again June 12 summit between U.S. President Trump and North Korean Dictator Kim Jong Un appears to be on again. At stake are the peace of Korea and the end of the long suffering of the Korean people.

That suffering began in 1910, when the Japanese conquered Korea and used it as a springboard for their ambitions in China. The Koreans were treated brutally and many of their women were kidnapped and forced to serve as prostitutes for the Japanese army. There were about 68,000 Christians in Korea in 1910, (51,000 in the South and 17,000 in the North), and they were persecuted along with the other Korean people.

The defeat of the Japanese in 1945 did not end the suffering of the Korean people. The Russians, who had entered the war in its closing days, were allowed to collect the surrender Japanese troops north of the 38th Parallel. The Russians prevented the unification of Korea and instead set up a vicious Communist dictatorship under Kim Jong Un’s Grandfather. Hundreds of Christians in North Korea were martyred, most fled to the south, and the remnant went want underground. Even so, today there are about 500,000 Christians in North Korea.

In 1950 Stalin and Mao Tse Tung of China felt that South Korea would be an easy military conquest and the North Koreans launched a Blitzkrieg attack on South Korea. The U.S. and the United Nations came to aid of South Korea and after being driven back to the South East corner of Korea, defeated the North Korean army and drove deep into North Korea. Mao then sent Chinese troops into Korea, driving the allies back to about the original starting point on the 38th Parallel. The see-saw war devastated the Korean peninsula and brought suffering and death to soldiers and civilians alike. Christians were especially targeted by the Communists and thousands were martyred before the war ended with an armistice in 1953. Today, after 65 years, the opposing armies still face each other over the so called Demilitarized Zone.

After the war South Korea remained free and became prosperous as a result. The church also grew, with the country housing the world’s largest church under Paul Yonggi Cho which grew to 500,000 members from 1958 to 1987. Today there are over 20 million Christians comprising over 40% of the population of South Korea. Yet the threat of war still hangs over South Korea as there are said to be 10,000 North Korean artillery pieces within range of Seoul’s 10 million inhabitants.

The North followed the path of Communism to poverty and totalitarian terror. Millions have starved to death as the regime spends its money on the military and personal luxuries of the elites. Dissidents and their families are disappeared into concentration camps. And now the North’s pursuit of atomic weapons and long range missiles has raised the specter of nuclear war with the United States.

We are thankful that there has been progress in bringing peace to Korea and for the meeting between Trump and Kim. Now we must pray that God will give wisdom to those two leaders to reach a workable agreement to denuclearize Korea and end the Korean War.

Let us pray blessings on Kim Jong Un, not for his evil past, but that he will find the path to true peace through Jesus Christ. Bless him to be a blessing to his people and the Church, allowing them to experience prosperity and freedom.

We pray that the South Koreans will see the threat of war removed. May they show mercy to their brothers in the North and bless them after peace comes to Korea. And let them work with the Christians in the North to bring revival to the whole Korean peninsula.

Pray for the peace of Korea.

Next Monday, Memorial Day, the U.S. pauses to remember those who gave their all in our defense.

Warfare is one of the oldest activities of mankind. Beginning with Nimrod in Babylon, rulers have used force of arms to subjugate their enemies and, often, their own people. The great empires of antiquity, Babylon, Egypt, Assyria, Persia, Greece, and Rome rose and fell to the cadence of armies on the march. And the people suffered from the plagues of death, famine, and disease which followed the armies.

Into this world of brutal warfare God sent deliverers to his people. Abraham recued Lot, Moses defeated Egypt, Joshua defeated the Canaanites, and the Judges fought to rescue the Israelites when they repented of their disastrous turns away from God. God built a great Kingdom on the victories of King David, but the people repeatedly fell into sin and many of their Kings moved in the oppressive spirit of Nimrod. The horrors of warfare came upon God’s rebellious people, and the Israelites became slaves in the Promised Land (See Nehemiah 9:36, 37).

Christ came into a world ruled by the sword, but He refused to build His Kingdom by the sword. Instead, He established His Kingdom within the hearts of believers, giving them the inner strength to overcome their real enemy, Satan. Jesus was the greatest revolutionary of all time, bringing millions out of the Kingdom of Darkness. Even the mighty Roman Empire finally bowed its knee and surrendered to Christ.

Alas, the plague of warfare was not eradicated even in the Christian Lands. The Church followed the path of Israel, falling into sinful periods and suffering divisions. New Nimrods arose, some from the Church itself, to subjugate their people. And, as with Israel, God sent deliverers, some with a Bible, like St Patrick who converted the Irish, and some with the sword, like Charles Martel who saved Europe from an Islamic Invasion.

God has also raised up deliverers for our country, whose sacrifice we remember on Memorial Day. Jesus said “Greater Love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:14). As the Lord commends them for their love, so should we.

Let us then pray for our defenders as we honor those who showed the greatest love by sacrificing their lives for us.

This year on Pentecost Sunday, May 20, Christians are looking back to celebrate the outpouring of the Spirit and eagerly anticipating a new outpouring for a new Pentecost.

Many trace the modern outpouring of the Holy Spirit to a prayer initiative begun in the Catholic Church 120 years ago by Pope Leo XIII. He established a nine day period prior to Pentecost, called a Novena, for the Church to pray for a new Pentecost just as the first century Church gathered for nine days prior to the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. His prayer still resonates today:

“Renew, your wonders in this our day, as by a new Pentecost. Grant to Your Church that, being of one mind and steadfast in prayer, it may advance the reign of our Divine Savior, the reign of truth and justice, the reign of love and peace. Amen.”

The Pope’s prayer was answered within a few years in the Protestant Church, as the Spirit fell in Topeka Kansas in 1900 and at Azuza Street in 1906. Hundreds, then thousands, then millions experienced the baptism of the Holy Spirit which John the Baptist spoke of after he saw the Spirit descend on Jesus at His baptism (John 1;32,33). While many thought that speaking in tongues was the defining feature of the movement, William Seymour of Azuza Street saw a much larger picture:

“Baptism in the Holy Ghost and fire means to be flooded with the Love of God and Power for service”
We Charismatics tend to focus on the upper room experience of Pentecost, where they spoke in tongues as evidence of the infilling with the power of the Holy Spirit. But when they went out into the streets the other miracle of Pentecost was the ability to be heard and understood by the people. It took both the power of the Holy Spirit and the ability to be heard and understood to give birth to the Church at Pentecost. Now, after centuries of division, the Church needs a new Pentecost of hearing and understanding to come together to reach the world as Jesus prayed in John 17:23.

“We hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues” –Acts 2:11

There are diverse tongues within the Church: Charismatic tongues, Catholic Tongues, Eastern Orthodox tongues, Evangelical tongues, Messianic tongues, Protestant tongues, and many others. We must learn to hear and understand each other so we can come into the unity of Jesus prayed for. Then, by showing love for each other, will the world be able to hear and understand the message that God so loved the world that He sent His son.

Join us as we pray for a new Pentecost of Hearing and Understanding to bring unity to the Body of Christ and revival to the nation.