Is This the United States of America?

Full disclosure; what I am writing about below with regards to the prophetic Scriptures I cite is simply a point of view.  It is not an eschatological teaching of mine, nor is it a doctrinal confession of mine, but a conjecture on my part, though the concept of limited Constitutional government is a concept I hold very dear and support.  I do not espouse the use of dates and conjectures about Messiah’s coming/return, but hold only to what we know that the Scriptures teach regarding these aspects of prophetic history.  Therefore let it be clear that what I submit below is simply an idea of mine, and not to be confused with a teaching.  It is a conjectural point of view, and not to be taught as doctrine or eschatology, but simply to be understood as what it is.  Thank you.

THE PEPSTER

[ A Call to Prayer ] First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. (1 Timothy 2:1-2 NASB)

Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities.  For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.  Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.  For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil.  Do you want to have no fear of authority?  Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; for it is a minister of God to you for good.  But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.  Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience’ sake.  For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing.  Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor. (Romans 13:1-8)

When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, But when a wicked man rules, people groan. (Proverbs 29:2)

Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed, to malign no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing every consideration for all men.  For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. (Titus 3:1-3)

Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right.  For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men.

(1Peter 2:13-15)

Vision of the Four Beasts

In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel saw a dream and visions in his mind as he lay on his bed; then he wrote the dream down and related the following summary of it.  Daniel said, “I was looking in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea.  And four great beasts were coming up from the sea, different from one another. 

The first was like a lion and had the wings of an eagle.  I kept looking until its wings were plucked, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man; a human mind also was given to it. 

And behold, another beast, a second one, resembling a bear.  And it was raised up on one side, and three ribs were in its mouth between its teeth; and thus they said to it, ‘Arise, devour much meat!’ 

After this I kept looking, and behold, another one, like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird; the beast also had four heads, and dominion was given to it. 

After this I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrifying and extremely strong; and it had large iron teeth.  It devoured and crushed and trampled down the remainder with its feet; and it was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.  While I was contemplating the horns, behold, another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were pulled out by the roots before it; and behold, this horn possessed eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth uttering great boasts.

The Ancient of Days Reigns

“I kept looking

Until thrones were set up,

And the Ancient of Days took His seat;

His vesture was like white snow

And the hair of His head like pure wool.

His throne was blaze with flames,

Its wheels were a burning fire.

“A river of fire was flowing

And coming out from before Him;

Thousands upon thousands were attending Him,

And myriads upon myriads were standing before Him;

The court sat,

And the books were opened.

Then I kept looking because of the sound of the boastful words which the horn was speaking; I kept looking until the beast was slain, and its body was destroyed and given to the burning fire.  As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but an extension of life was granted to them for an appointed period of time.

The Son of Man Presented

“I kept looking in the night visions,

And behold, with the clouds of heaven

One like a Son of Man was coming,

And He came up to the Ancient of Days

And was presented before Him.

“And to Him was given dominion,

Glory and a kingdom,

That all the peoples, nations and men of every language

Might serve Him.

His dominion is an everlasting dominion

Which will not pass away;

And His kingdom is one

Which will not be destroyed.

The Vision Interpreted

“As for me, Daniel, my spirit was distressed within me, and the visions in my mind kept alarming me.  I approached one of those who were standing by and began asking him the exact meaning of all this.  So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of these things: ‘These great beasts, which are four in number, are four kings who will arise from the earth.  But the saints of the Highest One will receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, for all ages to come.’

“Then I desired to know the exact meaning of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others, exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its claws of bronze, and which devoured, crushed and trampled down the remainder with its feet, and the meaning of the ten horns that were on its head and the other horn which came up, and before which three of them fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth uttering great boasts and which was larger in appearance than its associates.  I kept looking, and that horn was waging war with the saints and overpowering them until the Ancient of Days came and judgment was passed in favor of the saints of the Highest One, and the time arrived when the saints took possession of the kingdom.

“Thus he said: ‘The fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom on the earth, which will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth and tread it down and crush it.  As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings will arise; and another will arise after them, and he will be different from the previous ones and will subdue three kings.  He will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.  But the court will sit for judgment, and his dominion will be taken away, annihilated and destroyed forever.  Then the sovereignty, the dominion and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One; His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him.’

“At this point the revelation ended.  As for me, Daniel, my thoughts were greatly alarming me and my face grew pale, but I kept the matter [to myself.”

(Daniel 7)

There are TEN FEMA REGIONS in the United States, and they are:

• Regional Map
• Region I, Boston, MA
• Region II, New York City, NY
• Region III, Philadelphia, PA
• Region IV, Atlanta, GA
• Region V, Chicago, IL
• Region VI, Denton, TX
• Region VII, Kansas City, MO
• Region VIII, Denver, CO
• Region IX, Oakland, CA
• Region X, Bothell, WA
• Pacific Area Office (PAO), Honolulu, HI

Map of the TEN FEMA Regions:

The United States of America was a nation conceived in the model of the Old Roman Republic, with three branches of government; an Executive (the presidency), a Legislative branch (the Senate and House of Representatives), and a Judiciary (the US Supreme Court).  It was founded to be a Constitutional Representative Republic with very limited democracy.  Its national Constitution protected the rights of all of its citizens equally under the Rule of Law; therefore there was no mob rule, and the majority never ruled, but the rights of the minorities were equally protected under the Constitution as those of the majority.  No nation in the history of man been so founded.  It was an experiment.

In creating this type of government, the founders broke with the old oppressive European model of monarchs, oligarchs, and religious dictatorships; therefore it established upon the earth a nation completely and totally and radically different than all of those who came before it.  It was a nation conceived in liberty, but it could only work as long as its Rule of Law was respected and observed by its public servants elected to office.  In order for this to be, there were two fundamental necessities that had to be passed from generation to generation; a deep and abiding knowledge of the spiritual and moral undergirding of this great republic embedded in its populace, and a deep and abiding love of these in requiring its elected officials hold true to these in public service.  Any lapse in any of these would prove fatal to the republic.

For more than a generation, our youth has lost the concept of morality and replaced it with amoral relativism.  It has separated the religious and moral duty of public servants to hold true to their oath and replaced it with the belief that all things are negotiable, that even truth can be compromised at the altar of expedient bi-partisanism; that any politician can be bribed for the right money, and that this is how government works. 

The moral and religious underpinnings that once girded this great republic have been removed by secular humanist educators working in tangent with the great teachers unions for decades in our public education system, and have churned out of the intellectual assembly line the most uneducated and ill-informed people in Western Civilization.  The graduates of our public education system today can barely read and write, much less process information properly, therefore they are rendered easy prey to the mind-control mass media, and politicians of wealth redistribution and so-called social justice.

A populace so conditioned has produced the worst crop of politicians this nation has ever known.  Corruption in government runs to the highest levels, and bribery at all levels is the rule of the day.  The president lives and rules like a European potentate, not a public servant.  He by-passes the congress to sign into law via Executive Order one rule after another, and then uses the arm of the federal bureaucracy in the agencies other previous presidents have created and prepared in advance, to institute the most draconian and business-killing regulations this country has ever known.  The government is now doing everything possible to destroy the economy of this nation before the next elections.

FEMA and the EPA have gained incredible authority that the US Constitution has never given any arm of government.  It has acquired by presidential fiat legislative authority and regulatory authority – the power to create rules and regulations and the power to enforce those rules and regulations without the oversight and permission of the Legislature; that is without either the US House of Representatives or the US Senate granting it these rights and authorities under law.  These are the small horns that boasts great things against the liberties God has granted the citizenry of this country which our Constitution is meant to protect against such usurpations as more and more our civil rights are being violated.

The Judicial Branch of government has increasingly granted these unelected federal, state, and local bureaucracies authority to regulate and enforce by force to usurp these rights and to claim more authority as the federal leviathan continues to grow with each successive presidency.  Since Woodrow Wilson, almost every president has violated their Oath of Office, to faithfully execute the office of the President of the United States of America, and to protect, defend, and uphold the Constitution of the United States of America against enemies; foreign and domestic, so help them God; with the current occupant of the White House have the distinction as the one with the most violations of American Law since Franklyn Delano Roosevelt in the early to mid-twentieth century.

WHY MORE PEOPLE ARE LEAVING THE GARDEN STATE TO MORE REASONABLE PLACES TO RAISE A FAMILY

WHY MORE PEOPLE ARE LEAVING THE GARDEN STATE TO MORE REASONABLE PLACES TO RAISE A FAMILY

A dear and close friend of ours read the article I wrote below, and the one on how Atlantic City, and cities like it in New Jersey, are quickly becoming new versions of Detroit.  First, what she revealed about the teacher’s unions and the power they wield in this and many other “vampire” states, followed by my own observations, having been born and raised in New Jersey, owned property in it.  This is the gist; more and more people are leaving states like New Jersey, because the politicians in those states have made it so unaffordable to live in that they have no recourse but to exit the state before they are forced into bankruptcy.  In states like New Jersey, the only people who are making good under this economy are Obama’s friends, who are getting paid BIG money under the table for their support, as the federal agencies are being used to funnel money through his so-called green initiatives, as he bankrupts the coal industry, and penalizes small and medium businesses who cannot afford to stay open under the crushing draconian regulations, over-taxation, and new mandates created and continually altered almost daily by Obama with his Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare; the most overt attack on the free enterprise system in this nation’s history, and a plan that is designed to fail in order to help Obama enforce by Executive Action or any other means – a so-called RINO/Dem Bipartisan Congress? – a push for a single-payer government plan, which the Justice Roberts legitimized as Supreme Court Chief Justice against the dictates and protections accorded to each and every citizen and their businesses under our Constitution.  Well, now to the rest of the story.

Thanks Janet, for this interesting perspective into the real problem in New Jersey.

The teachers union in NJ is a hungry machine. Currently 85% of your property taxes goes to feed it. Your average teacher doesn't give a hoot if people lose their homes. They want their increases, fat pensions and free lifetime healthcare. It's what they were promised! I know, I have many wonderful teacher friends and when I've pointed this out, the response was always, so. It's one of the main reasons I left the state. Here you can have a house twice as big and pay 3k in taxes. 

Atlantic city, I agree, a big lie!

On Dec 22, 2013, at 7:11 PM, THE PEPSTER wrote:

When they first approved casinos in New Jersey decades ago, the people were told that they would be a form of revenue for the state that would keep local and state taxes down, and would help the local communities where they would be built.  Decades later, state and local taxes are the highest in the nation, or among the highest, and no one but the politicians and the casino owners who own them have benefited.  We pay over eleven thousand dollars in property taxes in the town we live in.  Friends of ours pay about as much or a little more per year, and though their property is paid for, because the main bread winner lost his job due to Obamacare, they do not earn enough to continue carrying the burdensome taxes on their property and they’re forced to sell it in order not to lose it.  This is truly sad indeed.  These exorbitant taxes do provide any improvement in services, because all one needs to do is sit through a three inch storm and watch only the main streets being treated with brine while side streets are neither plowed or cleaned.  No brine, no salt, no ice melt, and certainly no plow.  People who live on these streets must maneuver their vehicles through some of the most treacherous roads in the most treacherous conditions in the northeast.

As for the local towns, well the article below is only the latest in a good many that have exposed the seedy side to the promise made years ago, that so many New Jerseyans bought into.  How much more has to happen in this state until we begin to elect people who will make promises that they do not intend to keep, and continue to shake us down for what little pennies we have left after Obama’s regulatory policies, his scant help for the chronic unemployment problem in this state (the Tier 5 people and beyond), Obamacare’s ravages of people’s private insurance policies, and the destructive affect this is having on their employment, as more and more small and medium size businesses are forced under this law to close down, because they cannot stay open and earn a profit under these so-called “guidelines.”  Now read below and weep about the compromise with corruption that was made decades ago, and how under this Obama “recovery” cities such as Atlantic City, and others are becoming mirrors of Detroit, Michigan, and sections of Dearborn, Michigan as well.  We have yet to read about the tent cities that litter the overpasses of many of our highways across this nation.  And those who live further in, who at one time lived in apartments, and homes of their own, and had decent jobs with decent wages, but haven’t seen the light of day since September, 2009.  The forgotten people, our neighbors, who were foreclosed and who left, and cannot find work, are not covered under any medical plan, and whose  plight is all but forgotten by a media and press that considers them nothing but a political inconvenience under Obama, but would have been all over these stories under any other president.

THE PEPSTER

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The next Detroit? Atlantic City and Las Vegas facing catastrophic collapse

Posted: Dec 21, 2013 5:04 PM EST

Updated: Dec 22, 2013 3:42 PM EST

By Israel Joffe, Web Producer - 

AP file photo/Mel EvansNEW YORK (MYFOXNY) - With the closure of the recent Atlantic Club Casino Hotel, rumors of the bankrupt Revel being sold to Hard Rock, Las Vegas real estate prices remaining depressed, casinos opening up all around the country and online gambling legislation underway in various states, it seems as if the reasons for the very existence of Atlantic City and Las Vegas are in serious jeopardy.

Beginning in the late 1940s, Las Vegas became known as the 'adult playground of the world.' Celebrities knew they made the big time when their names graced the billboards of ‘Sin City.’ Gamblers hoping to make money would flock there all year and families looking for a nice getaway would enjoy relaxing by the extravagant swimming pools under the hot desert sun, seeing the various shows and concerts, and whenever possible, sneaking away to the blackjack tables while their kids slept.

It was paradise.

On the other hand, Atlantic City, once a major vacation spot during the roaring 20s and 1930s, as seen on HBOs Boardwalk Empire, collapsed when cheap air fare became the norm and people had no reason to head to the many beach town resorts on the East Coast. Within a few decades, the city, known for being an ‘oasis of sin’ during the prohibition era, fell into serious decline and dilapidation.

New Jersey officials felt the only way to bring Atlantic City back from the brink of disaster would be to legalize gambling. Atlantic City’s first casino, Resorts, first opened its doors in 1978. People stood shoulder to shoulder, packed into the hotel as gambling officially made its way to the East Coast. Folks in the East Coast didn't have to make a special trip all the way to Vegas in order to enjoy some craps, slots, roulette and more.

As time wore on, Atlantic City and Las Vegas became the premier gambling spots in the country.

While detractors felt that the area still remained poor and dilapidated, officials were quick to point out that the casinos didn't bring the mass gentrification to Atlantic City as much as they hoped but the billions of dollars in revenue and thousands of jobs for the surrounding communities was well worth it.

Atlantic City developed a reputation as more of a short-stay ‘day-cation’ type of place, yet managed to stand firm against the 'adult playground' and 'entertainment capital of the world' Las Vegas.

Through-out the 1980s and 1990s, these two places would become an integral part of American pop culture as the place to gamble and have fun no matter which coast you lived at.

However in the late 1980s, a landmark ruling considered Native-American reservations to be sovereign entities not bound by state law. It was the first potential threat to the iron grip Atlantic City and Vegas had on the gambling and entertainment industry.

Huge 'mega casinos' were built on reservations that rivaled Atlantic City and Vegas. In turn, Vegas built even more impressive casinos.

Atlantic City, in an attempt to make the city more appealing to the ‘big whale’ millionaire and billionaire gamblers, and in effort to move away from its ‘seedy’ reputation, built the luxurious Borgata casino in 2003. Harrah’s created a billion dollar extension and other casinos in the area went through serious renovations and re-branded themselves.

It seemed as if the bite that the Native American casinos took out of AC and Vegas’ profits was negligible and that the dominance of those two cities in the world of gambling would remain unchallenged.

Then Macau, formally a colony of Portugal, was handed back to the Chinese in 1999. The gambling industry there had been operated under a government-issued monopoly license by Stanley Ho's Sociedade de Turismo e Diversões de Macau. The monopoly was ended in 2002 and several casino owners from Las Vegas attempted to enter the market.

Under the one country, two systems policy, the territory remained virtually unchanged aside from mega casinos popping up everywhere. All the rich ‘whales’ from the far east had no reason anymore to go to Las Vegas to spend their money.

Then came their biggest threat.

As revenue from dog and horse racing tracks around the United States dried up, government officials needed a way to bring back jobs and revitalize the surrounding communities. Slot machines in race tracks started in Iowa in 1994 but took off in 2006 when Pennsylvania introduced ‘Racinos’ in an effort to reduce property taxes for the state and to help depressed areas bounce back.

As of 2013, racinos are legal in ten states: Delaware, Louisiana, Maine, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and West Virginia

Tracks like Delaware Park and West Virginia's Mountaineer Park, once considered places where local degenerates bet on broken-down nags in claiming races, are now among the wealthiest tracks around, with the best races.

The famous Aqueduct race track in Queens, NY, once facing an uncertain future, now possesses the most profitable casino in the United States.

From June 2012 to June 2013, Aqueduct matched a quarter of Atlantic City's total gaming revenue from its dozen casinos: $729.2 million compared with A.C.'s $2.9 billion. It has taken an estimated 15 percent hit on New Jersey casino revenue and climbing.

And it isn't just Aqueduct that's taking business away from them.  Atlantic City's closest major city, Philadelphia, only 35-40 minutes away, and one of the largest cities in America, now has a casino that has contributed heavily to the decline in gamers visiting the area.

The situation in Vegas isn't much better. The Great Recession of the late 2000s hit Las Vegas hard. As the recession wore on, and as gambling received approval in various jurisdictions throughout the United States, folks realized they didn't need to travel thousands of miles just to gamble.

Casino revenues and the price of real estate plummeted. Unemployment went as high as 14 percent, however unofficially, local officials said it may have been as high as 30 percent.

More than half of all home owners with a mortgage in the state of Nevada owe more than their homes are worth.

One local bought his condo in 2006 for $209,000, and as of 2013 it is worth barely $60,000.

As Las Vegas moved to market itself as purely an entertainment paradise, one local said “The reality is, people just won’t fly to the middle of a desert to play some slots, watch shows and sit down for some blackjack when they can drive right near their town or city, or play legally online.”

And now it looks like the feds may soon allow online gambling across the United States.

Last May, the American Gaming Association called on Congress to enact federal legislation that would allow states to license and regulate online poker so Americans who play can do so safely using responsible, law-abiding operators. The Department of Justice made a decision that the Federal Wire Act only prohibits the transmission of communications relative to bets or wagers on sporting events or contests. It also clarifies that intrastate lottery tickets sold online are legal, so long as the lottery games do not involve sport wagering, even if the transmission crosses state lines.

Officials say this has opened up the possibility that online gambling may get approved on a federal level.

New Jersey is the third state in the U.S. to have authorized internet gambling.  However, these online casinos are owned and controlled by Atlantic City casinos in an effort to boost profits in the face of fierce competition.

California, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Pennsylvania and Texas are hoping to join Delaware, Nevada, New Jersey and the U.S. Virgin Islands in offering online gambling to their residents.

Nevada also enacted modifications to their internet gambling law to allow for interstate compacts, among other provisions in hopes to draw higher stakes jackpots, similar to the Mega Millions and Power Ball lottery games that are played in multiple states.

With this in mind, it seems the niche that Las Vegas and Atlantic City once offered as a gambling and entertainment hub is heading toward the dustbin of history.

Time will tell if these two cities will end up like Detroit. However, the fact that they are losing their biggest industries to major competition, much like Detroit did, with depressed housing, casinos bankrupting/closing and businesses fleeing, makes their fate seem eerily similar.

Read more: http://www.myfoxny.com/story/24280415/the-next-detroit-atlantic-city-and-las-vegas-facing-catastrophic-collapse#ixzz2oFbvOrmP

Follow us: @myfoxny on Twitter | Fox5NY on Facebook

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A Quick Study of Joel's Prophecy, & Peter's Declaration in Light of the Closed Cannon of Scripture

"But Peter, taking his stand with the eleven, raised his voice and declared to them: “Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and give heed to my words.   .......this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel:

‘And it shall be in the last days,’ God says, ‘That I will pour forth of My Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, And your young men shall see visions, And your old men shall dream dreams; Even on My bondslaves, both men and women, I will in those days pour forth of My Spirit And they shall prophesy.'"

(Acts 2:14, 16-18)

Now here, Peter was quoting from Joel’s prophecy regarding the advent of the Holy Spirit following the ascension of the Messiah back to the Godhead just fifty days before; having fulfilled David’s, Isaiah’s, Daniel’s, and Zechariah’s prophecies and many others regarding His historic coming.  The prophet Joel prophesies the advent of the Holy Spirit in which G-d describes aspects of it that were markedly different than any other before it.  But this is how Joe’s prophecy reads:

“It will come about after this

That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind;

And your sons and daughters will prophesy,

Your old men will dream dreams,

Your young men will see visions.

“Even on the male and female servants

I will pour out My Spirit in those days.”

(Joel 2:28-29)

Peter, who was speaking with the authority and in the power and style of an Old Testament prophet of Israel, boldly with the other eleven Apostles, made the following declaration, adding to Joel's prophecy the following line, "'AND IT SHALL BE IN THE LAST DAYS,' GOD SAYS..."

In speaking declaratively in this manner, Peter and the others (who I believe were simultaneously translating Peter's Hebrew/Aramaic into the languages spoken by the foreign Jewish pilgrims gathered and listening) that God was speaking to them through Peter and the others as they translated, and adding to this specific prophecy as only God can to His own Word, "AND IT SHALL BE” - NOT “IT IS, or “WAS” - BUT “‘IT SHALL BE IN THE LAST DAYS,' GOD SAYS." 

That they would see these things come to pass.  What things?  What Joel prophesied, and that it would occur "IN THE LAST DAYS," which began with the coming of the Holy Spirit on Shavuot, because He came on that day, and Peter and the others here speaking in the name of God, or rather God speaking through them; made it clear that Joel's prophecy was just beginning to come to pass that day right before their eyes, indicating more would be upcoming “IN THE LAST DAYS.”  Those words do not appear in Joel’s prophecy, but God speaking through Peter, added them when he spoke to this crowd.

The other part of Joel’s prophecy which Peter quotes, deals with the planetary supernatural manifestations that occurred the day the Messiah died, and the evidence that it did not just occur there in Jerusalem, but throughout the whole earth, and was seen far across the continent and beyond across the world, is part of recorded history (see Thallus [circa 52 A.D.] and Julius Africanus’ debate that it was more than an eclipse), but here is alluded to by the fact that Peter uses Joel’s prophecy as well to remind his audience, many of whom were either there in Jerusalem or were travelling to the holy city for the festivities, had witnessed these when they occurred fifty days before.

Commenting on this prophecy of Joel’s which Peter here quotes in his Jewish New Testament Commentary, Dr. David H. Stern writes of this prophecy:

“17-21 In the Last Days, in Messianic times, Kefa explains that the Last Days have already begun (see MJ 1:2, 1C 10:11, 1 Ke 1:20).  They are continuing now (1Yn 2:18, Yd 18); and they will culminate in a Last Day (Yn 6:39ff.. 12:48), here called the great and fearful Day of Adonai (compare Rv 1:10&N).

The sun will become dark.  This one of Joel’s portents occurred: the sun became dark when Yeshua was hanging on the execution-stake (Mt. 26:45).  But the others, spoken at length in the book of Revelation, are meant for the future.

Whoever calls upon the name of the Adonai will be saved (cited also at Ro. 10:13).  This is the key sentence of Joel’s prophecy.  The rest of Kefa’s speech shows that one can call on Adonai for salvation only by acknowledging Yeshua as the Messiah.”

(David H. Stern, Jewish New Testament Commentary, page 223, Jewish New Testament Publications, Copyright 1992, Clarksville, Maryland)

As Dr. Stern observes above, Peter made it quite clear that calling on the name of God can only now be done by acknowledging God through Yeshua/Jesus as the Messiah.  This is why Peter later declares, “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)  Joel’s prophecy makes it clear that anyone – Jew or Gentile – who would call upon the name of the Lord, would be saved and would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit and be imparted by the Holy Spirit, as the Apostle Paul writes in the Holy Spirit:

Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away; but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory; but just as it is written,

“Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard,

And which have not entered the heart of man,

All that God has prepared for those who love Him.”

For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.  For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him?  Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.  Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.

But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.  But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one.  For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him?  But we have the mind of the Messiah.

(1Corinthians 2:6-16)

This is why Paul exhorts us to put on the mind of the Messiah, to literally consciously  and deliberately put Him on daily as one puts on their clothes, where he writes in the Holy Spirit, But put on the Lord Jesus the Messiah, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts. (Romans 13:14)  Because if and when we do, there is no room or desire to do anything else but serve God and worship Him with every fiber of our being, and doing so fulfill the commandment. (Deuteronomy 6:5, 10:12)  I quote:

Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.  For this, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

(Romans 13:8-10)

In the passage above, Paul has under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit already given instructions on how believers ought to conduct themselves with the governing authorities, and towards one another, affirming what the Lord Jesus the Messiah teaches (John 15:12-17) and those who keep these commandments of His, abide in His love and bear much fruit (John 15:1-11), that the aim of all of God’s commandments is accomplished in one act: to love a neighbor – not even a brother, but a neighbor – as one self, which is the more excellent way Paul describes in his First Letter to the Corinthians. (2Corinthians 12:31b, 13:1-8, 13)  It is this most excellent way that the Lord says distinguishes His true followers from everyone else.  In His own words, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.  By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35)  It is in this love that we are to serve God by serving one another.  God has given us His Holy Spirit to anoint and enable us for this service.  God imparts His Holy Spirit with a specific gift for a specific service to God, just as we read:

For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Messiah, and individually members one of another.  Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

(Romans 12:4-8)

And each person is given a specific gift from God through the Holy Spirit, and not two are the same, but every servant his or her responsibility within the body of believers, as Paul makes clear again here.  Note, he does not say that any of these gifts had ended or were seen less in his day.  That contention is nothing but a Cessationist invention, and does not appear in Scripture.  I quote:

Yet I wish that all men were even as I myself am.  However, each man has his own gift from God, one in this manner, and another in that.  

(1Corinthians 7:7)

Further on in his description of these gifts which the Holy Spirit imparts individually to each member of the body for service, Paul explains that no two gifts are the same, and that because one person has one or more specific gift does not mean that another person is to receive the same gift or gifts.  But that there are variety of gifts and variety of ministries, and variety of effects, but that one and the same Spirit works all these things, imparting them as God wills for His service.  Take note, not one gift is said to be contemporaneous to that era, otherwise Paul would have made that clear.  The gifts imparted by the same Holy Spirit when the Last Days began after Messiah’s ascension and the advent of the Holy Spirit, and are to continue to His return.  This is why when Paul wrote his letter describing these gifts, he used this language.  I quote:

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit.  And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord.  There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons.  But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.  For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues.  But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.

(1Corinthians 12:4-11)

Next, Paul describes the hierarchy of the members of a congregation in the order of importance and authority, followed by the various gifts put to service within the body to meet the needs of its membership.  And note, he asks rhetorically whether everyone is an apostle, or a prophet, or a teacher, or works miracles, or effect miraculous healings, or speak in other languages (be they angelic or foreign), or whether they are all imparted with interpreting these other languages and tongues.  But rather than proscribe them, he encourages his readers to desire the greater gifts.  And rather than describe the hierarchal offices as synonymous with the gifts which follow, as Cessationists interpret; Paul intentionally divides one from the other, so that such an erroneous interpretation could not be made by anyone. 

The Holy Spirit correctly foresaw the day when misguided and disbelieving brethren would interpret it that way, but in order to do that, they would have to attach each office with the gifts which follow, and that is not the structure of how Paul wrote this passage, though Cessationists interpret it that way.

Now you are Messiah’s body, and individually members of it.  And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues.  All are not apostles, are they?  All are not prophets, are they?  All are not teachers, are they?  All are not workers of miracles, are they?  All do not have gifts of healings, do they?  All do not speak with tongues, do they?  All do not interpret, do they?  But earnestly desire the greater gifts.

(1Corinthians 12:27-31)

Each spiritual gift is to meet a need within the body.  As Paul writes, and I quote:

But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Messiah’s gift.

(Ephesians 4:7)

In two specific letters Paul strongly admonishes Timothy not to neglect the spiritual gift the Holy Spirit had imparted to him, but to rekindle it and put it to good use in his service:

Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed on you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery.

(1Timothy 4:14)

For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.

(2Timothy 1:6)

And Peter is very bold in stating that each person within the body of Messiah make good use of what God’s grace has imparted to them in their service, and goes on to describe it this way, even admonishing that those who speak to do so as one who is speaking the very utterances of God – which is not a breach of Sola Scriptura – since Peter is not describing the cannon of Scripture here, but the affirmation of God’s Word spoken through mouth of those who preach it – the verbal quoting of Scripture and what it teaches.  Also in this context for those who serve, to do so strengthened by the indwelling power of God’s Holy Spirit as He supplies in the name of the Lord Jesus to meet the need; so that in all of these things, the Father may be glorified through His Messiah, the Lord Jesus, to whom belongs glory and dominion forever and ever.  Amen.  I quote:

As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.  Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus the Messiah, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

(1Peter 4:10-11). 

Now Peter’s addition of the phrase “IN THE LAST DAYS,” presaged by his use of, “GOD SAYS,” which is to say in the manner of an Old Testament prophet with the full weight and authority of it as being a direct word from God, “THUS SAITH THE LORD,” indicates that this addition or alteration to Joel’s prophecy by him was directly from God.  Apart from the Book of Revelations, I don’t remember seeing anyone use the phrase, “THUS SAITH THE LORD,” or “GOD SAYS,” and then go to speak as God speaks through them in the New Testament apart from Agabus’ prophecy, except when someone like Paul or James, or Peter or Jude and the writer to the Letter to the Hebrews quote prophecy.  Even Paul’s mention of prophecies concerning Timothy, make no mention of this phrase as having been used. (1Timothy 1:18)  I don't see any other instance of the use of this phrase apart from Acts 2:17, "THUS SAITH THE LORD," or "GOD SAYS," thus and thus, except right here as Peter speaks in the power of the Holy Spirit in the style and authority of an Old Testament prophet of God.  Amazing! 

I have read this so many times before, but I have never quite seen it this way.  This destroys any claims Cessationists try to apply to God's Word and the sign gifts of the Holy Spirit by connecting the closing of the cannon with a supposed cessation of the Holy Spirit’s continued work right down to the return of the Messiah, and of course; so do stories of Christians who've experienced them have had in total refutation of the claims of Cessationists.  Isn't the Lord marvelous!!!????  Praise His name! 

And His Holy Spirit just shared something that I had not seen before in thirty-seven years of reading this same passage.  Praise God.  Peter speaking in the authority and style of an Old Testament prophet, adding this pivotal phrase - "'AND IT SHALL BE IN THE LAST DAYS,' GOD SAYS..." thus, as only God can do through a true prophet, just as cannon of Scripture was beginning to be written, that “IN THE LAST DAYS” these things would come to pass.  What things?  “‘That I will pour forth of My Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, And your young men shall see visions, And your old men shall dream dreams; Even on My bondslaves, both men and women, I will in those days pour forth of My Spirit And they shall prophesy.'"  (Acts 2:17-18)

So that even the Cessationist argument that with the closing of the cannon of Scripture the sign gifts would end; does not hold, because the cannon had not even begun to be written when Peter made this declarative and authoritative statement regarding the sign gifts, and in the process GOD HIMSELF SPEAKING THROUGH HIM, ADDED TO HIS OWN PROPHECY THESE WORDS – “AND IT SHALL BE IN THE LAST DAYS,’ GOD SAYS’” – IN ORDER TO BRING HOME THE REALITY THAT WHAT WAS HAPPENING THAT DAY RIGHT BEFORE THEIR EYES WOULD CONTINUE TO OCCUR RIGHT DOWN TO THE RETURN/COMING OF ISRAEL'S MESSIAH, AND WOULD NOT END A MOMENT BEFORE IT!!!  Praise be to God!!!

The result of Peter’s speech of this prophecy and the Messiah’s Good News tells us that:

Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?”  Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus the Messiah for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.”

(Acts 2:37-39)

When asked by the crowds what they had to do next, Peter tells the crowds gathered and listening that day that they had to repent and immerse themselves in water presumably in the mikveh baths adjacent to the entrance to the temple, just below its steps in the name of Jesus for their forgiveness of their sins, and they would receive this gift of the Holy Spirit, the manifestations of which they had just witnessed that day.  And it is also how Peter ends his exposition of this prophecy and its fulfillment by telling the crowds that the promise of the redemption and the Holy Spirit is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” (Acts 2:39)

And we read of examples of this in the stories which follow (Acts 2:43, 3:1-10, 5:1-16), even of others who were not apostles, but were deacons and evangelists – the original table bearers (Acts 6:5) – men like Philip and Stephen (and the others), who were brought before the apostles; and after praying, they laid their hands on them. (Acts 6:6)  Men who were filled with the Holy Spirit and did wonders in the Lord.  Of Stephen, the biblical record tells that:

And Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people.

(Acts 6:8)

Also of Philip, we read:

Therefore, those who had been scattered went about preaching the word.  Philip went down to the city of Samaria and began proclaiming Messiah to them.  The crowds with one accord were giving attention to what was said by Philip, as they heard and saw the signs which he was performing.  For in the case of many who had unclean spirits, they were coming out of them shouting with a loud voice; and many who had been paralyzed and lame were healed.  So there was much rejoicing in that city.

(Acts 8:4-8)

Samaria was the first place beyond Jerusalem where Samaritans – who were half-Jews – began to receive the Holy Spirit.  We read:

Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit.  For He had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.  Then they began laying their hands on them, and they were receiving the Holy Spirit.

(Acts 8:14-17)

We read later on that an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip saying, “Get up and go south to the road that descends from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is a desert road.)  So he got up and went; and there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure; and he had come to Jerusalem to worship, and he was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah.  Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go up and join this chariot.”  Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?”  And he said, “Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?”  And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.  Now the passage of Scripture which he was reading was this:

“He was led as a sheep to slaughter;

And as a lamb before its shearer is silent,

So He does not open His mouth.

“In humiliation His judgment was taken away;

Who will relate His generation?

For His life is removed from the earth.”

The eunuch answered Philip and said, “Please tell me, of whom does the prophet say this?  Of himself or of someone else?”  Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him.  As they went along the road they came to some water; and the eunuch said, “Look!  Water!  What prevents me from being baptized?”  And Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.”  And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus the Messiah is the Son of God.”  And he ordered the chariot to stop; and they both went down into the water, Philip as well as the eunuch, and he baptized him.  When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; and the eunuch no longer saw him, but went on his way rejoicing.  But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he kept preaching the gospel to all the cities until he came to Caesarea.

(Acts 8:26-40)

We next read that Saul-Paulus of Tarsus, a Pharisee commissioned by the High Priest to arrest Jesus’ followers wherever he would find them, meets the risen Messiah on his way to Damascus, and later while there awaiting what God would do with him next, Jesus appears to a disciple named Ananias with specific instructions to meet with Saul-Paulus, whom he reluctantly meets and heals miraculously of his blindness caused by his encounter with the Messiah.  Saul-Paulus later takes food, and is strengthened, for he had not eaten or drank water for days after his experience. (Acts 9:1-19)  Immediately afterwards, people were beginning to hear Saul-Paulus boldly proclaim Jesus as Messiah in the synagogues, and the biblical record says that Saul kept increasing in strength and confounding the Jews who lived at Damascus by proving that this Jesus is the Messiah. (Acts 9:19-22)

And there is much more.  We read that while Saul-Paulus, now calling himself Paul, was traveling on his way to Jerusalem with the collections he and his group from offerings they gathered on their journey as they went from congregation to congregation; they visited and stayed with Philip, whom we last left at Caesarea, by now married and with four daughters who were prophetesses. (Acts 21:8-9)  It was here where next we see also Agabus the prophet, who warns Paul that his visit to Jerusalem would end with his arrest, but Paul would not be dissuaded; he had set his face to go to Jerusalem and was ready to die there if necessary. (Acts 21:10-14)  Already when Paul’s ship laid anchor at Tyre, the disciples there whom he visited, kept telling Paul through the Spirit not to set foot in Jerusalem. (Acts 21:4)  These are specific examples of prophetic warnings given to someone about a particular situation that has yet not transpired, which later came to pass. (Acts 21:27-40)  These prophetic utterances do not violate the concept of Sola Scriptura, because they are not an addition to the cannon of the Bible, nor do they carry the authority of prophecy, but are meant to address something between God and each individual with whom He is communicating regarding a specific need or situation.

If God had ever changed any aspect or work of the Holy Spirit since the end of what they call the Apostolic Age, He would have made it clear in His Word, and it would have made it evident by ceasing His redemptive plan for mankind.  We would not be born again, and the Holy Spirit would not indwell any believer today, the Gospel would not be preached or taught because the One Sole Agent of its promulgation – the Blessed Spirit of Truth, given by the Father through Jesus the Messiah the Son – would have ceased long ago from being imparted; if indeed God has ceased from any aspect of His redemptive work, as some would have us believe.  But as His Word clearly teaches, for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable, (Romans 11:29) and Jesus the Messiah is the same yesterday and today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8)  Praise be to God!!!

THE PEPSTER

As a man thinks within himself, so he is.

Proverbs 23:7a

The lot is cast into the lap, But its every decision is from the Lord.

Proverbs 16:33

"Do not petition G-d to go where you are going; rather find where G-d is going and travel with Him."-- Unknown Jewish Wise Man

"I shall pass through this world but once. Any good therefore that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any human being, let me do it now. Let me not defer not neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.".--- Author Unknown

"It’s not failure, but the fear of failure that stops most people.”-- Philip Anschutz

"THERE IS NOTHING MORE FRIGHTENING THAN ACTIVE IGNORANCE." -- Goethe

"To anger a conservative, lie to him. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth." - Unknown Author

“I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position one has reached in life, as by the obstacles that he has overcome while trying to succeed.” – Booker Taliaferro Washington, 1856 – 1915

“ A chief event of life is the day in which we have encountered a mind that startled us. ”— Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Truth is in history, but history is not the truth." - Nicolás Gómez Dávila

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