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<u>Examining Trump, the Touchstone</u>
One thing about hearing the Lord speak is that, often, one absorbs the surface meaning of what He is saying, but as time goes by, more and more understanding is released as events unfold. Sometimes, in the end, one’s full understanding is much weightier than the original grasp one had of the message given. In my podcast message after the election of the new president of the United States, I mentioned that I did not think the election of this man had anything to do with making America great again and likened him to a touchstone. A touchstone is defined as ‘a black siliceous stone formerly used to test the purity of gold and silver by the streak left on the stone when rubbed by the metal; a test or criterion for determining the quality or genuineness of a thing’. One thing to take note of is that it is the qualities of the touchstone that bring to light the quality of the object being tested.
This week, the first address to the joint session of Congress took place, during which the President outlined his intended ways to make the nation great again. Much of what was covered addressed trade, spending, tax cuts and infrastructure spending. His speech was applauded across the board and the Dow rallied 330 points on the following day. All this seems hugely positive. However, one must remember that Babylon was called the city of trade and traffick and what went on there ultimately resulted in the judgment of God in history and will again result in the same for Mystery Babylon (detailed in Rev 18). The huge emphasis on prosperity throughout this speech is a clear indication of the heart of the matter – and the heart of the man speaking it, as well as the hearts of those listening to it. Good intentions differ vastly from God intentions. Wherever our heart is, that is where our treasure will be. It is spiritually very dangerous for this nation when the gods of mammon and self are exalted and hailed as answers to every problem the nation faces.
This touchstone’s inner qualities are revealing the quality of the vessels it rubs up against. When a speech which puts the material prosperity of a nation above the spiritual health of this nation, it is clear that the lip service to Christendom is just that. Is it more important to believe in oneself or to believe in God, the author of all wisdom, who gives us the power to make wealth? Is it wisdom to believe in America again or should we be urged to put our total trust in the King of Kings?
“My people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me,” laments the Father of Lights. In their reactions to this speech, the church of Jesus Christ is being tested as to their priorities and true allegiance. And it is a hard thing to face, when one examines our heart responses under the clear searchlight of the Word of God. It is a natural human response to feel relief and encouragement at the thought of having more money in one’s wallet. However, it is what is done with that extra money that reveals our true heart. Would it be channeled into the purposes of the Kingdom of God, or would it be used to increase our own material possessions and comfort levels? The god of Self or mammon is sadly firmly seated on the throne of our hearts in many cases – and we are blissfully ignorant of this tragic fact.
I suspect that this ‘touchstone’, which has been positioned in the highest seat of America, will be used to bring a brief season of material prosperity, in order to bring into the clear light of day, the counsels of men’s hearts, first in the Church, and then in the world – and then the righteous judgments of God will bring the whole tower of gold and silver crashing down in a day, as Rev 18 describes so graphically.
‘For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.’ (Revelation 18:3, KJV)
Consider the rich man who surveyed his fields and his abundant harvest and yet was used by Jesus, not as an example to emulate, but rather to beware of:
Luk 12:16 Then He told them a parable, saying, The land of a rich man was fertile and yielded plentifully. Luk 12:17 And he considered and debated within himself, What shall I do? I have no place [in which] to gather together my harvest. Luk 12:18 And he said, I will do this: I will pull down my storehouses and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain or produce and my goods. Luk 12:19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have many good things laid up, [enough] for many years. Take your ease; eat, drink, and enjoy yourself merrily. Luk 12:20 But God said to him, You fool! This very night they [the messengers of God] will demand your soul of you; and all the things that you have prepared, whose will they be? Luk 12:21 So it is with the one who continues to lay up and hoard possessions for himself and is not rich [in his relation] to God [this is how he fares].
No wonder Jesus preceded this parable with a stern warning:
Luk 12:15 And He said to them, Guard yourselves and keep free from all covetousness (the immoderate desire for wealth, the greedy longing to have more); for a man’s life does not consist in and is not derived from possessing overflowing abundance or that which is over and above his needs.
Beloved saints of God, please take some time to ask God to search your hearts and see if there is anything in your heart that needs addressing in this area. Do we seek material comfort and prosperity in preference to seeking His face? When we look to the horizon, are we looking for His manifest presence to come, or are we hoping for a truckload of money to be the first thing that crests the horizon? We must at this time be found in a place of total alignment with His will and His ways. We are asked to love the Lord our God will ALL our heart, ALL our souls, ALL our mind and ALL our strength. That is a description of an undivided heart. If there is any wicked thing in us, we must bring it in repentance before the Father and be cleansed by the Blood of the Lamb, for if mammon has any ground in our hearts, he will demand his pound of flesh, and it shall be the place where the mark is branded in order to be able to buy and sell during the reign of the Antichrist.
The righteous judgment of God comes in accordance with our ‘ways’; how we live out our lives & where we place our priorities. This touchstone is being used to reveal to ourselves the areas of impurity that need dealing with. We are not supposed to be ‘strong, proud and free’ (to quote the speech to congress) as followers of Christ. We are supposed to be bondslaves who are not our own; serving a God who uses the weak and foolish things of this world to confound the wise. In our weakness, His strength is perfected. To glory in one’s own strength is to lean on the arm of flesh. His people must be meek, humble and totally submitted to the Lord of Lords. We should not be reveling in our independence, but rather praising God for His faithfulness, as we totally depend upon His strong right arm and His right hand of provision and blessing. The wisdom and strength of the flesh will produce works of the flesh.
I have been watching events unfold since the latest American election and pondering as to the real meaning of the outcome of this election. Then the Holy Spirit reminded me of something which was very helpful in placing things in context in the big picture. When the previous president was elected for his first term, I wrote a message which I would like to insert passages from (in italics) and then comment on them (in bold writing) as we go through them:
‘When the election results were announced and the new government installed in the United states, I noticed that the president often referred to himself as the ‘lynchpin’. Not being familiar with this term, I decided to look it up as I knew the Holy Spirit was highlighting the term.
lynchpin – a central cohesive source of support and stability, something providing immaterial assistance to a person or cause or interest.
It also listed a synonym, the word ‘keystone’ which means the following:
Architecture The central wedge-shaped stone of an arch that locks its parts together. Also called headstone. 2. The central supporting element of a whole.
So the president of the United States is declaring himself to be the final building stone put in place in an archway in order to complete it- a stone that cements and locks all the previously placed stones permanently in place. This stone also provides immaterial assistance to a person, cause or interest.
As I pondered this, the Holy Spirit reminded me that until an archway is complete, no-one can walk through it. The keystone or lynchpin must be put firmly in place before anyone steps through the archway. Therefore the keystone provides immaterial assistance to the person who is waiting to step onto the world stage. Until this lynchpin is inserted in its place, the person must remain in the wings undergoing preparation for his entrance.’
During February 2017, I was out walking and came across a glittering white piece of wedge-shaped gravel. As I stared at it, a picture of a completed archway came to mind and I remembered the word ‘keystone’. I vaguely remembered the Lord mentioning this term and looked into it again. I discovered that the keystone is positioned in its place in order to complete the archway and hold the other stones in place, but it experiences no tensile stress itself. It is in a state of complete rest, as it has been made and shaped for this appointed position and executes its duty just by its shape and being positioned where it is. In other words, it takes no effort to be what it is, the finishing stone. Its very qualities cause it to successfully fulfil its work. Now as we view the previous and current president side by side, they look vastly different. One seemed intent upon undermining and dismantling the very fabric of the country which he had pledged to serve, by passing ungodly laws and refusing to prosecute or stop those considered enemies of the country. The one who has succeeded him appears to want to do the opposite. After a period of shaking under the previous president, the pronouncements of the following ruler appear to be attempts to stabilise the ship and restore ‘peace and safety’ and the comfort of the passengers, especially those of the Christian faith.
However, what if these two opposites are both different sides of the same coin? Consider the flipping of a coin to determine a decision. The two sides are completely different, yet, they both belong to the same coin and whichever side falls uppermost, still indicates the propensity of man to seek the ‘counsel’ of something manmade in order to direct his steps and choose his way from that point on. The gods of Babylon were really Self and everything that pandered to the flesh and its lusts, and just as the previous president championed the fleshly causes of ungodly unions, abortion and rebellion against the law of God, so too this new president represents the gods of Babylon, but this time, it is the god of mammon and the strength of the flesh and the wisdom of man. He gathers supporters in a very clever manner, by first lifting up and representing those previously sidelined and scoffed at, thus bringing into the fold all those who previously objected, on the grounds of ‘Christian conscience’.
Perhaps both these men have been uniquely shaped and equipped to sit in office without sweat, in a position of rest, fulfilling their role by the very qualities they posses – and completing the archway! A wedge-shaped keystone has two edges which are at different angles. These two presidents present opposing angles too, but perhaps they are both part of the same finishing stone of the archway for the antichrist to walk through. One chanted the slogan, “Yes, we can” and championed relationships which God calls an abomination in His Word, leading a vast swathe of ungodly people to believe their time to be heard and acknowledged was NOW. The other president says, “I will make America great again”, supports Israel and Christians previously marginalised and begins to increase trade and business infrastructure, so wealth can be channeled to the people.
I believe both stances are part of God’s people being weighed in the balances. The first president’s policies brought a separation in church circles according to long-held beliefs on marriage and abortion. Many church leaders suddenly widened the boundaries of their belief systems in the name of being ‘inclusive’. Men’s hearts in the church were weighed concerning their alignment to the plumbline of the unchanging Word of God in these areas. Some were found wanting, choosing the fear of man above the fear of God and death instead of life.
Now the sifting continues. The current president’s tenure will now go right to the heart of the matter and bring to the surface any hiding place of ‘the love of money’. And sadly, in much of American Church circles, the god of mammon is firmly entrenched and those being weighed will not even realise they are lacking. When Trump’s policies bring material prosperity, will God’s people realise that this is not a blessing, but a test of allegiance? Ezekiel 7 is a very sobering chapter in which the prophet brings a message concerning God’s coming judgment on His beloved people and their discovery that material wealth will not be of help to them in that day:
Eze 7:19 They shall cast their silver into the streets, and their gold shall be [discarded] like an unclean thing or rubbish; their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the Lord; they shall not satisfy their animal cravings nor fill their stomachs with them, for [wealth] has been the stumbling block of their iniquity.
Craving for wealth and prosperity and comforts of the flesh is a stumbling block! James also brings a scathing indictment upon rich people:
Jas 5:1 COME NOW, you rich [people], weep aloud and lament over the miseries (the woes) that are surely coming upon you. Jas 5:2 Your abundant wealth has rotted and is ruined, and your [many] garments have become moth-eaten. Jas 5:3 Your gold and silver are completely rusted through, and their rust will be testimony against you and it will devour your flesh as if it were fire. You have heaped together treasure for the last days. Jas 5:4 [But] look! [Here are] the wages that you have withheld by fraud from the laborers who have reaped your fields, crying out [for vengeance]; and the cries of the harvesters have come to the ears of the Lord of hosts. Jas 5:5 [Here] on earth you have abandoned yourselves to soft (prodigal) living and to [the pleasures of] self-indulgence and self-gratification. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.
Notice the propensity to self-gratification and self-indulgence. He condemns the heaping together of treasure for the last days. Why is that? Surely it is good to store up finance for the last days? Well, actually it won’t help at all once the mark of the beast is instituted and you will be left with a heap of gold and silver that bears testimony to all your efforts at self-preservation and comfort. In contrast, those who have set their minds on things above where thief and rust cannot enter, may have nothing in terms of worldly wealth, but a heavenly audit will reveal they have been rich toward God.
Why was Trump’s speech to the joint session of Congress applauded across the board? Because he pledged to work towards the goals of self-realization and prosperity that America has always been famous for. And sadly, these goals are alive and well in the modern-day church, albeit thinly veiled in ‘Christianese’ and suitably spiritual-sounding garments. However, when one gets down to the bare bones, it is nothing more than the love and worship of Self or Humanism. Even the prophets which have become popular overnight, due to their ‘accurate’ predictions concerning the election outcome, have quickly jumped on the prosperity bandwagon and are aggressively marketing their latest teachings – for those who can afford to pay the asking price to keep up with the Trump phenomenon. Buying and selling, trade and trafficking – all hallmarks of the city of Babylon!
Is it wrong to have money? No, but seeing as the ability to buy and sell is what will divide the safe from the persecuted in the days ahead, it is past time for the true believers in Jesus Christ to walk in what Jesus spoke of when He said that we should not worry about what we will eat or what we will wear. He clearly gave us the priority we should have – seek first the kingdom and His righteousness, and God would see to our daily needs.
After two presidential terms where everything Christian was sidelined and overruled, it may seem like sweet relief to have a president who speaks about the need to stop Christian persecution. One may even feel like the worst is over and we now have a breathing space for the Church to arise and shine. However, we must not stop being alert and awake. Have understanding of the times. Dense darkness is coming. Do not be lulled by promises of material prosperity. Do not focus on these things. Continue to prepare spiritually. As the touchstone announces plans for a return to prosperity and greatness, what effect do his policies have on your heart? Remember there is such a thing as soul power, and men have ruled by it for generations. What surfaces as your earthen vessel is exposed to the concept of returning to being ’proud and strong and free’? Does this appeal to you or do alarm bells go off in your spirit? Remember when the slogan ‘peace and safety’ is being broadcast, destruction comes suddenly.
In my message on ‘Trump, the touchstone’, I mentioned my vision of a woman (the Bride of Christ) in very dirty bathwater and there being a stone which was gradually letting out bits of the water so that the nakedness of the woman was being exposed. This speech marks another phase of the lowering of that filthy bath water of Babylon which the church is sitting in, once again. What is revealed in terms of fleshly ways needs to be cleansed. We have been called to come out of Babylon and all her ways of living wantonly and in excessive luxury (Rev 18). The Lord showed me when Trump was elected, that this had been in order for the church to examine the state of her oil supplies and urgently secure more oil, before the door to the bridal chamber was completely closed. It was not in order for the church to get more money, that this period of grace was briefly allowed. It was in order to get our spiritual houses in order and to get ourselves into right alignment with Heaven. This period of the Trump presidency is in order to bring out into the open the hidden idols of personal wealth and comfort, self-realisation and leaning on the arm of flesh – in order to utterly destroy them and to focus on just Who is the source of our security and strength, and what is truly of eternal value. We cannot serve two masters, We must not be found guilty of ‘going down to Egypt’ or the world system for help in time of need. It is all appointed for judgment and we are citizens of another kingdom.
‘If we were to ask this self-declared ‘lynchpin’ if he is the Antichrist (and were able to elicit an honest answer) he would say he is not! I believe this to be true but he <u>is</u> the voice in the wilderness calling the world and those who love it to repent or CHANGE its ways, including changing carbon emissions etc. Does he not also declare that there must no longer be just talk of change in this area but also fruit of change. Was not CHANGE a theme of his presidential campaign? Just as John the Baptist prepared the way for the Lord, so too this man is the final voice preparing the way for the Antichrist, whose revealing is at the door. He is the one prophetically announcing to those who have eyes to see, that the counterfeit prince of peace is about to step onto the world stage. (the Antichrist will most likely be a ‘prince’ of some sort).
These words were written about the previous president. However, the new leader also is bandying about the word ‘CHANGE’ and now his predecessor has withdrawn into the wings to stir up a mob of protestors to resist and hinder the progress of the latest changes. However, perhaps, just perhaps, both these chapters, and the actions therein, have been designed by those pulling the strings to bring a whole population into captivity, without them being aware of it. The New World Order motto ‘out of chaos, order’ necessitates that first chaos must be orchestrated, in order to create a need for the one who will bring order – the Antichrist himself. Remember that ‘anti’ does not mean ‘against’, but ‘in place of’. The antichrist will be one looked to instead of Christ to bring order and peace. The enemy’s strategy is not to openly oppose Christ for that would be too obvious for learned Bible scholars to fall prey to.
Instead, at this time, one is brought to power that does not stand against Christ; indeed lip-service is given to the true God of Heaven and men of the cloth are gathered around as advisors and much prayer accompanies the inauguration. This man has said he has his ‘little bit of bread and wine’ during communion and, yes, as we pray for him, the Spirit of God can visit him and turn him completely around as He did Saul. But essentially, he is a self-made man; a man whose business success and extreme wealth is attributed to the strength of his own mind and arm. The pride of life is worn like a mantle. In addition, he has been asked by the Sanhedrin in Israel, along with Putin, to fund the building of the third temple. This is the one in which the Antichrist will set himself up as God. Therefore, Trump is essentially in power to fulfil the prophetic word of the Bible regarding the endtimes, and not to usher in a period of ease and safety for the church in America. In fact, when one who openly advertises his own success and acumen in worldly terms, then purports to befriend the church of Jesus Christ, one should be careful, as many a so-called ‘friend’ of Jesus has been an enemy in disguise in Church history. Perhaps the current ‘kiss’ between the president and the Christian sector, serves only to make way for the roman regiment which will shackle the Body of Christ and lead them to the cross, even as Judas did centuries ago. The fact that trump’s crest bears the double-headed eagle which was widely worn by rulers throughout the Roman empire is a troubling testimony to this possibility.
‘The Antichrist will be hailed as the one who brings answers to a world in crisis, a counterfeit saviour to whom all men will be required to bow their knee in submission. The message John preached was a mirror of the message Jesus preached – Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand! The message of this lynchpin will be a mirror of the message or gospel of the Antichrist.’
As messengers or ‘angels of light’ present one face but actually also have another face which is hidden from view, perhaps the two-headed eagle is also a sign of this duplicity. The Antichrist Himself will present himself as being the God who is Light, but in actual fact, he is two-faced, and represents utter darkness.
‘The world system is in transition between the old world order and the new world order. We, who are the saints of God are in transition between the time of preparation and the time of the manifestation of the prophetic Word spoken over our lives. Both the Kingdom of Darkness and the Kingdom of Light are preparing to bring forth their trump card; the former in the form of a man who will masquerade as a world ‘saviour’; the latter, a corporate manchild who rules and reigns from a seated position in the heavenlies.
It is so ironic that I wrote of a ‘trump card’ even in 2008! Remember a playing card also has two sides, one with a decorated surface similar to all the other cards in the pack – and when this side is facing you, you have no knowledge what the one holding the card is seeing on the other side. Do not be lulled into complacency by the side you currently see. In fact, stop playing cards and get on your knees and get more oil for your lamp!
Now that we have established that a keystone or lynchpin has two sides with differing angles displayed, we can only assume that the angle being presented now by the person perfectly shaped to fulfil it, will mark the final falling into place of this keystone. It is a role he plays with ease and confidence as the area of trading and trafficking is his playground and he has been very successful at it. Be careful that your soul is not one of those being trafficked in these days.
‘Pray for a spirit of discernment and understanding of the times that you may know what to do in the coming days. Those who were baptized by John then followed on to be baptized by Jesus, as John directed them. The waters of baptism represent the teachings or philosophies and belief systems of the teacher you are submitting to. Be careful what you absorb and what you submit to. Those who swallow the rhetoric and smooth talking of (both sides of the keystone) or the lynchpin will find it easy to submit to the demands of the Antichrist. Seek the Spirit’s counsel at all times and ask for wisdom. The Spirit is able to reveal to you what is working in hidden places and direct you to safety.
Luk 8:17 For nothing is secret that shall not be revealed; nor secret which shall not be known and come to be revealed. Luk 8:18 Therefore be careful how you hear. For whoever has, to him shall be given; and whoever has not, from him shall be taken
Do not swallow everything you are fed by official media sources as these are the main tool used in quietly harnessing and turning the mindsets of the population without them being aware of it. Spend more time in prayer than in front of the television and come to know the voice of the Spirit better than the voice of popular opinion. You are in the world, but not of the world. A dark and stormy sky is heralding a difficult season ahead for all on the face of the earth, but for those dwelling in heavenly places in Christ and heeding His still small voice, the days of arising and shining are upon us. In a time when dense darkness is upon the peoples, the glory of God shall be seen upon a humble and prepared people who follow the Lamb wherever He goes!’
Selah!
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