💥 Concerning earthquake in Turkey and Syria:

Earthquakes are from God.

Matthew 24:7-8  (Jesus says)  For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences (coronavirus), and earthquakes, in divers places.

8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

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In the Bible, the churches took up offerings for the "needy" in the Church.

Do we have any example in the New Testament where the church took up an offering for people in the world?

I believe the world helps the world.  And the church helps the church.

(The apostate churches act like the world as they help the world.  They were quick to send aid to the earthquake zone while never considering what God might want them to do or even realizing it was God who sent the earthquake to that location.)

Acts 11

27 And in these days came prophets from Jerusalem unto Antioch.

28 And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the Spirit that there should be great dearth throughout all the world: which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar.

29 Then the disciples, every man according to his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in Judaea:

30 Which also they did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.

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In the plagues of the great tribulation:

The plagues were from God

Revelation 9:20-21

20 And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:

21 Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.

(According to Internet, Turkey and Syria are primarily Muslims.)

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Churches of the apostasy are often steeped in their own ideas of "good works".

Matthew 7  (Jesus said)

21 Not every one that saith unto ME, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of MY Father which is in heaven.

22 Many will say to ME in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in THY name? and in THY name have cast out devils? and in THY name done many wonderful works?

23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from ME, ye that work iniquity.

Unless God authors the work, it is not a good work.  It is a work of iniquity.

We should think about that which we do.  "Is this the will of God?"

If God sent the earthquake what then do we do?

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Several years ago, a young man contacted me, identifying himself as a pastor of a church in the Philippines. 

He had lived on church property since he was 18, supported by that church.

He read one of my writings and shared that writing with his church group.  They acted very strongly against what I wrote and demanded that he and his wife and young son vacate the church property within a week.

He contacted me and told me what happened and I told him to leave that church and to do as Paul did and get a secular job and support his wife and child.

I heard nothing from him for approximately 2 years.  I took his silence to mean that he stayed with that apostate church group and rejected the teaching which I had done which he believed to be of God.

Then an earthquake struck, destroying that church property and the house he was living in.  

He wrote to me asking me to send him money.  I did not answer his email.  

He made his choice two years earlier when he discarded a message which he himself believed to be from God in order to stay at that church and live on the church property that is now destroyed by an earthquake.  

Had he left that church and gotten a secular job to support his family, he might not have been in the path where the earthquake struck.

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Old testament example:  The king wanted the prophet to come curse the people of God.

God told the prophet not to do that for they were chosen by HIM.

But the prophet wanted the reward the king was going to give him.  So the prophet kept trying to find ways to get God's approval to do what the king wanted him to do so he could get the reward from the king.

Numbers 22

5 He (the king) sent messengers therefore unto Balaam the son of Beor to Pethor, which is by the river of the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me:

6 Come now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people; for they are too mighty for me: peradventure I shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may drive them out of the land: for I wot that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed.

(But these were the people of God the king wanted the prophet to curse!)

7 And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand; and they came unto Balaam (the prophet), and spake unto him the words of Balak (the king).

9 And God came unto Balaam, and said, What men are these with thee?

(What are you doing with these men?)

10 And Balaam said unto God, Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, hath sent unto me, saying,

11 Behold, there is a people come out of Egypt, which covereth the face of the earth: come now, curse me them; peradventure I shall be able to overcome them, and drive them out.

12 And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed.

But Balaam wanted the reward the king of Moab would give him if only he cursed the people.

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So this church group would let that pastor in the Philippines live on church property and they would support him financially if he cursed the message I sent to him.

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Balaam kept trying to find a way to curse the people and still please God in order to get the reward of the king.

The angel of God stood against Balaam, the prophet.  The donkey would not allow the prophet to go forward on the road to the king because the donkey saw the angel of God in the path with his sword drawn against Balaam. 

Numbers 22

22 And God's anger was kindled because he (Balaam the prophet)  went: and the angel of the LORD stood in the way for an adversary against him (against Balaam). Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were with him.

23 And the ass saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field: and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way.

24 But the angel of the LORD stood in a path of the vineyards, a wall being on this side, and a wall on that side.

25 And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam's foot against the wall: and he smote her again.

26 And the angel of the LORD went further, and stood in a narrow place, where was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left.

27And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she fell down under Balaam: and Balaam's anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with a staff.

28 And the LORD opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?

29 And Balaam said unto the ass, Because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee.

30 And the ass said unto Balaam, Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine unto this day? was I ever wont to do so unto thee? And he said, Nay.

31 Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face.

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The end of the prophet.

Numbers 24

1 And when Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he went not, as at other times, to seek for enchantments, but he set his face toward the wilderness.

2 And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel abiding in his tents according to their tribes; and the spirit of God came upon him.

3 And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor hath said, and the man whose eyes are open hath said:

4 He hath said, which heard the words of God, which saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open:

5 How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, and thy tabernacles, O Israel!

6 As the valleys are they spread forth, as gardens by the river's side, as the trees of lign aloes which the LORD hath planted, and as cedar trees beside the waters.

7 He shall pour the water out of his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters, and his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted.

8 God brought him forth out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn: he shall eat up the nations his enemies, and shall break their bones, and pierce them through with his arrows.

9 He couched, he lay down as a lion, and as a great lion: who shall stir him up? Blessed is he that blesseth thee, and cursed is he that curseth thee.

10 And Balak's anger was kindled against Balaam, and he smote his hands together: and Balak said unto Balaam, I called thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast altogether blessed them these three times.

11 Therefore now flee thou to thy place: I thought to promote thee unto great honour; but, lo, the LORD hath kept thee back from honour.

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Balaam hangs out with the enemies of God.

God sent Israel to fight against the Midianites:

Numbers 31

7 And they warred against the Midianites, as the LORD commanded Moses; and they slew all the males.

8 And they slew the kings of Midian, beside the rest of them that were slain; namely, Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, five kings of Midian: Balaam also the son of Beor they slew with the sword.

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If we put ourselves in an apostate church where scriptures have been cast aside and Jesus returns for the righteous, beware lest you be found with the apostate church and be destroyed in the judgment of God.

The second coming of Jesus:

2 Thessalonians 2:8-12

8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of HIS mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of HIS coming:

9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,

10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:

12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

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The plagues of the great tribulation which God sends upon this earth at the end of this world will be very difficult, worse than any thing that has happened before in history.

But I am reminded of this:

I Corinthians 10:13  There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

And as the angels of God watched the plagues which God loosed on this earth the angels praised God for sending those plagues.

Revelation 5:9  And they sung a new song, saying, THOU art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by THY blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;

Revelation 16:4-7  And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood. 5 And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus.

6 For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and THOU hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.

7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are THY judgments.

Do not be guilty of fighting against that which God brings and siding with sinners.

Thou art worthy, O God, in YOUR judgments sent upon this world and the people of this world and the apostate churches.

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