BruceSpeaks

posted by Bruce Porter on כ"ו תשרי תשע"א כ"ג טבת תש"ל

When He opened the third seal,
I heard the third living creature say, “Come and see.”
So I looked, and behold, a black horse,
and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand.
And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying,
“A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius;
and do not harm the oil and the wine.”
(Revelation 6:5-6 NKJV)

For God has not given us a spirit of fear,
but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
(2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV) 

 By Bruce Porter

I’m turning 59 this month. Honestly, I don’t feel old, but people my age always seemed so ancient to me when I was in my 20s and 30s. I can only say that with the passage of years, God has continually shown His grace and mercy in my life, and I can confidently say that only by His grace I remain on this earth. During my sojourn, I’ve learned a few things, perhaps only a few really useful things, and I’d like to share one of them with you.

The most important thing I’ve learned is that nothing in this world is truly reliable. Nothing in this world can give you true security, peace, or lasting comfort. I’ve learned that we must lift our eyes much higher than this world for that sort of thing.

Since I was in my early twenties I was called by the grace of God into faith in His Messiah Jesus, or Yeshua as He was known by His early followers. I did not come willingly. I resisted His call for a time, and fancied myself more than capable of running my own life and taking care of myself, thank you very much. In short, I liked very much being my own god in my own universe. I despised Christians who tried to “witness” to me about Jesus, or tell me I was a “sinner.” After all, as god of my own universe, I absolved myself of all wrongdoing, and besides, as a highly developed primate what did I care about imaginary ‘heavens’ or ‘hells’ since I was the final judge of all reality and ‘truth.” (NOT) Although my atheist friends like to tag me as ‘religious,’ I do not consider myself so. I’ve just faced TRUTH, and His name is Yeshua.

Truth… Now that has a way of being a terribly annoying thing when you’re busy making up reality according to your own opinion, isn’t it? Truth also has a tendency to knock the SNOT out of you when you can’t avoid it, and run into its brick facade! In the end, I lost the battle, and God, (the real one) was the victor. It really wasn’t much of a ‘battle’ since the outcome was already pre-determined, but I’ll leave that for another blog. 

I’ve learned that beyond the door of  TRUTH (and surrender to it) there is yet another door… TRUST. Specifically, I am speaking of TRUST IN GOD to lead, guide, order, and determine not only the events of our lives, but also the days of our lives, and the end of our lives in this world. You see, I’m completely convinced that all there is is not all that is seen. Stated less mystically, our time and sojourning in this present world are only a small part of a much larger span of life and existence that we have scarcely begun to fathom. Jesus promised us eternal life, and yet, how many of us cling to this present world as if it were the only existence we will ever know.

All this to say, brace for impact pilgrims. The world around you is about to come apart. Your life, your security, your possessions, your comforts, and your plans are about to radically change. I used to be able to ignore this to some degree, but the evidence all around me, and the witness of the Spirit inform me that we must actively, sincerely, and deliberately put ourselves into the mighty hands of God with TRUST. Certainly what is coming in terms of painful difficulty is not the end of the story! The birth pangs of an expectant mother (I’m told)  feel sometimes like the end of the world, but they are only part of a process of life. A new life is coming forth, and God has a plan for each of us.

The following video may be frightening to those whose hope is set on this world. I cannot apologize for sharing it with you, because I believe it is the truth. Some will try to discount it as so much fear-mongering by a worldly man who just wants to sell newsletters. However, before you blow him off, or give into the temptation to marginalize me or anyone else who cares enough about you to share this, I beg you to consider the follow scripture:

And the lord commended the unjust steward,
because he had done wisely:
for the children of this world are in their generation
wiser than the children of light.
(Luke 16:8 KJV)

 What can you do with this information? First, have a long and sincere conversation with God. He led Joseph in wisdom just as He gave wisdom to the early believers on numerous occasions after the fall of Jerusalem. He will also lead you and I. I cannot tell you what to do, and wouldn’t want the responsibility of giving too much advice. You need to hear from God. The most important thing is don’t walk another step in denial! Get your instructions, and ACT, not in fear, but in FAITH. It’s pretty simple really. In all cases, however, STAND AGAINST A SPIRIT OF FEAR that is coming upon the whole world. Act in diligence, wisdom, and faith, but never in fear.

posted by Bruce Porter on כ"ה אלול תש"ע כ"ג טבת תש"ל

I saw this video today and HAD to post it here. Whatever people may think about these young filmmakers, they have done our nation a great service. Hannah Giles is a homeschooled product of a godly, patriotic home, and is the WORST NIGHTMARE of the Obama camp and the ACORN thugs who put him in office. Watch this video and draw your own conclusions. Please PRAY for this young lady. I have no doubt that she is in mortal danger.

Oh, and just in case you’re still not sure if President Obama is tied in with the ACORN thugs, watch the second video. It’s a well-documented campaign video by Sen. McCain exposing Obama’s EXTENSIVE involvement in ACORN.

posted by Bruce Porter on כ"ב תמוז תש"ע כ"ג טבת תש"ל

At what point then,
is the approach of danger to be expected?
I answer that if it ever reach us,
it must spring from amongst us;
it cannot come from abroad.
If destruction be our lot, we ourselves
must be the authors and finishers.
As a nation of free men,
we must live through our times
or die by suicide.

- Abraham Lincoln

Above is the flag that flew over Fort McHenry near Baltimore Harbor. It is displayed here inverted, in the internationally recognized signal of distress. Francis Scott Key, an American lawyer, had boarded a British warship on Sept. 13, 1814 to petition the British for the release of an American doctor held prisoner. Before Key could leave the ship however, the British fleet attacked Ft. McHenry. Key was detained during the battle, and all he could do was stare out over the water toward Ft. McHenry as the furious British bombardment pummeled the fort for over 25 hours. When the shelling stopped after dawn, Key eagerly peered out over the water through the early-morning mist and gun smoke. With unspeakable joy he beheld the flag yet flying defiantly over the fort, and wrote down his feelings in a poem that would eventually become our national anthem.

NOW, THE REST OF THE STORY…

The British navy at that time represented the greatest military power in the world, and the full force of their wrath was directed against the fort. During the siege, the British commander made an offer to cease fire if those within the fort would only lower the American flag. The American defenders defiantly refused, and for the entire night the enraged Brits bombarded Fort McHenry from their massive warships.

The British targeted their artillery barrage particularly upon the U.S. flag itself, seeking to knock it down. However to their amazement, each time it began to fall under the hail of shells, it would suddenly rise again. The British commander was distressed as the day dawned and the flag, though damaged and tattered, was still proudly flying over the fort.

What the Brits didn’t realize, and later discovered much to their amazement, was that each time a shell would hit the flag or its supports, the McHenry patriots would run forward under the hail of artillery and physically hold up the flag until the next shell would kill or wound them. This went on all night. Each time men would fall at the flagpole, others would run forward to take their place, knowing that doing so would mean certain death. These brave American patriots understood the importance of that flag and what it symbolized. They knew that for it to fall, it would signal defeat and the loss of the liberties purchased for them at the cost of countless men and women who shed their blood for freedom.

Here’s a question each of us needs to ponder in these days of trial. Are we still willing to hold up that banner and all it stands for? Does that flag yet wave over the land of the free and the home of the brave? Are we yet willing to pay the ultimate price in defense of our God-given liberty?

Our nation is at grave risk. Traitors who despise our freedoms and ceaselessly labor to subvert our political liberties as a means of destroying them are at work in our very midst. From the highest offices of our land voices are heard that denigrate and besmirch our proud heritage and seek to embarrass us before nations around the world who would love nothing more than to see our destruction. We need make no apologies before our enemies, and have ever stood for justice, liberty, and prosperity in a world of dictators, kings, and self-appointed potentates.

President Lincoln’s speech, given at the Young Men’s Lyceum of Springfield, Illinois January 27, 1838, was nothing short of prophetic.

“The world has never had a good definition of the word ‘liberty.’ The American people just now, are much in want of one. We all declare for liberty. But in using the same word, we do not all mean the same thing. What constitutes the bulwark of our liberty and independence? It is not our frowning battlements, our bristling seacoasts – these are not our reliance against tyranny. Our reliance is in the love of liberty, which God has planted in our bosom. Our defense is in the preservation of the spirit which prizes liberty as the heritage of all men in all lands, everywhere. Destroy this spirit and you have planted the seeds of despotism around your own door.

At what point shall we expect the approach of danger? By what means shall we fortify against it? Shall we expect some transatlantic military giant to step the ocean and crush us at a blow? Never. All the armies of Europe, Asia and Africa combined, could not, by force, take a drink from the Ohio, or make a track on the Blue Ridge, in a trial of a thousand years.

At what point then, is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer that if it ever reach us, it must spring from amongst us; it cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we ourselves must be the authors and finishers. As a nation of free men, we must live through our times or die by suicide.

Let reverence for the law be breathed by every American mother to the lisping babe that prattles on her lap; let it be taught in the schools, in the seminaries and in the colleges; let it be written in primers, in spelling books and almanacs; let it be preached from the pulpit, proclaimed in legislative halls and enforced in courts of justice; and in short, let it become the political religion of the nation.

And let the old and the young, the rich and the poor, the grave and the gay, of all sexes and tongues and colors and conditions, sacrifice unceasingly at its altar. And let us strive to deserve, as far as mortals may, the continued care of Divine Providence, trusting that in future national emergencies, He will not fail to provide us the instruments of safety and security.

Let us not be slandered from our duty by false accusations against us, nor frightened from it by menaces of destruction to the government, nor of dungeons to ourselves. Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith, let us, to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it.”

- Abraham Lincoln

 
On this Independence Day, let’s remember that freedom isn’t free. Ask any veteran who fought and defended this great nation against tyranny and oppression. Our constitutional liberties were gained and maintained by heartbreaking sacrifice. When we watch the fireworks with our families, let us remember that those fireworks commemorate a desperate battle when brave Americans stood up and defended liberty for all generations to follow.

Let us diligently teach our children what those “bombs bursting in air” actually represent the blood, sweat, and tears of our forefathers who gave their all so we could live as free men and women.

Most important of all, let us pause during our barbeques and family gatherings and give thanks to God for His Providential grace and mercy toward us, and ask His continued blessing and protection upon our nation.

Our last Independence Day will come ONLY when enough of us forget what this great nation truly stands for, and through neglect of duty allow those who would destroy this last best hope of freedom to perish from among the nations. Will we stand idly by and allow the forces of evil to strip away our liberties, our culture, and our freedom to worship God as we please, or will we, like those brave souls at Ft. McHenry, run forth into the battle and hold up that flag and all it represents for all the world to see?! YOU decide!

posted by Bruce Porter on י"ח אדר תש"ע כ"ג טבת תש"ל

Last time I saw it all coming and cried aloud
to my own fellow-countrymen and to the world,
but no one paid any attention.
There never was a war in all history
easier to prevent by timely action
than the one which has just desolated
such great areas of the globe.
It could have been prevented in my belief
…but no one would listen
and one by one we were all sucked
into the awful whirlpool.
We surely must not let that happen again.

-Sir Winston Churchill-
THE SINEWS OF PEACE
March 5, 1946
Address to the graduating class of Westminster College, Fulton, Missouri

Not long ago I passed through Fulton, Missouri, the state of my birth, and made a special pilgrimage to the Winston Churchill Memorial and Library at Westminster College. There, next to the reconstructed Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Aldermanbury, stands a bronze statue of the “Bulldog of England,” Sir Winston Churchill, in commemoration of his historic visit and speech there. The church, dismantled and transported to Missouri from London, was built in the 12th century, was redesigned by Sir Christopher Wren in 1677 after the Great Fire of London. To prevent its demolition, Westminster College purchased and brought it to Fulton. It now serves as the Churchill library.

Students passing by glanced sideways at me as I stared at this old warrior, pondering the loneliness he must have endured. I wondered how many of them were aware of who this man actually was, and how profoundly their lives were still being affected by his faithfulness to stand up to evil, even under the scathing glare of appeasing critics in his time. No-doubt his soul must have borne many scars of rejection and ridicule before his true greatness was recognized.

Even as a young man, before WWI, Churchill harbored dark forebodings about the rise of Kaiser Wilhelm II’s dictatorship in Germany.

I thought of the peril of Britain,
peace-loving, unthinking, little prepared,
of her power and virtue,
and of her mission of good sense and fair play.
I thought of mighty Germany towering up
in the splendor of her Imperial State
and delving down in her profound, cold,
patient, ruthless calculations.

After World War I, Churchill was marginalized politically as he raised his voice in warning about the dangers of future dictatorships in the Soviet Union, Japan, Germany, and Italy. The liberals of his time called him a warmonger, unable to fathom the danger he so clearly foresaw. How we need voices like his now!

AN IMMINENT ATTACK ON AMERICA?

In a lecture in New York City a few weeks ago, an Israeli speaker, Juval Aviv, warned of another, even more devastating terrorist attack on the U.S.

Aviv was one of the Israeli agents sent out by Israel to avenge the murder of Israeli athletes by Palestinian terrorists at the Munich Olympic games. He also served as Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir’s personal bodyguard. He is no stranger to the ways of terrorists.

This is the man who was mocked by Bill O’Reilly on Fox News when he predicted that within a week the London subway bombings would occur. A few days later O’Reilly wasn’t laughing so much. He also tried to warn President Bush that terrorists using aircraft as missiles would target prominent buildings and monuments. Within a month the attacks of 9/11 occurred.

Aviv now says that the next terrorist attacks here in America are imminent and will involve suicide bombers and non-suicide bombers anywhere large groups of people congregate. Likely targets would be places like Disneyland, casinos, and theaters in large metropolitan cities. They will likely strike shopping malls, subways in rush hour, train stations, and include small communities. He believes the attack will involve at least 5-8 cities, including rural areas coordinated to occur on the same day for maximum impact.

Aviv doesn’t believe terrorists will use nuclear weapons since suicide bombings are much cheaper and effective. Also, because of the level of Islamo-sycophantic indoctrination in our own schools and universities here in the U.S., there will be no need to bring foreigners in to do the job. There are plenty of “homegrown” Jihadists right here in America who do not fit the profile of Middle-Eastern terrorists and can move freely among us without arousing suspicion.

Are Americans ready to meet this challenge?

Aviv recently conducted a private security test by placing an empty briefcase in five well-traveled spots in five major cities. Guess what happened? Not one person called 911 or sought a policeman to check it out. In fact, in Chicago, someone tried to steal the briefcase! (Now, why doesn’t that surprise us?)

Israel is ready

I have been to Israel over twenty times and was present in two of Israel’s wars. I can attest that individual Israelis are well-aware of terrorist threats. The citizenry have developed a “personal radar” that instantly alerts them when things don’t “look right.” This is honed by the bitter experience of suicide bombers detonating themselves on public buses, in shopping malls and nightclubs. When you get on a bus, or walk into a restaurant, every person in the room gives you the “once over” with their eyes, especially if you’re carrying something. Americans know virtually nothing of this sort of vigilance. I expect we will soon learn however.

As I consider the times we live in, and what is actually happening around us–how the world is moving inextricably toward the chaotic events that God warned would happen in the last days –I’m convinced that we are about to receive a jolting wakeup call.

Some may think me melancholic in saying this, but–

If you listen closely, you can almost hear the hoof-beats of the four horsemen of the apocalypse approaching.

(see Revelation 6:1-9)

The fact that we are already in the midst of World War III is lost on most of us in the West. As a culture we are awash in mind-numbing triviality fed to us through a ratings-driven mass media and an entertainment industry that conditions us to believe that calamity and terrorism cannot happen to us.

More than this, increasingly, we are being offered spiritual-sounding pabulum by many false teachers who seek to convince us that comfort and affluence is promised to every Christian who “believes correctly” and responds financially to each and every offering. Huge multimillion-dollar church-buildings have gone up all over the land, and far too often success is measured by how expensive your car is, or how many square feet you occupy.

Change is in the wind. The Islamofascist war is coming to America. Our world will soon become ‘a different place’, and side-issues like ‘global warming’ and ‘political correctness’ are going to become an irrelevant absurdity.

Just one dirty nuke in one of our cities would bring our debt-bloated economy down. This has never been truer with the present administration’s obsession with spending more money than our grandchildren could possibly ever pay back. Just one suicide-bombing, or a biological attack by terrorists will empty out our beautiful church buildings. What sane person would expose their family to the possibility they might be blown to bits by a terrorist, or catch a deadly bio-engineered infection by coughing, sneezing people inside enclosed places?

Winston Churchill was considered a prophet of doom in his time, but was later vindicated when his dark visions of the future became everyone’s nightmare in Britain during the Nazi blitz. I’m continually amazed at how quickly fearful people will scoff at, and actively marginalize anyone who warns of the dangers in our times. When liberal appeasers were finally discredited by Nazi bombs falling on London, they desperately sought his leadership. By then it was nearly too late.

His views on Islam are particularly noteworthy. He saw in Islam a grave threat to western civilization, and his word are prophetic.

Individual Moslems may show splendid qualities.
Thousands become the brave and loyal soldiers of the Queen:
all know how to die.
But the influence of the religion paralyses
the social development of those who follow it.
No stronger retrograde force exists in the world.
Far from being moribund,
Mohammedanism is a militant and proselytising faith.
It has already spread throughout Central Africa,
raising fearless warriors at every step;
and were it not that Christianity is sheltered
in the strong arms of science
- the science against which it had vainly struggled -
the civilisation of modern Europe might fall,
as fell the civilisation of ancient Rome.

Sir Winston Churchill

I believe God is about to do some things in the earth that will take quite a few of us by surprise. Not all of it will be painful! I’m convinced that those who prepared and are ready to face the times ahead with confidence and courage will shine as bright stars on a dark, moonless night. Our greatest days of usefulness are just before us, but we must not allow ourselves to be paralyzed with fear or lulled asleep by the siren call of this fallen world!

As Yeshua said;

For those will be days of greater horror
than at any time since God created the world.
And it will never happen again.
In fact, unless the Lord shortens that time of calamity,
the entire human race will be destroyed.
But for the sake of his chosen ones he has shortened those days.
And then if anyone tells you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah,’
or, ‘There he is,’ don’t pay any attention.
For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up
and perform miraculous signs and wonders
so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen ones.
Watch out! I have warned you!
At that time, after those horrible days end,
the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give light,
the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of heaven will be shaken.
Then everyone will see the Son of Man
arrive on the clouds with great power and glory.

(Mark 13:19-26 NLT)

Winston Churchill left us a legacy of patient perseverance. He stayed steady and waited for his time in destiny to unfold. He suffered many setbacks, endured vicious attacks, and many dark nights of disappointments. Yet, when the time came for him to step up upon the stage of world history, he was ready.

Are you ready? Are you filled with a sense of destiny and confident that it was no mere accident that placed you in this time and place? We need not fear what may come. God has called each of us for such a time as this, and He didn’t make any mistakes. Take your place. Do your duty. Hold steady in the coming storm, for in the end, more peaceful days will come.

Jerusalem is about to undergo a major remodel upon the return of the King of Kings, and the world will be under infinitely better-qualified management with a Jew on the throne who wears the scars of His battles and the crown of His victory.

I hope to see Winston there among the worshippers, with a proper British grin on his face.