Healing, Believing, and True Faith, Pt. 1

Ronald Weinland

October 28, 2023

We’re going to begin a new series today and it is entitled, Healing, Believing, and True Faith, Part 1.

I have mentioned a few times, and the last time was at the Feast, that it’s hard to grasp why some do not look to God and obey Him when it comes to asking for anointing. This is a matter of requesting anointing, or this matter of requesting anointing is really a pretty broad subject when you really start looking at it and you look at the scriptures that talk about it there in James, which is what we’re going to do in a moment.

But it’s a very broad subject because it brings a lot of things into it when it discusses it. So, that’s why we have a rather long title for this particular series, because there’s a lot involved in the subject when you start looking at it. In the big picture, this is not a simple matter to be able to fully see what we’re to learn from what God has given us concerning this subject, so it’s going to be good to go into it, to delve into it more deeply.

It may seem simple on the surface because we generally just focus on those specific scriptures in James 5 but there is so much more revealed that’s involved in this and brings to light the kind of insight and spiritual understanding that we have or lack. So, it’s a good measuring tool, in that respect.

Asking for anointing involves our level of belief in God and His Son. That includes facets of obedience, faith, government, God’s plan and purpose in creating Elohim, and so much more. So, that’s why it’s a rather long title, and you’ll understand this as we go along more.

So, let’s turn over to James 5 and begin there. Very basic verses that are about this matter of anointing, requesting it, and then we’ll begin to build upon it and hopefully grow in a much deeper understanding and appreciation of our calling and how God works with us.

James 5:14—Is anyone among you sick? The word means “feeble; to be weak,” which when you look at other scriptures, where it’s used in scripture, talks about different ones with diseases or various ailments and so forth. It’s discussing those things when we’re not strong and healthy.

Let them call for the elders of the Church, and let them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. Now, already there’s been a lot said there, and we’ll come back to it later on and discuss some of that. But there’s a lot involved here.

And the prayer of faith will save the sick. This is a different word that’s used now. It means the “weary.” The prayer of faith will save the weary. And the Lord will raise them up. And if they have committed sins, they will be forgiven.

So, in reality, as you look at these two verses there should be all kinds of questions pop into mind. “Why does it say this?” “Why does it say that?” “Why is this associated…” That’s what we should be asking in order to learn from what it’s actually telling us, and we’re going to do that as we go along.

These verses really are very poorly understood in many ways, and they’re not translated very well and especially when it comes to the context of what precedes this and what follows this. The tendency is just to look at these two verses and not understand why James is focusing on this or why God is having us or wants us to focus on it, to ask the questions that should be asked. If you just look at the two verses it’s very easy to take things out of context and to read them in a wrong way and read things into it. But if we read it all in context there is a lot that comes to light.

So, we’re going to do that by going back and starting in James 1. Because there is really no other way to come to fully understand what is being covered here, why it’s being covered, and what it means for us, and what we’re to learn from it. So, there’s a lot here, there really is, and in order to be able to do that you have to have the entire context of the book of James in your mind.

James 1:1—James, a servant of God and of the Lord Joshua the Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, Greetings. My brethren… Now, it’s important to understand this in the very beginning because James begins to address some things in the book later on that might seem like he’s talking to others outside, but he’s talking to the Church. So, that needs to be kept in mind all the way through the book of James; it’s for the Church.

So, it says, To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, Greetings. My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials. So, the matter of the tribes here, it’s not about specifically in that regard things that have to do with them separate from the Church, but it’s about those in the Church whom God was calling and in various other areas, that whether they understood or knew or not there were those who were being drawn in or being called and would be called through time that would involve the other tribes.

So, it’s not just for that period of time to the twelve tribes. Because the reality is that God is still primarily, because of His promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, had a promise of great physical prosperity. And because of that much of what was carried through from Israel going back to the time of Judah and so forth, even though others went into captivity, those were still the areas to where traditional Christianity rose up. They are or would become the carriers in many regards, because of the wealth and so forth, the ability to spread and teach.

Might just look at Herbert Armstrong. Where was he? In Manasseh. This was the last of the great nations in that regard, as far as that which was prophetic, that would be given the greatest of power the world has ever known, the greatest of everything the world has ever known, and then come to demise at the end.

But when James is addressing this it’s long range. It’s to all those through whom God would call and work with. It’s God’s purpose and God’s plan; that’s the way He did it. Other peoples that have been brought in, the gentiles that began to be worked with as well, it wasn’t to exclude them, but the reality is there are certain regions of the world where God chose to work and raise up work. That can be addressed in another sermon. But there are reasons for that and shouldn’t be lost in us when we understand the work that was done during Philadelphia and what God did and how it was able to be accomplished. It’s because of that wealth and the blessings of the people that were called to participate and where they were.

So going on, My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials. We all do that, don’t we? What a thing to say, “Count it all joy when you fall into different,” some translations, New King James says, “trials” here. But it’s as “temptations” in the King James.

The reality is that with what is being addressed here it does have much to do with temptations of our carnality as human beings and the trials and things we go through because of our nature that we, as a whole, so much of it, bring upon ourselves because of our nature, because of the way we are, our battles, our trials, hardships, and so forth, of life, and most of those are in relationships.

The Greek word here comes from the word that means “to test; to make proof of.” So, it’s unique in that respect to think of this when you talk about, “when you fall into various trials,” because there is a process where that’s being used and it’s to our advantage. It’s a blessing, candidly to us, of ability to grow and be molded and fashioned by God. It’s an incredible thing when we understand it, how God uses these various things to mold and fashion us. That has to do with our choices and our response to what He is doing and how we address the various things, if you will, as far as temptation, trials, which is going to be addressed by James later here. This will come together more and more.

So, it’s a word that means “to test; to make proof of.” One word that’s used sometimes is “an experiment.” Because if you have an experiment and you’re putting various things together it’s to see what is going to happen, what the reaction is, perhaps to prove something here, to learn from whatever that might be. Life is very much like that for us as well.

Verse 3—Knowing this, that the trying, the testing or the proof, of your faith… Incredible, of your faith, which has to do with what you believe, what you’re living, what you choose to live then as a result of what God has given you to believe. Knowing this, that the trying, or the testing, or the proving of your faith works patience. The Greek word here for “works” literally, “to work out or to produce” patience. That’s a part of the process here in God’s way of life and how we’re to live it.

But/So, let patience have her perfect work. What better way could you express some of that than for us in our calling? Because most don’t have patience. They give up, they turn to something else, they won’t keep at the fight, they don’t keep at what James is even discussing here because you have to do it to the end. That kind of patience – it has to stay there until the end because it’s not going to ease up. There might be certain things that change and we’re able to address more easily and better, but we still have this nature we have to fight until the end.

So much of what’s being covered here is about that. It has to do with what we believe and understanding how God is working with us and on and on it goes.

But it says, “Count it all joy,” when these things happen because it’s an opportunity to change, it’s an opportunity to grow in character, it’s an opportunity to able, in that sense of character, become more solid and sound within us, God’s way of life, so that as we go through various things we’re able to address them more quickly. On and on it goes. It’s a part of growth. Without it, we can’t become a part of Elohim. It’s the process.

So, we should “count it all joy.” That means we understand that when we begin this journey it’s going to be hard, it’s going to be difficult, it’s going to be a fight. The words, “to conquer, to overcome,” overcome meaning to conquer. It’s something you’ve got to do the whole time you’re in the Church. It never stops. It never ends. It’s a way of life with us.

We should rejoice in that sense inside in our minds to realize what God’s called us to, that He’s given us the opportunity to change self. We don’t have to be this way. We don’t have to stay selfish, human beings, or selfish beings that are going to be resurrected later on and stay selfish until we’re burnt up – put it to the bottom line. What an incredible choice. Think, seems like a no-brainer.

But sadly, there’s going to be a lot that choose the other way. They don’t want to fight it. They don’t love God. They don’t want what God has given to them. They don’t believe God, so they don’t want to live by what God has said. So, these are the kinds of things that can come out of us to learn, to see what’s really inside of us when we go through what we go through because it helps us to learn about how we think.

When you go through a trial it should help us to learn about ourselves, to see ourselves more clearly, to understand what the battle is, to become more convicted that there is a battle and what’s inside of us and various things bring that to the surface. So, we’ll continue on.

Knowing this, that the trying of your faith works/produces patience. So, let patience have her perfect work that you may be, as the word is, perfected or completed. Finished. And when is that done? Well, in most cases right up to the point of death and then being resurrected, done, opportunity to become a part of God’s Family.

…and entire, lacking nothing. So, we don’t want to lack if we want God’s way of life. If we want to be in His Family we want to go through whatever it takes to change this mind, the way we are, and the way we think.

Verse 5—If anyone lacks wisdom… Well, we need to put on the brakes right there. What should that tell us if we address it in reality? We all lack wisdom. We all need more wisdom. Wisdom comes from God. Wisdom is the mind of God, the being of God, the word of God. So, we all lack, so what do we do if we understand that, if we’re convicted of that, that we lack? It shows us we need, “I need help,” we need help, we want to change.

So, that’s why this is being addressed. Again, If anyone lacks wisdom let them ask of God. That’s where we go. We go before God. Various things we go through in trials help us to see that. Hardships, temptations help us to see self. Then we know we need help and it’s up to us then if we want to change, if we want to repent, if we want to think differently, if we know that to accomplish that we need God’s help, we need God’s spirit, then that does something to us in our thinking, in our actions and our response.

…who gives to everyone liberally. God is ready to give the things… If He’s called us, He’s ready to give. He wants to give more and more to us. He wants to give us more of His love, to be nurtured by Him, to be taken care of, protected in that respect by Him, given more help of His holy spirit. He wants to give us His holy spirit because He knows that’s the only way we can change. It’s just that we have to come to know that and be convicted of that and cry out for that. And so, God gives liberally to all whom He calls. It’s not talking about the world; it’s talking about the Church and what He’s called us to.

…and without reproach. If we understand what that means, that’s awesome. Without guilt. Not holding that over us. Without blame. We can go before God. And how do we do that? Well, we should know the answer. We’re repenting. We’re repenting and we recognize that it’s through our Passover, Joshua the Christ, that we can be forgiven so we can go before God who gives to all liberally if these things are done. If we do repent. That should be in the context in our minds and our hearts, in our knowledge and understanding.

So, when we go before God we have a confidence we know what God wants to give us of His help and His spirit. He’ll help us to fight the battles. But you’ve got to ask for it, and sometimes you just got to keep crying out over and over again until it’s conquered, certain things are conquered. And if they come back you’ve got to pray again about it because you can’t do it on your own!

You try to do it on your own, and I’ve known too many people in God's Church who tried to do things on a physical plane thinking they were righteous because of their physical things they did, much like the Jews or people who go through various ceremonies and think that by what they’re doing that they earned something. It doesn’t work that way in that respect.

So, by praying thirty minutes in the morning, thirty minutes at noon, thirty minutes in the evening, or an hour, an hour, an hour that somehow we’re better, we’re going to be more righteous. Now, that doesn’t take away from the fact that we should pray, but it’s the mind and the attitude that goes with it.

Christ dealt with some in, during his time, there were people who fasted twice a week. Whoop-tee-do. I wonder why. Doing it on your own? At that time, they didn’t even understand about God’s spirit and what fasting was even all about on a spiritual plane. It was all a physical thing to feel better about themselves.

This story goes on and on and on, how people can feel better about themselves because of the routines and things they go through, that somehow this is religious and somehow this earns them something. Only in spirit and in truth are we able to receive something from God. It has to be that way to have a right relationship with Him in spirit and in truth. And how we’re able to have that? By repenting of sins, by continually having God’s spirit come into our lives and live and dwell within us. We want that and that’s why we’re repenting. Then the truth we hold on to, all that God has taught us to believe, we choose to live by those things. And if we don’t then we don’t really believe God like we should so often because I’ve known so many people who so easily turned away from truth. I believe in many cases, never really believed them all in the first place, were not fully convicted of them, had different ideas about some of them, and held on to those in disagreement. Choice.

…and it shall be given them. So, we understand that if we’re going to receive help and we have a confidence of that it’s going to be because we’re without blame. And so, how’s that? Because we’ve repented. God forgives. Don’t have to worry about it.

But let them ask in faith, believing what God says. “Let them ask in faith.” So, what other way is there to ask? Because God’s given us the ability to believe and to understand and to know how we’re able to be forgiven of sin, how we’re able to have His spirit continue to dwell within us on a continuing basis. It should be simple. Well, I think it is far more for us now than it was five years ago, or ten years ago, or twenty years ago because of growing and maturing as God has given us those things.

But let them ask in faith, believing, in other words, what God says, nothing, or the word basically meaning here without any doubting. This word has to do with a lack of certainty or questioning that goes on in the mind because of how we are so it goes back to what I was talking about a moment ago that sometimes people don’t really fully believe what they’ve been told. Why? Well, that’s a long story. It’s part of the sermon.

“…nothing/without any doubting.” Without any lack of certainty. So, we should all have confidence when we go before God and repent of sin. But the question is, do we repent of sin? That’s where the challenge is sometimes. Are we repenting of the sin? Do we see the sin in our life that we need to repent of? As long as we’re doing that God is faithful – it’s forgiven and we’re without blame. He’s not going to hold anything against us. He’s going to give to us the opportunity of Him and His son dwelling in us, the blessing of that. Awesome!

For any who doubt… Interesting, this word, because it involves the word of “judgment.” It includes a word in it that has to do with judgment, which, to me, is inspiring because of things we covered during the Feast, up to the Feast, during the Feast, and continuing on in now, candidly, in what’s being covered here.

“For any who doubt…” So it has to do with the reasoning in the mind, the way we think about matters. Sometimes our reasoning is faulty. Sometimes we have to repent of faulty reasoning because we want the right kind of thinking, the right kind of thinking process that comes from God, which has to do with believing what He says and striving to live by it. Which, when you start taking in things that God says about relationships, which hopefully, will simplify some of this, when we start thinking about relationships, whether we do or don’t live by certain things determines the outcome of so much of this. It’s in our hands. It’s in our power.

For any who doubt are like a wave of the sea, driven with the wind and tossed. So, when we start using human reasoning, our reasoning because of the way we see something… and we don’t have to think back very far about things. I used the example over and over again because it’s so simple, it’s in our time. I don’t use make-up right now in our time because for most of you, you never experienced that. Some of you have who were farther in the days of Herbert Armstrong toward the end and then the beginning of a new administration in Laodicea. But as a whole, most have not experienced that.

But we have all experienced the reality of what happened with something as simple as Covid and what was given as guidance and instruction to the Church and whether we were really at one with that. We have plenty of people who had different reasoning of why they thought that they’re not in agreement, they don’t believe it. I’m not going to go into it. I think some are still…well, I know some are still battling with some of that.

It shows how thick our head is, how hard it is sometimes to penetrate this mind, and how it has to be one’s own choice. No one else can do it for you, and you can’t give it to anyone. I can’t preach it to come into existence. I can preach about it and then it’s up to us to receive what we do and whether we pray about it, whether we repent of wrong thinking, or do we really think it’s wrong thinking. Because a lot of times as human beings we don’t think our thinking is wrong. We think we’re pretty much on target. There’s the battle. It’s a constant battle against this.

So, with our faulty reasoning, there is doubting. There is that which is going to come up of questioning, questioning things. I think of all the things that I saw in the Church when Herbert Armstrong was alive and all the questioning that went on in Church areas from brethren about things they heard in the sermons that he gave, and openly vocalizing them. It was like, what is wrong with you?

Well, now I know, but back then I didn’t fully. And it’s like, “Don’t you see what you’re doing? You’re willingly vocalizing something against God’s servant and how we’re taught and led and guided and directed?” It should be an easy thing to see but, boy, it isn’t because of this mind we have.

The rest of the verse, They’re like the wave of the sea, driven with the wind and tossed. Just basically, all over the place. Because you see, it won’t just be Covid, it’ll be something else. It won’t just be something else, something else will come along and they’ll be able to latch on to that. After a while an individual is so far away from the trunk of the tree and what has been given that they’re not recognizable anymore. Who are you? Because they’re not a part. Then God reveals that in time, they’re not a part – or has it addressed.

We have seen that in a huge way in PKG. You all have witnessed that. You all have seen those things take place and God revealing those things to us so we can learn from that process, and hopefully, ourselves be sobered by it so that we don’t repeat the same kind of foolish mistakes but learn from it.

Verse 7—For let no one think that they shall receive anything of the Lord. For a double-minded person… So, if someone is like this and their judgment is faulty because they’re using their own judgment and they’re not listening to what is being given to them as to sound thinking, right reasoning, the right process of reasoning and thinking, and to understand how dangerous this is when we start reasoning in a different way, red lights ought to go off all over the place for us. I just see people flashing in my mind here, about different things that have happened in times past. It’s like, no red lights, it’s like green all the way, step on the gas, go faster.

“For don’t let anyone think,” in other words, “that they shall receive anything of the Lord.” If this is going on, if individuals aren’t in unity and oneness and receiving God’s truth, God’s word in the way that has been given to the Body, to the Church to teach, to lead, to guide, to direct, and if certain things are excused away or “I don’t agree with this,” or “I don’t agree with that,” or “I don’t think that person should have been ordained,” or “I don’t think women should have been ordained, period,” or whatever.

Because that existed and we had a lot of people leave because of that and some in the ministry. They had to be put out because of those kinds of things because they couldn’t accept what God was giving. God waited nearly six thousand years to open up that door after Adam and Eve were corrected for the things they did. All humanity suffered from then on because God allowed free thinking, human thinking, and let brute force rule.

Like it is in nations today, brute force has ruled the world for six thousand years. That’s why governments have to be strong, and you have to use a strong fist. If it’s not done in righteousness and done justly then it just becomes exceedingly oppressive. So, what has mankind experienced? Exceedingly oppressive governments – to the one that tries to control the rest of the world today. People are sick and tired of it even in the world. So, even mankind gets sick and tired of that kind of thing, and they raise up something even more oppressive because of their crazy thinking. Look at what’s going on in the news today in the world.

Clashes of religion. That’s what we’re seeing. They don’t mix. They don’t mix in this world! It never will succeed. Oh man, some of the protests out there, mind-boggling. You wonder, “How could they think that way? What is wrong with your thinking?” It’s mind-boggling, it really is.

We’re witnessing some of the most incredible things in the world today that anyone will ever see. We’re seeing the height, the pinnacle of it coming to pass after 6,000 years with the kind of technology and power that’s available of what we’re capable of as human beings. It’s ugly. It’s so ugly. It’s going to get a whole lot uglier before this is over with.

We’re the witnesses of that. We’re the ones that are going to go through all that and learn from it in ways that the world isn’t going to until later on, maybe, obviously most if they have the ability to or will choose in the Great White Throne. Others who go on into the Millennium as far as the world is concerned.

What opportunities we have. We don’t really grasp the depth of the opportunities God has given us as His people. We really don’t see it all as clearly as we should because we’re carnal human beings still, but God’s just giving us more and more and we have more that we can latch on to.

For let no one think that they shall receive anything of the Lord. For a double-minded person is unstable in all their ways. So, it’s not just one thing. If somebody has screwed up in one way and they don’t agree in one thing take it to the bank there are a lot of other things they don’t agree with either, that they have their own ideas about. (Just ask them. No, don’t!)

Then it goes on to this, Let the lowly, lowly in spirit, the humble rejoice in that they are exalted. So, God can work with humility, and so the Church, this should be us. To have that kind of a mind and attitude, to understand “I understand what I am.” We should understand what we are, our weaknesses, our minds, our frailties, and to understand we have battles, and we have to constantly fight and have the patience to keep fighting. You just don’t stop fighting. Be convicted of that. Beautiful! Then God can work with us.

That’s what it’s saying here, in essence, “in that they’re exalted.” Because God’s working with us. We’re exalted because we carry the name of Almighty God, Yahweh Elohim. We’re His begotten children. How exalted is that? Knowing where that’s leading us to if we’ll just continue to fight the fight – into His Family, Elohim. But you have to fight it until the end. Be convicted of that, want it with all your being, not halfway, not to deceive ourselves in thinking, “Well, I’m going through the motions and sending in my tithes and my offerings and going to Sabbath services and going to the Feast of Tabernacles,” and kind of get in that same kind of a mess sometimes that people think they’re just going through the motions of certain things to seem the same. But there comes a distinction whether someone is really in the Temple or in the courtyard, and those things are harder so often for people to recognize and grasp – sadly, even within themselves.

So, we should be thankful. That’s what we’re being told. If we’re able to see and understand these things, to know what God has given to us, to recognize how rich we are. I can’t help but be in awe so often to think that we have more truth and understanding of God’s plan and purpose and how God works than any, anyone previous to us in nearly six thousand years. Not Abraham. Not Moses. Save Christ.

All the disciples before that, they had a present truth, and it wasn’t where we are now. Herbert Armstrong saw far, far more than what all the early apostles did because God gave him more to understand where we were in time, to understand things in the book of Revelation, the book of Daniel, and so forth as a foundation to work upon of what was coming. Incredible! And on and on it goes.

…but the rich in that they are made low. So what is that saying? Well, if somebody is lifted up and they’re rich (like Laodicea) and increased with goods and start looking at that in a wrong way, be thankful if you’re brought low, made low, because otherwise, it’s going to take you away from God.

You can’t be lifted up, can’t be rich, in that sense, in self and what we think we know and ignore then what God is giving to us and that we have the authority, the power to make our own decisions as to what is right and what is wrong. No, God shows us, and God teaches us what is right and wrong, how we’re to live, what values and so forth and what is true and what isn’t, what things to be on guard against. That’s how He works. Perfect? No. But with the present truth far more than anyone ever before. We should rejoice in that, that we are so blessed.

And so, if someone is corrected and has gotten to a point where they become a little too wealthy in their own thinking, they’re rich, to realize how dangerous that was because that’s what happened to Laodicea. Lesson learned hopefully and prayerfully because it’s still a battle. All those eras, there are still battles of those different eras that have always existed. Some are just more pronounced at different times.

But this is a time when we’ve been given more than ever before that this can easily happen. Laodicea, rich and increased with goods. So, it’s far better to be able to receive some kind of help from God to be brought down to ground level again where we can start thinking right again and be sobered. So, thank God for sobering us from time to time and helping us to see our weaknesses and be sobered by what can happen if we don’t see them.

Because as a flower the grass shall pass away. For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat but it withers the grass, and the flower thereof falls, and the grace of the fashion of it perishes. God has made so many things in creation and this we can easily see. But to understand it for our human life, we miss out on so often. We’re not here very long. That’s what it’s saying. “It’s here and it’s gone, doesn’t last long.” Incredible.

So, we have to see things in a sober way like this to understand how we’re created, how we’re made. We may think things are a long time, but I think you can ask anyone pretty much that’s older here, they’ll tell you, yep, when you get down to the point where you realize there is not much left it can be very sobering. But it’s good to be able to see those kinds of things in life. Awesome.

So also shall a rich person fade away in their ways. What a horrible thing to be in that state, to be self-sufficient, to be the expert in things. That’s what’s so bad about human nature.

As a whole, I so hate the news nowadays because that’s all it’s filled with, as a whole. Opinions. You want to know? Just ask someone their opinion and sit there for half an hour listening to them spew away their opinion, how they think things should be done, what they think is wrong, what they think is going to happen.

Like over in the Middle East, these people talking about what they think is going to happen next. Well, they may be hitting in on some of the areas of things, but you can listen to that kind of stuff after a while and who’s the expert on it, who really knows? Who has the actual absolute truth about it? Well, not even God’s Church. There are things we have to go by, there are things we can see – and we’ll talk about those later – awesome what God has given to us. But the world, well, they like to give their opinion.

And if that happens in God’s Church and people want to tell you their opinion, what you’re doing is wrong, what you need to see, that you don’t see this clearly, be careful. Understand the danger because they’re not any expert. No one is. Hope you understand what I’m saying.

Blessed is a person who endures testing/temptation. So, what does that mean? It means you’re going to have battles all your life. Why? Because you have ugly, carnal, human nature. That’s me. Inside of me, I know there is ugly, carnal, human nature and I have to fight it. I have to fight it. You have to fight it. You can’t let that come out. You have to strive to be in control the right way, in agreement with God, and the right kind of reasoning. Because it’s always going to be there.

When we think we’re right about something and someone else is wrong and we get into a dispute? And when I said, “If any of this stuff happens at the Feast of Tabernacles…?” So, I found out last night this happened at the Feast of Tabernacles, and I think, what a shame you can’t get along, you argue, you fight. What is wrong with you?! What is wrong with anyone who cannot get along in God’s Church—I don’t care what the issues are—and can’t work through it?

Because God tells us how to work through things. He tells us how to be peacemakers. He tells us how to swallow our pride! Because that’s all it is so often, “I’m right and I’m judging right. You’re wrong.” Then the other person, “You’re always accusing me and blah, blah, blah,” or whatever it might be. I don’t know what. But you think, so childish, so ugly. It really is ugly. Things like that just irritate the tar out of me by this time in God’s Church because it shouldn’t exist, especially at a Feast of Tabernacles. Of all times we can’t get along, someone can’t get along? Absolutely no excuse!

So, this is what it’s talking about. You have to fight all the time against your own nature and the temptations sometimes, the temptation to judge, to be harsh in judgment toward someone else, to not be merciful as God says we’re supposed to be, and sometimes to back way as God tells us we’re supposed to do.

He didn’t come down and smack us every time we do something wrong. He doesn’t come down, as the concept was for the Millennium, that people are going to come up and tap you on the back of the shoulder and say, “oh, Oh, OH…” Because that was done, and that’s so protestant, “That’s not the way, this is the way. Walk you in it.” That just makes me want to barf. Really. That’s where we were at one point in time. You think, that’s sick, how protestant can we be? That’s the protestant thinking. It’s not reality. It’s not the truth. Hope you understand what I’m saying.

So, we know how God teaches us the way that we’re to walk in and this in James is very much talking about those kinds of things. We’ve got to fight against self, not against someone else. The battle isn’t with other people. If your battle is with other people and you have all this drama because of other people you’re in the wrong boat. Something is going wrong. Something is not right.

Blessed is a person who endures trials, testing, because the trials aren’t just a matter of some things that might happen that are routine in life, something takes place as far as time and chance. We’re talking about things that happen because of our nature. That’s what this is talking about. This is talking about things because of our nature. “Count it all joy when you fall into a trial because of your own rotten nature.” My rotten nature. See, that’s what I have to do because we all have rotten nature.

What an incredible thing that we have a nature that resists God. Who wants that? So, that gives us more desire to fight against that. “I don’t want that. I want to repent of that kind of thing whenever I see I’m resisting.” We should want to repent, and say, “God, forgive me of that. Help me to conquer that. I want to get rid of every bit of thinking that causes that response.” That’s where you have to go, you have to dig down deep into this brain, which only God can do because it’s spiritual.

He shows the spirit of a matter, and we repent, and we want what’s right and we cry out to God for it and He helps us. He helps us to change, to grow. Beautiful! To be transformed because “I don’t want this garbage… I don’t want to be dragging it along with me from here on out. My sack of rocks is going to become less and less and less.” It has to.

We can’t just keep dragging the same old sack with the same old rocks, and sometimes adding a few more along the way. “Oh, that’s a pretty rock, let’s add it in there because of the way I think, because this is the way I think and I disagree with you, so, let’s pick up that rock and drag it too.” Think, how stupid is that? No, “I” want to keep getting rid of more and more so the load gets a little bit lighter as we go along, and maybe after a while, I don’t have to drag; I can just kind of carry it by my side. Wouldn’t that be awesome? It’s just a small bag of rocks now that I have left and I’m going to keep working on them until… Well, I’m going to try to get rid of them, but I know I can’t until I’m changed or until you would die and are resurrected.

Blessed is a person who endures testing, for when they are tried they’ll receive the crown of life. What an awesome thing God is saying, telling us here through James. “Blessed is a person who endures these things,” in other words, you’ve just got to keep doing it. You can’t give up. So many have just given up because they get tired of the fighting.

I remember someone I was close to a long time ago saying they were just tired, tired of being told how bad they were. Huh. Okay. It’s the wrong place for you, pretty sure because we’re pretty bad, but we have to receive that in balance. Because we’re all human, and all human beings just have a bad nature and only God can change that, only God’s spirit can change that. It’s just a matter, do we want that or not? Seems like a simple thing, but it’s not.

And when they are tried/tested/approved… In other words, you’ve gone through all this, and you get down to the end, well, that’s what we want. We want to come to the point where we’re approved, we’re fully tested, we’ve been tried to the point where God says, “Now I know you.” “Now I know you.” There couldn’t be more beautiful words spoken when God says that to us, which we don’t know when He says that to us, but we’ll know when we’re changed that He said it to us.

…they shall receive the crown of life, life forevermore, which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. Which means you really have to love this way of life, you have to love the truth, you have to love the process whereby we can become something different. Never said it was easy. It is hard. It is a battle. But what an awesome thing to be called to such a battle.

So, hopefully, we’re beginning to see more clearly that the subject addressed here about being sick and requesting anointing is within the context of what we’re covering here. Because it is. You can’t understand James 5 without understanding these things we’re covering.

What we’ll now cover as we continue in James will help clarify even more so the correct context, again, and we’ll begin to see it more clearly as we go along here, that everything that James is covering in his writing is not just about becoming sick and asking for anointing. It’s far, far more than that. It goes way, way, way beyond that.

James 1:13—Let no one say when they are tempted/tested… Because they go together. This kind of testing, this kind of trying has this measure of temptation in it. That’s going to be clarified by James in a moment here.

I am being tested of God; for God cannot be tested with evil. He doesn’t test with evil, if you will. God has made it possible that, obviously, there is a lot of evil in the world, and we have that capacity for evil. We have chosen evil from the very beginning. That’s the way we are as human beings. It’s not God’s way. We have to come to see those things in order to know what the fight is and to know what the battle is. So, this is a part of what’s being spoken of here.

But sometimes if people aren’t careful it’s like, well, “This is from God. This test, this trial is from God.” Not this kind of stuff. It is by design, but we make the choices. Not God. He’s given us free choice and we have the responsibility then.

So, it goes on to say, neither does He tempt/test/make proof of, in this context, anyone with evil. That’s the context here, with evil. So, that’s not God’s way in the sense of Him doing it. Because there is a being out there that does that. He wants to broadcast so that you, having this kind of a mind of selfishness, with selfishness, we have these broadcasts that come at us and then certain weaknesses that we have in life can become more tempting. Satan then, the demonic world, they will broadcast in those ways to use that against you because they want you to trip, they want you to fall.

God doesn’t want us to fall. He wants us to make choices and decisions, but He doesn’t want us to fall. Satan and the demons want us to fall, to fall on our faces, to repeat and get worse, and become more evil in our practices.

But each one is tempted/tested when they are drawn away of their own lust and enticed. So hopefully, we’re seeing the context more and more in this then. It’s us. And so, the problem is inside of us when we’re enticed to do wrong, to say wrong, to think wrong, to judge wrong, to look upon things wrong, to do things in a way that doesn’t agree with the mind, the reasoning, the soundness of God’s word, of God’s way of life, of wisdom. We lack wisdom? Oh, yes we do. The more we see that the more we’ll cry out to God for help to change, to have His mind.

Then, when lust has conceived, it brings forth sin. Doesn’t take a lot. Certain things come into the mind and if you act upon them or you harbor them and you begin to let them come out in actions in your thinking or your way of treating others or the things you might do as far as choices in life, then that determines.

This kind of thing when it takes place was what it’s showing here. “When you’re drawn away of your own lusts and enticed” — “lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” — and when those things come into the mind, if we harbor them, work upon them?

It’s like a relationship. People have maybe a bad relationship toward someone else, maybe have bad feelings because they said something or they heard something and don’t even have all the facts, necessarily, and then they have this bad attitude toward someone else. Well, what’s happening? It’s happening in the mind – building up something, thinking wrong. Just keep thinking wrong and then it doesn’t get better, and you see them, and it comes to your mind that this is, “Yep,” and you have a hard time being around them then.

That’s what happens to people. Then they just have more problems then, more battles. I’m talking about the environment of the Church, okay, not the world. There are different ways of dealing with things in the world. But within the Church, there is a way we should think toward one another and there are ways we should not think toward one another. This is what this is covering, as a whole. But when we understand it in those simple ways then we can apply it in other ways in a greater way as well. But we have to learn the basics.

So, “When lust has conceived.” In other words, it’s acted upon. It’s acted upon. In words maybe, in how someone expresses something, maybe just about someone, and in our thinking about someone. It shows what’s really going on in the mind, that something isn’t right in the thinking that needs to be repented of.

…brings forth sin, and sin, when it is finished, brings forth death. So, it’s going the wrong way. It should be easy to see but it’s not so easy to see. So, choices, choices, choices, each one of us.

Verse 16—Do not err. The word means, “Don’t go astray; don’t wander” from the truth, from God’s way. That’ll be a shipwreck as it talked about earlier because it’s the way we’re thinking. Do not err, do not wander, my beloved brethren. See, it says it again and again here. It’s about the Church.

Every good and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father of lights, in whom is no variableness neither shadow of turning. You know, there are just things you can count on that are absolute. When it comes to God’s way, God’s truth, there are just those things that the more we’re in agreement with God, the mind of God, the word of God and we’re able to think about it in the right way, reason with it, with the truth in the right way, what an awesome blessing. To have that kind of reasoning and thinking in our mind when it’s based on the truth, not on ourselves.

See, that’s the problem. We have to be careful of our own thinking, our own judgment. That’s a battle.

Of His own will, He has begotten us with the word of truth. So, what an incredible way of saying it. “He’s begotten us with the word of truth.” So, to be begotten of God’s spirit is about His mind, it’s about unity with Him, His word, and what He gives us at that point in time and He continues to give us more and more of His word. Logos? Awesome! We’re able to drink in more, become stronger as time goes along.

Of His own will, He has begotten us with the word of truth that we should be a kind of firstfruits. So, especially going back to the time of James and everything at that time and the Church was geared toward what? The first great resurrection, those who would come with Christ. And so, we’re the unique ones in the sense of living in a time when some will be for that, and others will be able to live on into a new age. But that wasn’t spoken of in that context in times past ever as a whole. Yet it’s about the Church and why God was working with the Church in this time.

…that we should be a kind of firstfruits of His creation. How blessed to be part of that. How blessed to be able to live on into the Millennium and continue on as a foundation of the Church. Incredible! So, we’ve been incredibly blessed.

So, to understand how exalted we’ve been by God? Because He’s raised us up to these things, He’s given us these things.

Verse 19—Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let everyone be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger. I love this! Because it’s getting down to the nitty gritty and it’s saying, “Here is the problem. Here is the problem of a double-minded thinking, of when we have our own opinion, our own ideas about things and we don’t receive fully what God has given to us and we think we’re right and we have our own judgment.” It’s not the judgment that comes from God because of “rightly dividing His word,” using it properly.

Because sometimes that’s not even a part of the question, it’s just how we feel about it, how we think. Sometimes we can get to the point where we think, we can be so self-righteous about some things, that we’re so right about a matter that we justify it that this is from God and go too far in those kinds of things.

“Let everyone be quick to hear.” What does that mean? Well, that’s the way we should be, quick to hear from God what is true, what is right. We should want that, should want to be quick to listen to something in order to combat what needs to be combatted, conquered, if you will. Quick to listen. Not so quick to form our own ideas.

Covid? Quick to listen! Wasn’t so quick! Drug on for months for many. I understand the process, but it helped to reveal things that have been a strength to you, any of you have gone through that process. You’ve learned things about yourself. That’s good to rejoice before God that you’re able to do that. “Let the rich that they’re humbled.” Because we can get lifted up in thinking we have answers to things and why we’re justified to disagree with what God is telling us. If we are not convicted to this time of how God teaches us and molds and fashions us we have giant problems. That’s the quick of it. It’s the way it is.

“Let everyone be quick to hear, slow to speak.” Slow to stop because that happens next. If we’re not quick to listen because we’re not striving to change right away when we hear something, and then as this matter here, slow to speak, it’s wise because then the next thing that is going to happen is it’s going to come out the mouth, the disagreement, and talking to others, spreading discord in the Church, making it harder for others in the Church, sending articles to others in the Church about why you’re justified in your disagreement—that’s a bunch of bull—which has happened.

“Slow to anger.” So, this even brings it down to relationships then, “Slow to anger.” Be careful. Seek to understand your mind, your thinking, and why you’re feeling the way you are toward someone else. If we don’t think right toward one another, if there is some kind of contention with someone else, maybe God’s apostle even…?

With Covid, that happened a lot. The contention was with me. Well, it was not with me but it’s with God, but people couldn’t see that. Sad.

This is what it’s talking about. It doesn’t matter what the relationship is from someone else. This just shows human frailties and what can happen. If we’re not careful we can begin to think wrong about one another.

That’s why I said at the Feast there should never have been disagreement, disputing, having to have the ministry brought in to be involved in a dispute because you can’t solve something yourself by this time. You think, after everything that’s been said, and especially that it shouldn’t happen at the Feast of Tabernacles, that should put great fear in somebody. And those of you who have participated in that out there? There ought to be a lot of fear in you right now and there ought to be a lot of repenting today because you know who you are and what you did and how disgusting that was, how despicable that was, how hideous that was, how harmful that was. Because that just hurts people. Anybody who knew it, it just hurt them. It hurts them inside to see that going on with others. Why should that be? Shouldn’t exist in God’s Church, right?

“Slow to anger.” So, All these things have to do with being on guard, striving to be close to God, wanting to repent, wanting quickly to repent.

So again, relationships. There’s a temptation there because why? Do we understand that? When there is something against someone else and we’re feeling badly about someone else, toward someone else, and things aren’t right in our thinking, do we understand what’s happening inside of us, that we’re yielding to, giving into a temptation that shouldn’t be there? That we shouldn’t have lent ourselves to, a temptation, because “lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, the pride of life” to do such a thing?

We need to be backing away from it and realizing, oh, that just causes harm, hurt, destruction, suffering, death because it’s sin. It’s sin to do it, to engage in that kind of thing when it comes out of us because we built it up in our minds and then we let it out in words. We’ve sinned before God, and we’ve judged God’s own people. Nothing could be worse than to make ourselves a judge of God’s people in that context.

…for the anger of man does not work/does not produce the righteousness of God. So, when those things happen what’s being produced? The wrong thing. It’s not producing patience. It’s not producing righteousness because we’re not believing God and living by what God has shown us is the right way to deal with things, to be a peacemaker. Because we’re not doing the right thing, we’re not living by faith, so it’s not in spirit and in truth.

“For the anger of mankind does not work/does not produce the righteousness of God.” We want the righteousness of God. There’s a process whereby, as James goes on, to talk about how that’s developed in us.

Therefore, lay apart/aside all that is filthy. What does that mean? All that’s wrong. It’s filthy, it’s ugly. There are some things in life that come out of our mouths that are just filthy, ugly because it hurts relationships. It hurts the drawing closer together in the Body of Christ.

Therefore, lay apart all that is filthy, in other words, in conduct, in bad behavior regardless of what that is. Because all bad behavior, all wrong choices, all wrong judgment leads to hurt, pain, and suffering, and drama, which is the opposite of peace.

…and overflow of evil. Wickedness. It’s the word evil. Just an overflow of evil. If we just dwell in that kind of thing and it just overflows into evil what are we doing, what are we learning?

…and receive with meekness. Now, this, meekness, has to do with humility for one thing, to be humble, to understand what we are, what we need. But a matter of meekness is a matter of the mind, a teachable spirit. We want to learn. We want to be guided, directed, corrected from God to show us where we’re wrong and to show us what is right. That’s just natural in the sense of that which is spiritual that we should want.

So, it says and receive with meekness, so it’s something we have to choose. Do we want to receive? Do we cry out to God? Do we pray about this? And if we pray about it “God who gives to all liberally who ask” will help, because you can’t do it on your own. You can’t work this up on your own. You’re going to fall flat on your face if you try to work this out on your own. You have to go to God because that’s where the strength and the help comes from because this is a spiritual thing, and we depend on God’s spirit on that which is spiritual. We have to ask.

And receive with meekness the ingrafted/implanted word. Isn’t that beautiful, “the implanted word”? It’s been given to us up in the mind. We’ve been told it. We’ve had choices to make along the way, whether we continue to receive it and whether that adds to what God gave us from the beginning so we continue to grow and the mind continues to be transformed.

…which is able to save your lives. This is James. It’s about life. It’s about saving life. About the ability to have life saved, what God has offered to us. So, there is that which is physical that teaches us and that which is spiritual that we’re to grow in.

Verse 22—Here we go, so simple, But be doers of the word, of the logos, of that which God has given to us, that which God offers us even Sabbath by Sabbath, Holy Day to Holy Day, and the warnings. God tells us what to be on guard against and watch out for, not to let happen in our lives. Then if we’re not careful we let it happen in our lives and we sin, and sin leads to death if we’re not repenting of it.

Sin can lead us out of God’s Church. If we don’t change some of those kinds of things it can lead us away from the Church. We’re going through a time of final refining and judging in the Church right now. Still a little bit more. Every year. But we’re getting down to the end.

“But be doers of the word.” That’s what faith is. That’s what living by faith is all about. Because it’s a matter of what you believe, what God has given us to believe in the mind to see that is true, and then it’s our choice to receive it or not and decide whether this is true. Is this the true way that we should have unity and oneness within the Body, that we should all have a Covid shot before we go to the Feast? Some simple little things like that bring things to the surface as to what goes on up here. It shows how we think.

But be doers of the word, of what God gives to us and what God gives to us to build upon. The words He gives to us Sabbath by Sabbath, Holy Day to Holy Day. Sometimes we think, “Well, I didn’t see the scripture on that one so how is that the word of God?” Well, if we understand where it comes from and how it comes then maybe we need to take a deeper look into our thinking, where we’re at.

…and not hearers only. Sometimes we can deceive ourselves into thinking that because we hear things on the Sabbath and we hear things on the Holy Days and we can even kind of sift through it our own way, that somehow we’re fulfilling this, we’re living by faith, we have this relationship with God. Isn’t that crazy?

…deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word and not a doer… So, it’s not about just hearing something and listening to it and then ourselves deciding what we’re going to do. I’m amazed. I think of all the people, especially after the Apostasy, and people that had opportunities to change, to grow, to come out of what they were in, to see the dangers of something as so simple as building bridges, when it would have been a blessing to them if somebody had just been down there with a big keg of dynamite and blow the “you know what out of it.” That would have been the blessing. I tried a few times, but it didn’t work, they still wanted to build the bridges. They kept building.

Pentecost, Passover, compromising between two different thinking, because if one side tries to compromise on one thing then the other side, they’ll give in a little bit in order to have peace with you. But now you need to receive a little bit of what they think that’s haywire with their ideas about Pentecost or whatever it might be, some doctrine. This is how they develop and create a fellowship.

One of the biggest groups out there, that’s their modus operandi. That’s how they function. That’s how they work, building bridges. It’s not about the truth. It’s not about being bold and strong in what is true and what is right. Sad. Sad. Sad. Hurtful. Painful. Painful to watch it.

So again here, For if any be a hearer of the word, not a doer, they are like a person looking at their natural face in a mirror; for they look on themselves, then they go away and don’t really know what they look like. Now, I don’t know about you, but I really don’t know what I look like. I see my mug every day in the mirror, shave it, don’t have to worry about combing, and I really couldn’t draw a picture. Well, even if I was a good artist I couldn’t draw a picture and tell you what I looked like. I really couldn’t. Isn’t that a funny thing? How do you feel about that? Do you?

But I can see others in here and I think I could carry that with me and make a picture of them. I see my own picture that someone did for me at the Feast and I think, “That’s me?” Yeah. It’s like, “Yeah, that looks like you.” So, that’s the way we are, and this is trying to show us something here then. This is what we’re like so often when it comes to hearing what God gives to us because we have a choice to make, “Are we going to do it?” It’s as simple as that. Are we going to do what He tells us?

Might be about make-up. Are we going to do it because we’re going to have unity because that’s the greater thing? Order, oneness within the Body, a decision was made. God says, “Bound on earth, bound in heaven.” Do we believe those kinds of things for the sake of unity and oneness? There was no sin in it by binding it or unbinding it, if you understand what I’m saying.

Can wear it. Can’t wear it. It wasn’t a matter of something in scripture. It wasn’t a matter of changing the law of God even though some felt that it was at different times. Who was that, someone that wore lipstick, red lipstick, and she was noted for that in scripture? Jezabel! You don’t want to be like Jezabel, so it shows it’s wrong to do such things!

I remember some of the things we were told. There used to be a time when if you wore a paisley tie, well, it was like there are those in false religions, that they like the paisley design, and because the pagans had it you shouldn’t do that. Wow. Is that spiritual? Anyway, I’m sorry, I’m just making fun. But it shows sometimes how we can do things, some things so physically, and see things through eyes that aren’t sound.

I could give you many other things about that as well, how we’ve made decisions. But it’s a growing process, isn’t it? So I think about where we are now and where we were and I’m so glad we’ve gone past those things. Because the more you know, the more you understand of God’s way of life the greater the peace is, the greater the unity and the oneness is, and the more beautiful that is. Awesome.

But whosoever looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in, abides together… The word literally means “abides…” It’s like dwelling but together with, along with it. In other words the law of liberty, it’s in our minds. God has given us His way of life and soundness of thinking and using His word. He wants us to learn the right thinking, right reasoning. The most dangerous thing is to have our own motives involved “because of the way I see it.” It’s just better to be totally rid of that.

The greatest freedom, the greatest blessings to me of life are when you can have a confidence, “This is in agreement with God.” When it agrees with God, that’s what it’s all about. Not in agreement with “me,” agreement with God. I mean “me” whoever we are, the “me.”

But whoever looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues, abides together in it is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work. And this person shall be blessed in their doing. God blesses us and gives us His holy spirit because this is what it’s all about and this is what we’re to continue in.

Let’s jump on down to James 2:8 because this is a part of the context of what He wants us to see. It’s just not reading James 5:14 and 15, and about anointing and about healing. No, there is much more involved in what we’re being told.

Here now he’s gone through, set the stage with various things that we need to be on guard, how we think, how we hear, how we judge, on and on it goes. And then we get down here to James 2:8 and it says, If you fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, You shall love your neighbor as yourself, you do well. Oh, that’s a big one.

So, we come down to this now and we’ve thrown this into the mix because what’s it about? It’s about family. It’s about relationships. It’s about how we think and how we function around one another, how we see each other, how we think about one another – how we think about one another – and that’s where we have to be so careful.

We see something like this, and we learn we can’t do that. You can try on a physical plane, but you have to have God’s spirit to work at this, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” That’s a lot of love if you’re able to do that because it comes from God. That kind of love we don’t have because we just all love ourselves first too much. Because that’s the way we are in this carnal body, “lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.” We love self. We do. We just do. We think we’re right. Just ask us about our opinion about anything pretty much “Because I’m right.” The wisest thing we could do is begin to question our own ideas, our own thoughts, and make sure “Is this in agreement with God,” and on and on it goes.

Verse 17, a little bit later here, then it goes on to say, Even so, faith if it does not have works is dead. It’s not the word “being alone,” but by itself literally is what it means, “by itself.”

Sometimes people think they’re living this way. The individuals out in the courtyard, who thinks that they’re living wrong? I don’t know of anyone who’s ever left the Church who’s ever thought they were living wrong, even when they were deep in sin up to their eyeballs in things that were clearly against God’s law. They still had to justify it somehow.

But most have left because they’re right, they’re justified. They’ve justified themselves and try to find scriptures or something wrong that’s been said, something wrong that they can try to say, “This is wrong,” so they can justify what they’re getting ready to do or what they’re already doing. That’s the way it’s been. Everybody who’s ever left has been like that. But who has ever thought they were wrong?

Even so, faith… It’s a matter of what you believe, but it has to be the truth because it comes from God because it is the truth. …if it doesn’t have works, it’s dead by itself. I love this. I’m just going to read the rest of it because it’s beautiful the way it’s stated here, it really is. Because people get messed up in these things and people in God’s Church have gotten messed up in these things over and over again as to their thinking.

Yes, one will say, You have faith, and I have works. Show me your faith… It’s not “without.” It’s the word by or from out of your works, and I will show you my faith by/from out of my works. The point being, these haven’t been really read well in times past as a whole, but this is the real test to show what one believes and lives by because the reality is everyone, by what they do, reveals what they believe.

If you believe in Christmas, what do you do? You put up the tree, you get presents. You give them, maybe, to other people, not just to yourself. On and on it goes. If you believe in Easter… Well, it’s easy to see what people believe. And so, you can look at different religions, you look at what they’re doing and that reveals what they believe, what their faith is.

Only that which is true that God gives to His Church, individuals living by that, striving to apply those things because, like, hmmm, getting the shot, getting the jab. Big flippin’ deal for the sake of unity and oneness and loving one another, having that harmony and oneness within the Church, to do it for those reasons if we grasp the spirit of it. It’s not a matter of a right or wrong as to whether or not Covid shots someday are going to make your eyeballs swell. I don’t know, you know, but I’m going to do it because we were told this is how we’re going to have unity and oneness within the Church and express our love toward one another. I have faith in that and believe that. Whew. Wow. Awesome.

And you know what? God blesses it. I don’t care if a huge population of people begin to have something go awry because of something they did in the past there, you did the right thing. You trust in God and that will lead you up to James 5:14 through 15.

We’ll keep building on this. But I love this, how it expresses these things because the reality is sometimes people haven’t really grasped what faith is. How did I express this even? Healing, Believing, and True Faith. It’s because you have to have the truth first of all. God has to give us the ability to believe that and to see it, and then we make the choice as to whether we’re going to adhere to it, live by it.

That’s what faith is. It reveals what we think. It reveals the unity and oneness. 2012 was powerful in that regard, it really was. I know it was very pleasing in God’s sight if we could only understand all that. To see a Body that was willing to do that? Incredible. To that degree, what was lived, and if we learn to live everything in the same manner that God gives to us, awesome. Anyway, if you don’t understand all that, pray about it, ask God to help you to see it and understand it.

Then it goes on to say, You believe there is one God. You do well. The demons also believe—and tremble! But will you know, O vain man… So, who is this talking to? The world? Us. “O vain person” is not just about male and female. Okay? So, ladies, you’re all included. (Just kidding.)

But will you know, O vain person (we’ll say that), that faith without works is dead? Now, this is the correct word for “without” here because before when we read about it, it was “from out of” “by” when we were talking about “Show me your faith from out of your works.” This one here, “that faith without works.” So, it has to have works.

What is true from God, it has to have things we’re doing, and if we’re not doing it that way then we’re not living by what God has given to us. When people got into arguments at the Feast with one another, they weren’t living by faith, they weren’t living by the word that God had given to them. Not good. It was sin. Very simple.

Faith without works is dead. So, it’s not just a matter of saying, “Well, I believe that.” Do you really? Because what you do in response to it is going to reflect, “I believe what the Church teaches.” “I believe this is the Church.” Do you really? So, how do we know? Well, you look at various things in your own life and do you believe everything? Do you believe women should be ordained? Do you believe women should preach? Do you really believe that with all your being? I hope there’s no one that doesn’t believe that anymore, but nothing would shock me.

And so, on and on it goes in everything in our life, every facet of our life. Do we really believe? Because the reality is some think they do but certain things come along and come to find out, mmm, not really. Certain areas of disagreement. That’s all for naught.

“You believe there is one God. You do well. The demons also believe—and tremble. But will you know, O vain person, that faith without works is dead.” In other words, if it’s not the right thing and we’re not living by the right thing and striving to be at one with the right thing then we don’t really have faith.

We might have certain little things here and there but it’s all or nothing in God’s way of life. We receive it all and strive to embrace it all. We can’t pick and choose. “Yeah, I was okay until we got to Truth #50.”

Verse 21—Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he had offered Isaac his own son upon the altar? These are beautiful. I mean, it helps us to understand that which is pleasing in God’s sight, and that is how we’re judged. Because none of us are righteous ,but God will attribute righteousness to us by how we live, by how we strive to live. Awesome.

Do you see how faith worked together with his works? Because of what he believed, and then he acted upon it. He acted upon what he believed, to the ultimate, if you will, of a willingness to offer up his own son. Incredible! Incredible!

So, the scripture was fulfilled which said, Abraham believed God. Simple as that. It wasn’t in just a few things, wasn’t picking and choosing. He believed God. …and it was imputed unto him for righteousness. And he was called the friend of God.

So, what are we? The children of God, friend of God, if you will, close to God, after God’s own heart, all those things that we desire to be when we live this way. Truly. Because it’s by our acting upon what God has given us to believe that God just imputes that to us for righteousness. Not because we’re righteous. Awesome. Beautiful.

You see then how that by works a person is justified, and not by faith only. So, you can’t separate them. That’s the point. You can’t separate the two. They have to go together.

Likewise, also was Rahab the harlot justified by works. What an incredible thing that God so blessed her as He did. You want to go back and look at some of the blessings that came through her. Incredible.

“Likewise, also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works?” She believed. Of all the people, she believed what she was told. She believed what was taking place. …when she had received the messengers, the spies, if you will, the messengers. In other words, they had something they told her as well. …and had sent them out another way? So, she did it to protect them because she believed what God was going to do. She believed what was getting ready to take place. Awesome that that happened like that. Incredible.

For as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead also.

Anyway, enough to chew on. Because there is a lot here, there really is, and we’re talking here about things that really get down to the nitty-gritty, if you will, that which is truly spiritual in life in a relationship with God and how everything works. They’re not just simple things that you can just read like James 5:14 and 15 and think we understand what it’s saying there without grasping the context of everything that goes with it. We’ll keep building upon that Sabbath by Sabbath.

Today, I am going to read some more news because it is so apropos right now and we need to be able to keep abreast of things and to hear it in the context of what’s taking place, and to be sobered by it as well.

I said we signed the contract for next year’s Feast. More than ever before I don’t know that we’re going to have one. We may not. We may not be able to. There may be things carry on for a period of time that we don’t understand as well yet. God will show us. God will take care of us. But things can get very ugly on this earth before long. We may not be very far away. So, it’s good to be sobered and keep on top of these things.

I know that some don’t receive these articles or some of the news that’s out there and don’t have time to go search for it and so forth either. And neither do I. Some things I do. But thankfully, there are those who send some things along.

Anyway, just some more Thunders out there. Just a few more in different distances of things going on.

Destructiveness from Weather:

“Looting breaks out in Mexico’s Acapulco after devastating Hurricane Otis”[1] Reuters. “Looting broke out in the Mexican city of Acapulco after the popular beach resort was battered on Wednesday by record-breaking Hurricane Otis, which killed 27 people and left residents grappling with shortages of food and water.”

“The lethal Category 5 storm left damage in its wake estimated to be worth billions of dollars. Otis pummeled Acapulco with winds of 165 miles per hour (266 km per hour) early on Wednesday…” Can you imagine those kinds of winds? Mind-boggling. I’ve been in some 70 and 80 and in through there, but when you get up that high?

“…on Wednesday, flooding thoroughfares, tearing roofs from residences and hotels, submerging vehicles, and severing communication, road, and air connections.”

Now, the reason we’re going through this is to show that there are all kinds of Thunders that are building up more and more and they’re happening more often. That’s what’s going on. Some are louder than others, but these continue to go on here as well. They are Thunders. Have they ever happened? Yes, they’ve happened. But some of these, they’re becoming more severe in some cases. Like this one here, a record-breaking one, more powerful.

“In addition to the 27 fatalities, four people are still missing, Mexican authorities said on Friday morning. Mexican authorities said Otis was the most powerful storm to strike Mexico’s Pacific coast, although Hurricane Patricia, which slammed into the resort of Puerto Vallarta eight years earlier, whipped up even higher wind speeds out at sea. The storm caught forecasters by surprise, gathering strength with unexpected speed and exceeding their initial predictions.”

Another one here: “A salty problem for people near the mouth of the Mississippi is a wakeup call for New Orleans.”[2] “Authorities cite multiple factors for the saltwater intrusion.” So, they’re having a lot of problems because it’s coming in farther and farther because there’s such a low flow.

“Most prominent this year has been a drought across the Midwest that has meant less water flowing into the Mississippi and the rivers feeding it. At Vicksburg, Mississippi, north of New Orleans, the river flowed at a rate about 50% slower and at a stage height about 95% lower than normal during late September and early October between 2013 and 2022, according to analysis of data from the U.S. Geological Survey.”

“Parts of Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin — all part of the vast Mississippi River basin, which touches 31 states—are experiencing extreme drought conditions. Rainfall amounts are down in the watershed of the Ohio River, which contributes half of the Mississippi’s flow reaching New Orleans.”

So again, the point being as we go through some of these, they just continue to happen and they’re happening closer together, they’re happening more often because that’s our sign of where we are.

Economic Upheaval:

“De-Dollarization? China Completes First Digital Yuan Purchase For Cross-Border Oil Transaction”[3] So, this just keeps moving forward. The point being of all this is that this is not something the U.S. is taking lightly. Do you think they’re going to end up allowing it to happen, that they just keep pushing and pushing? This in itself would lead to a war and may be part of the reason some are pushing for war. Because they’ve got to stop it because if they don’t there are those who understand it’s the destruction of the power of the dollar in the world. The petro-dollar is going down the toilet fast, and if they don’t do something about it?

That’s how wars start. Do you thing everybody is just loving neighbor without a motive behind so many things? You look back through history and there are people who work to start wars to ward off things that they don’t always share the reasons why.

“De-dollarization continues accelerating with news of the Shanghai Petroleum and Natural Gas Exchange (SHPGX), a Chinese-backed exchange for trading energy-related products, settling its first cross-border transaction in digital yuan.”

“Chinese-based financial news outlet ‘Yicai’ first reported PetroChina International bought one million barrels of crude oil using digital yuan on Thursday.” It’s as good as digital dollars. Anything digital out there is really good. (Anyway, sorry.) “It was the exchange’s first overseas oil settlement in digital yuan.” Chinese currency.

“India Rejects Russian Demand To Pay For Oil In Chinese Yuan.”[4] So, the point of all this now, this point, is I hope we can see that the world, they’re taking sides right now. Everybody is lining up as to who they’re with, who’s side they’re on. Because we’re coming down to a war and there are plenty of people who know it by the articles we’re going to continue to read here. So, the point is here, India is at a precarious place with China, with other nations around it and what’s going on, and lack of trust between things that have happened. So, here they’re resisting a little bit right now on this point. Interesting.

“… Russian oil companies have been asking lately for payments in yuan, but the Indian government – which owns 70% of the refiners in the world’s third-largest crude oil importer – will not agree to these demands, according to Bloomberg’s sources. Some crude cargoes from Russia to India have been recently delayed because the parties have failed to agree on the currency of the payment, sources at refiners told Bloomberg.”

So, it may not seem like a big thing, but it is. It’s a battle. It’s already starting because of the BRIC nations and all who want to join it, and somebody is sitting back and watching all this and what’s transpiring and they’re not well pleased with it.

Another one here: “Car Owners Fall Behind on Payments at Highest Rate on Record.”[5]

“Gold Tops $2000 Amid Global Conflict, Govt Chaos.”[6] You know, people are starting to get a little more worried, a little more concerned because of what they see taking place in the Middle East.

Fifth Thunder of Death:

I’ve got to read this one too because I mentioned this last Sabbath, about this lab out of California. “Behind A Secret Chinese Biolab In California, A Global Web Of Connections.”[7] “Responding to an anonymous tip about the supposedly vacant warehouse, Ms. Harper discovered thousands of vials of bacterial and viral agents, including coronavirus, chlamydia, E. coli, streptococcus pneumonia, HIV, hepatitis, herpes, rubella, and malaria.” They’re messing around with these things on U.S. soil. “‘I’ve had a lot of sleepless nights knowing there is no one out there looking for these labs. This could be happening all over the United States,’ Ms. Harper said.” Well, like, who’s interested in really finding out? Why aren’t they doing it?

Terror of War: You talk about terror right now; this is really what’s happening more and more.

“Chinese Media Issues Ominous War Warning to US on a Global Scale.”[8] “The editorial from the Global Times, a nationalistic English-language tabloid published by the propaganda department of the ruling Communist Party, criticized the Pentagon’s annual report to Congress on China’s military power, which was released on Thursday.”

“The Pentagon’s report detailed China’s strengthening nuclear capabilities, resistance to military-to-military communications with the US, expansion of national power, deepening ties to Russia as well as the country’s provocative actions in the Indo-Pacific region, specifically in and around the Taiwan Strait.”

“The Global Times, whose views do not always reflect official policy in China, called the intel gathered in the Pentagon’s report ‘malicious speculations and smears,’ saying that the US was trying to ‘fabricate a terrifying image of China.’” You don’t have to fabricate too much there.

“The Global Times warned that “the real danger facing the US does not actually stem from its imagined challenge to its position of leadership by China. Rather, it arises from its excessive interventions and the blowback resulting from creating tension and inciting the risk of war on a global scale.”

So, these things just get louder and louder and I’m amazed. This is just one week of news, and I have had to go through so much that I’ve had to put to the side, not going to read it. There is so much out there it really is mind-boggling right now. Things to do with the economy. Things to do with whatever you want to talk about here in some of this.

Another one: “North Korea issues US nuclear bomber warning.”[9] I hope you’ve watched some of the niceties that they’re having between Russia and North Korea right now, and China and North Korea, because they’re a kind of proxy, if you will, a puppet, and they are paranoid as all get out. Something can come out of them so much easier than anywhere else and start everything happening. Time will tell.

“Pyongyang says it will not hesitate to strike American warplanes stationed on the peninsula if provoked. ‘This is an intentional maneuver by the United States… to provoke a nuclear war,’ the statement said regarding…” Now, we can kind of expect this from North Korea. But with that kind of a mindset are they dumb enough, so paranoid that they might do something stupid? Pretty easy. “…the statement said regarding the deployment and subsequent joint drills with South Korean forces.” And you know what? It’s not by chance that they keep getting pushed as well. It’s pushing at them. There is somebody around the world just keeps pushing more and more. Innocent or trying to start a war?

“‘This is an intentional maneuver by the United States… to provoke a nuclear war,’ the statement said regarding the deployment and subsequent joint drills with South Korean forces. The United States will not be unaware of the fact that the Korean Peninsula is legally in a state of war and that strategic assets contributing to the enemy’s territory will be the first targets for destruction.’” In other words, it’s a warning that peace was never declared between North and South Korea. There’s never been anything signed, and they’re saying, “This is still at war, and so if you’re over there your stuff can be destroyed easily.”

The point I was bringing out a moment ago is that I think it was a B-52 Nuclear Bomber escorted by some other jets as a part of this thing that was taking place there and North Koreans know that. So, what a wonderful thing to send that over there and to fly it close by just to aggravate and to help somebody that’s paranoid become a little bit more paranoid. When does paranoia end and when does it act upon it? Crazy!

“Turkish politician praises Hitler for killing Jews.”[10] I’m mean, some of the things we’re hearing out there, absolutely insane. To think that people are changing like they are, some of these mass demonstrations and what’s going on? You’re seeing things that are like in the ‘30s but on a bigger scale.

“NATO Sends Drones, Planes And Ships To Baltic Sea Following Suspected Undersea Sabotage.”[11] Nobody is ever going to do anything about it. It’s just like the North Sea thing that took place.

“Ex-Soviet state announces nuclear war preparations.”[12] “Georgia says it has developed a special plan in case nuclear weapons are used in the region.” So, why are they doing that?

“China deploys six warships to Middle East over fears Israel crisis could spark WW3.”[13]

Another headline: “Israel tells citizens to leave Egypt and Jordan as soon as possible, avoid Morocco.”[14] Don’t think anybody should have to be told that, but sometimes people do because you think of what’s over there right now it’s like, “Why are they there?”

“London police report 1,353% rise in antisemitic hate crimes since Hamas onslaught.”[15] Have you seen some of the thousands and thousands and tens of thousands of people protesting in the areas of London right now? Some scary stuff. For Palestine. Which, I understand there are different things there. But to understand that people have had choices who rules and what they’re going to do about it. And it’s sad, but you let that kind of leadership take place and take control? Choices. Choices.

“Israel vows to cut off ‘the head of the snake’ and launch a military attack against Iran if Hezbollah joins the war with Hamas.”[16] This is a thing that scares people, that if it becomes larger because of what’s happening in the North. You know, it talks about at the end here that Jerusalem is surrounded by armies. I’ll tell you, you can’t have a more surrounding of armies, right now because of what’s taking place because of Jordon on one side and some of the things that are being said over there and what’s taking place in demonstrations. The West Bank, because they’re Palestinian and it’s a lot larger than Gaza and some of the weapons they know of over there right now and the things, skirmishes that are starting to take place there. Then in the north with Syria on one area up there and you move over a little bit, and you’ve got Lebanon and all the problems going on there.

It doesn’t take much because if Hezbollah, which is in Lebanon in the north, starts sending their rockets over it literally could be the beginning of WWIII. That could be the beginning of it. That’s what people believe right now and that’s what’s scaring markets and so forth out here. Because this is where we are. Because whether anybody is on their side or not, Israel is going to defend itself and they will use atomic weapons, nuclear weapons. If they have to they’ll do it. And right now?

So, if they use them in the northern parts they’re not concerned about radioactivity. They could very easily use them on places like Lebanon and Iran and Syria and justify it in their own minds because they’re not going to allow to happen again what happened in WWII. They’re going to stand up for it. That’s their whole life. That’s how they think. Even if the U.S. backs down from it and tells them, “No, don’t go any farther,” it hey’ll do it on their own.

“Israel last night vowed to cut off ‘the head of the snake’ and launch a military attack against Iran if Tehran-backed terror group Hezbollah joins the war. In an exclusive interview with The Mail on Sunday (news outlet), Nir Barkat, Israel’s Minister of Economy, warned that Iran’s Ayatollahs will be ‘wiped off the face of the earth’ should Hezbollah, their proxy terror group in Lebanon, attack Israel.”

I believe that they believe what they’re saying.

“His incendiary comments raise the grave spectre of a rapidly escalating regional conflict and come ahead of an expected Israeli ground invasion of the Gaza Strip to ‘annihilate’ Hamas.”

“In a direct threat to deter Tehran from intervening further, Mr. Barkat warned that not only would Israel ‘eliminate Hezbollah,’ if it believes the terror group is opening up a ‘northern front,’ but ‘we will actually target Iran. The plan of Iran is to attack Israel on all fronts.’” So, that means Hezbollah, Syria, and rockets coming from Yemen and so forth, whatever it takes.

“‘If we find they intend to target Israel, we will not just retaliate to those fronts, but we will go to the head of the snake, which is Iran. If our enemies attack, we will wipe them out. The Ayatollahs in Iran are not going to sleep good at night, we are going to make sure they pay a heavy price if, God forbid, they open the northern front. Lebanon and Hezbollah are going to pay a heavy price, similar to what Hamas is going to pay. But that’s not enough.’”

You know, there are some who have been waiting for this moment in the Middle East for a long time and this is the perfect storm. And Iran, they really have no qualms about having some of these proxy areas attack Israel and to do it from all sides possible, and themselves become engaged if need be. And Israel will respond to that.

“The very clear message is that we are going to be going after the heads of Iran as well. When will we do that? When we decide. Israel has a very clear message to our enemies. We are saying to them, look what’s happening in Gaza – you are going to get the same treatment if you attack us. We are going to wipe you off the face of the Earth.” Not mincing any words. I believe what they say, and I think the others do too.

Another one here: “‘REAL DANGER’ Six terrifying steps that could see Gaza crisis spiral into WW3.”[17] This is what’s amazing about all this. These kinds of articles, we’re talking about one week. I’m not even addressing them all. This is what people are talking about more and more because it’s there, because that’s where we are.

“THE Gaza crisis could spiral into an all-out world war in six terrifying steps, an ex-Navy chief has warned.” Doesn’t take that many, actually. “If things ‘go really wrong,’ Admiral Lord West predicted the UK and US could see boots on the ground in Israel – and Lebanon, Syria, Iran, and Russia might be drawn into the fight. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed that every Hamas terrorist is ‘marked by death’ and said Israel is ‘fighting for its existence’ against ‘new Nazis.’” That’s what they believe with all their being because they have said, “Never again.” It’s their most basic teaching to all their military and everyone else. “Never again.” You go through the museum over there of the Holocaust, “Never again.” They mean what they say.

“In a flammable mix of promises of revenge, military alliances, violent protests, and high civilian casualties – the crisis could be a powder keg about to be lit. Lord West laid out how the crisis could descend into World War 3. ‘Jerusalem has long seen the Lebanon-based terror group as a bigger threat than Hamas with their more advanced weaponry, including precision-missiles and drones. Israel would again react very strongly against them, no doubt conducting attacks into Lebanon,’” which, they’re already doing. “…Lord West explained. ‘Lebanon is actually in a hell of a mess anyway… it could easily collapse, which would cause more uncertainty there.’”

I’m just going to read the rest of the article. “Already Brits have been ordered by the Foreign Office to immediately get out of Lebanon as violent pro-Palestine protests broke out. The US embassy in Beirut was targeted and UK ministers fear that the Israel-Hamas war could spill into the fragile nation at any moment. With the possibility of Lebanon in shambles, the next step could be for Russian-backed Syria to join in, Lord West suggested.”

I’m not going to get the rest of it but there’s so much more here in what they’re saying can happen.

Another article: “READY TO BLOW How Putin, Xi, and Kim could use smokescreen of Israel crisis as ‘invitation’ to unleash hell & push for New World Order.”[18]

It’s kind of interesting here how that American ships pulled out, as they were, out of the Gulf, I think the Persian Gulf and all those regions up in there, and now the Chinese have the largest fleet, the most powerful fleet that’s there. Incredible, some of the things going on. Tactics. Reasons why things happen the way they do. Why Yemen fired missiles over… There are people out there, strategists who are not stupid – and the Chinese aren’t stupid.

South America, I don’t know if you heard some of that, they’re taking sides already. They’re pretty much set as to who they’re going to be with, and who’s going to fight against each other. It’s going to be an absolute nightmare.

“Israel-Lebanon violence flares; six Hezbollah fighters killed.”[19] I’m not going to read that one.

“McConnell calls China, Russia, Iran new ‘axis of evil’ that US must deal with: ‘This is an Emergency.’”[20] Well, some see it, you know, speaking up about it. But these are just words.

I’ll tell you what, if you do some studying into history that led into World War 2 and some of the way nations acted, and some of the things even before World War 1, it’s mind-boggling some of the things of how people are talking today.

“Elon Musk fears the West is foolishly ‘sleepwalking our way into World War III’ and calls for an immediate cease-fire in Ukraine.”[21] That’s a good way of describing it. His solution, maybe not too great, calls for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine because that’s not going to happen.

“Israel A ‘Nuclear Wildcard’ On ‘Dangerous Road To Armageddon’: Macgregor.”[22] “… Lindsey Graham, who vowed; ‘...if Hezbollah, which is a proxy of Iran, launches a massive attack on Israel, I consider that a threat to the... state of Israel, existential in nature. I will introduce a resolution [in] the United States Senate to allow military action by the United States in conjunction with Israel to knock Iran out of the Oil Business...’”

Well, they’re going to have to do a whole lot more than that but yeah, that would be a start.

“Russia hosts Hamas and Iran for Moscow meetings.”[23]

“Hamas Delegation Arrives In Moscow As Russia Blames US For Escalation.”[24]

“Doomsday Prepping Is Trendy All Of A Sudden.”[25]

“Middle East Defense Alliances Could Create A Domino Effect Similar To WWI.”[26]

We’ll stop there.

Sobering time, isn’t it? Because we don’t know when some of this is going to take off. But if Hezbollah starts doing things in the north we are so close. Need to be sobered by it; seek to be closer to God than ever before. What else can I say?

[1] https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/mexico-starts-clearing-up-hurricane-otis-wreckage-casualties-reach-27-2023-10-27/

[2] https://apnews.com/article/mississippi-river-salt-water-new-orleans-1a55ad43ce83419247642929629377b2

[3] https://www.zerohedge.com/commodities/de-dollarization-china-completes-first-digital-yuan-purchase-cross-border-oil

[4] https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/india-rejects-russian-demand-pay-oil-chinese-yuan

[5] https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-10-21/high-car-loan-interest-rate-payments-americans-struggle-with-monthly-bills

[6] https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/gold-government-debt-global-conflict

[7] https://www.zerohedge.com/medical/behind-secret-chinese-biolab-california-global-web-connections

[8] https://www.newsweek.com/china-issues-ominous-war-warning-us-1834737

[9] https://www.rt.com/news/585460-north-korea-b52-bomber/

[10] https://www.rt.com/news/585405-turkish-politician-praises-hitler/

[11] https://www.stripes.com/theaters/europe/2023-10-20/nato-undersea-sabotage-sweden-finland-11767308.html

[12] https://www.rt.com/russia/585436-georgia-prepares-nuclear-war/

[13] https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1826479/Israel-Hamas-Middle-East-China-war

[14] https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/israel-tells-citizens-to-leave-egypt-and-jordan-as-soon-as-possible/

[15] https://www.timesofisrael.com/london-police-report-1353-rise-in-antisemitic-hate-crimes-since-hamas-onslaught/

[16] https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12657495/Israel-attack-against-Iran-Hezbollah-joins-war-Hamas.html

[17] https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/24467375/israel-spiral-ww3-danger-navy-chief/

[18] https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/24392956/israel-russia-china-north-korea-ww3/

[19] https://www.tbsnews.net/hamas-israel-war/israel-lebanon-violence-flares-six-hezbollah-fighters-killed-724134

[20] https://www.foxnews.com/politics/mcconnell-calls-china-russia-iran-new-axis-evil-us-must-deal-emergency

[21] https://finance.yahoo.com/news/elon-musk-fears-west-foolishly-123535498.html

[22] https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/israel-nuclear-wildcard-dangerous-road-armageddon-macgregor

[23] https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/foreign/russia-hosts-hamas-iran-moscow-meetings

[24] https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/hamas-delegation-arrives-moscow-after-russia-blamed-us-escalation

[25] https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/doomsday-prepping-trendy-all-sudden

[26] https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/middle-east-defense-alliances-could-create-domino-effect-similar-wwi