Note from Les

Dear friends,

Oh how we love your notes and letters! And yes, we still read every one. How we wish we could answer everyone personally but, as you all know, that is physically impossible. (I have a hard time just keeping up with the questions.) However, we do present every letter to the throne room of our Lord Jesus Christ every day and special prayer requests are treated just that way – special!

Our trip to Minnesota and Wisconsin was a tremendous blessing as usual. We enjoyed a full house at the Bethesda church with both Sunday school and morning services followed by a fellowship dinner at the church. Pastor Mark and Kathy Matychek always make us feel so special. From there, we went out to the Wisconsin retreat. As always, it was a highlight of our year! There were over 200 in attendance and I was able to present over 7 hours of teaching including the question and answer times from Monday night until Wednesday at noon. Then we spent a few days with our youngest son and his family who live just 3 miles south of the southern shore of Lake Superior. After that it was time to get home and get ready for the Labor Day weekend. We had a great time with our Labor Day guests! There were about 20 people from Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, North Carolina, Kentucky and Texas. They all stayed at a hotel in McAlester and came out to the ranch for the noon and evening meals. The ladies brought the food and took over Iris' kitchen. Our children who reside locally also took part so we had well over 20 people at the table several times! On Saturday evening, our grandson Zack and his wife Kara entertained the whole group with an outdoor cookout. Then Monday evening was the annual Labor Day picnic at Beverly’s home just north of McAlester. What a glorious time! One of our attendees, whose life profession was that of a national lobbyist, who knew presidents Clinton and Bush on a first name basis, wrote back a few days later and declared "it was the happiest three days of my whole life! We were privileged to host a home bible study based on Galatians 2 where Paul advocated his apostleship while at the Jerusalem council.

Galatians 2:5-9 5 To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.6 But of these who seemed to be somewhat, (whatsoever they were, it maketh no matter to me: God accepteth no man's person:) for they who seemed to be somewhat in conference added nothing to me:7 But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter;8 (For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles:)9 And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision.

What in the World?

We continue to be amazed by how many of our listeners are hearing and reading l Cor 15:1-4 for the first time and realizing that it is THE Gospel for this dispensation. Especially when they hear me say, "look for what is NOT in there!". No repentance, no asking for forgiveness, no water, no manifestation of miracles, no religious ritual – just believe it. Faith plus nothing! And Paul confirms it so graphically with a simple statement of Romans 1:16 – The gospel (Of l Cor. 1-4) is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth. Again, plus nothing. On the other hand, the promoters of the kingdom gospel demanded circumcision and keeping the law of Moses. See Acts15:1-5. The "blenderizers" tell us there is only one gospel and that Paul preached what Peter preached. Absurd.

**After reading Les's "what in the world", we thought it might be helpful to have a scriptural "roadmap" if you are sharing the difference between the two gospels with someone else.
2 Timothy 3:16 – That all Scripture is inspired.
2 Timothy 2:15 – That there needs to be right division.
Galatians 2:8 – That Paul is the apostle to the Gentiles, while Peter was the apostle to the Jews.
Galatians 1:12– That Paul received his revelation from Christ himself.
Galatians 1:8, 9 – that the teaching of any other gospel other than Paul's was/ is a curse.
Romans 2:16, Romans 16:25, ll Timothy 2:8 – that we are going to be judged according to Paul's gospel.
1 Cor. 15:1-4 – That we are saved by simply believing in the death, burial, and resurrection.
Romans 10:9 - 12 – That we are saved by simply believing and that now everyone must be saved by Paul's gospel.
Ephesians 2:8, 9 – By grace we are saved (plus nothing else) Also Romans 1:16, Romans 3:22.
Hebrews 10:9, 10 – The first (Law) is taken away that the second (Grace) may be established.
2 Peter 3:15,16 – Peter tells his readers about Paul's gospel.

You can also bring in Acts 15 and Galatians 2 which are all about the Jerusalem Council– These tell about Paul going to Jerusalem to confront the Jewish leaders because Jews were trying to bring circumcision and other works in behind Grace at the little churches that Paul had established.

All the eye's on the Middle East

As believers, knowing God's word makes watching the news very interesting. One of the many things to watch is Israel and the rise of Anti-Semitism; as individuals and countries against Jews as individuals and Israel as a nation. Many are recognizing the Palestinian State and demonizing Israel as the reason for Middle East unrest. The world is calling for Israel to withdraw to the pre-1967 borderlines and the list of nations standing up for Israel is becoming nonexistent. Zechariah 12:3 tells us that all nations will come against Jerusalem and it certainly seems as though that is happening today.

Laura's note

I don't know about you, but I wake up every morning wondering what is going to be on the news. I never was much interested in the news until about eight years ago when I decided I was going to start looking for clues to the rapture. Back then, they were fairly far between – partly because I did not know where to look (so many Internet alternative new sites with so much more information than television news) and partly because there just wasn't as many things going on.

The United States has been so blessed and we have not seen the hunger, disease and war that much of the rest of the world has seen and we all know that God blessed us as a nation because of our Christian roots and also because, since 1948, we have been Israel's greatest ally. But aren't things changing??!! Unfortunately, I believe it's going to get a whole lot worse and I wonder what we as believers are going to be here to see. We know that in the first half of the tribulation, there will be an average of well over 1 million deaths PER DAY, so I think we may see some bad times building up to that before the trumpet sounds. After all, as a nation we have kicked God out of everything so how can we expect God to keep his hand of blessing over our nation? I think that God's hand of blessing has already been taken away and God help us all if we are to see even the slight beginning of his hand of judgment. And imagine what this world will be like after the body of Christ is gone and the God of heaven begins to pass his hand judgment over the world! Just the thought of things coming should be great motivation for people to get right with God. Unbelievers should be actively seeking the God of salvation but they are not and believers should be thinking about what it will be like to stand before the Almighty Creator – but usually that's not the case either....

A couple months ago, a friend was cutting down some trees in our pasture. A friend of mine, named Harvey, and I were sitting in front of the barn watching him as he worked. I got to thinking about how those Bois d’arc trees made a great analogy as compared to sin. Just as the sinful things of this world often seem appealing, the thorn tree is absolutely beautiful from the distance. But, as Harvey was saying, once you get close and involved with them, they're nothing but trouble. They can take over so quickly and they are almost impossible to get rid of. They are bound to hurt you and their poison is long-lasting and painful. The absolute best thing to do is not ever let them take a hold in the first place. I guess that's why God said to flee temptation – because once sin takes a hold, the end result is never good.

The game of Tick tack toe – an analogy to Satan/ the tree of knowledge/Adam and Eve.... When I was young, I and my friends always had so much fun playing tic-tac-toe. Then one day, my older brother beat me five or six times in a row and that got my curiosity up. First mistake. (Like Eve being tempted with regards to the tree of knowledge) Next thing, I asked him what he knew that I didn't. And he told me the secret. That was my second mistake. (like Eve eating the fruit.) I went to school armed with power thinking things were going to be great. Soon my friends would not let me play and I realized I had a knowledge that I wish I didn't have. But I couldn't relinquish that knowledge and that power. I was stuck with it even though I saw too late that it ruined what had been a simple, fun, and innocent enjoyable past time. (Adam and Eve kicked out of the garden).

Of course these two little stories that are simple analogies are frivolous nothings compared to the seriousness of the sin problem. Satan is the great deceiver and we totally underestimate his power and his deception and the means by which he does it. Someone told me once that Satan has a flavor for everyone. So true. The solution? The only solution is to put on the whole armor of God as found in Ephesians 6:11 - 18.

Trivia

1. Q: Who is the Bible's first prophet?
A: Find answer in Jude:14, 15

2. Q: What are the names of the three Archangels named in God's word?
A: Gabriel, Michael, Lucifer.

3. Q: What two Old Testament characters was there not one negative thing written about?
A: Daniel and Joseph.

4. Q: What Old Testament person was said to be God's blessed friend?
A: Daniel.

5. Q: What New Testament person was said to be God's blessed friend?
A: John.

**Note on #4 & #5: these two people were given the prophecy of the 7th week.

The country's largest provider of pharmacy benefits, Express Scripts, released a look at medication utilization under the Obamacare exchanges in the month of April, 2014. The number one drug was a very expensive HIV drug called Atripla, the number two drug was So Valdi, also associated with drug use and extremely expensive, and the number six was an HIV prevention drug called Truvada. Express Scripts noted that more than six in every 1000 prescriptions was for medications to treat HIV – four times higher in the exchange plans than in commercial plans.

What does this say for the moral fabric of our country? How much longer can the God of creation put up with humanity?

Interesting tidbits

* "All languages flow toward Jerusalem." It's been said that traditional writing (and reading) of most nations east of Jerusalem start at the right and go left. Conversely, most nations west of Jerusalem start on the left side of the page and go to the right.

* There are 33 inferences/allusions/references to the antichrist in the Old Testament and 13 in the New Testament.

* Approximately 27% of all Scripture is related to prophecy – either past prophecy that's already fulfilled or future prophecy that's coming.

* DAILY average death rate in the first 3 1/2 years of the tribulation (based on a population of 7 billion) would be approximately 1,388,000. That would be one fourth of the world’s population. The DAILY average number of deaths for the remaining 42 months would be approximately 4,166,000.

* God's desire for us to have wisdom, knowledge and understanding is great. All three words (concepts) are found together in nine different verses throughout God's word while wisdom and knowledge are found 32 times. Knowledge and understanding are found together in 20 different verses while wisdom along with understanding is found with each other 53 times.

* When Peter was asked who he thought the Lord Jesus was (in Matthew 16:13-18), he answered "Thou art the Christ" (his proclamation of faith) and the Lord answered in verse 18 using the phrase "and the gates of hell ". What most people don't know is that at that moment, the Lord Jesus and the disciples were at Caesarea Philippi which was in very close proximity to the location of a huge Satanic alter which is called the "Grotto of Pan". Infants and young children were offered as sacrifices and it was an evil evil place. (The ruins of this evil grotto are still very evident in this present day.) I don't think it was coincidence that the conversation declaring the Lord Jesus Christ as the Messiah was at the very spot that Satan had chosen as his center of evil and that the Lord Jesus said the gates of hell would not prevail.

Office Note

Thanks to everyone for your wonderful support in 2014. We look forward to what the Lord has in store for this New Year! If you have not yet asked for a donation receipt for 2014 and would like to receive one, please either call or write to make that request.

LFM has always had a very relaxed policy regarding product replacement, and of course we are happy to replace any material that comes to you damaged or defective. However, often dirty or smudged disks that require only a soft cloth to wipe the back are returned. Electronic equipment is becoming increasingly sensitive to even small scratches and especially fingerprints. In that light, we are including instructions for proper handling of DVDs and CDs. If you will make an effort to use this check list before asking for a replacement, it could save you time and the ministry money. There are products available for purchase to help with scratches on disc. You can find them at media stores in your area.

Do:
* Handle the disc by the outside edge or the center hole
* Keep dirt or other foreign objects from the disc
* Return disc to storage case immediately after use
* When cleaning the disc wipe with a clean cotton fabric cloth in a straight line from center of the disc toward the outer edge. If necessary rubbing alcohol is an approved cleaning substance.

Do NOT:
* Touch the surface of the disc
* Clean with a facial tissue

For those interested in news about Israel and have the Internet, check out "Israel today" (limited headlines),"Arutz Sheva", "Times of Israel" and "i24news".

ION VIEWERS

ALL ION STATIONS WILL BE AIRING THE PROGRAM 30 MINS EARLIER AND THE PROGRAM WILL NOW BE Mon – Fri.

If you are looking for comprehensive booklets on right division we recommend Grace Gospel Publishers. You can find them at GraceGospelPublishers.org or call (303) 428-6563.

Les Feldick Ministries 30706 W. Lona Valley Rd., Kinta, OK 74552
1-800-369-7856 or (918) 768-3218