π Discover the profound journey of tuning into the God’s divine guidance for your life with our latest video, “How to Recognize God’s Voice in Your Life.” In a world filled with noise and distractions, learning to discern the voice of God can be transformative. This video will help you to explore the sacred art of discerning divine whispers amidst lifeβs chaos.
Join us as we explore practical steps, personal stories, and biblical insights to help you connect more deeply with God’s voice. You will learn how to attune your heart to Godβs voice and navigate lifeβs journey guided by heavenly wisdom.
Whether you’re seeking clarity, direction, or a deeper relationship with God, this video is your guide to recognizing and responding to God’s call.
β±οΈβ±οΈVIDEO CHAPTERSβ±οΈβ±οΈ
00:00 Introduction
3:24 Check out this UNFORGETTABLE true story!
11:20 How does this story apply to today?
12:37 How does God express His unique voice?
Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe for more inspiring content that brings the Bible to life in your everyday experiences. π
π Subscribe to SOTHChurchTehachapi for uplifting messages and spiritual growth: youtube.com/channel/UC18viSXDKd2moRL0yYAh5Og?sub_confirmation=1
Tap the bell icon to get notified when the next episode releases.
π If you receive value from this video, please LIKE and π₯SHARE it with others.
π Please PRAY for us!
π²If you would like to support our ministry, your prayer and financial support would be greatly appreciated. Shepherd of the Hills Church is a non-profit 501c3 organization. This means any gift you give will be tax-deductible. We invite you to prayerfully consider partnering with us! Your gift will help offset the high costs of keeping this ministry running so we can continue to provide high quality ministry so that peopleβs lives will continue to be transformed through the teaching of His word. To God be the glory for the great things He has and will continue to do through your gift!
There are two different ways you can give . . .
Option 1
Go to sothchurch.org/give
Option 2
Mail your check to:
Shepherd of the Hills Church
24300 Bear Valley Rd.Tehachapi, CA. 93561
Please know that your generous support is greatly appreciated, especially during these days!
May God bless you for being a blessing!
#bible
#godmessagetoday
#godsmessage
#godmessage
#propheticword
#godmessage
#godsmessagetoday
#godsmessageformetoday
#godmessageforyoutoday
#godmessageformetoday
#godsays
#DivineGuidanceJourney
#HearingGodsVoice
#SpiritualDiscernment
#BiblicalInsights
#ClarityAndDirection
#DeeperRelationship
#DivineWhispers
#HearingTheUnheard
#UnveilingGodsMessages
#VoiceBeyondTheClouds
#voiceofgod
#viral
#viralvideo
#viralvideos
We live in very unusual days; we’re allΒ amply aware of that. The challenges thatΒ Β we’re facing in this time are significant.Β There is an important balance we needΒ Β to maintain: being aware of what’s going onΒ in society while also standing firm on theΒ Β
Word of God. Today is indeed an unusual day inΒ terms of the teaching time we have. Normally,Β Β I teach through books of the Bible in aΒ verse-by-verse expository fashion, or we handleΒ Β a particular topic or issue that we’re grapplingΒ with. So today is just going to be unique.
You know that we often use a PowerPointΒ presentation during the course of theΒ Β sermon. Well, we have a couple of clips that weΒ would like to augment the teaching time with,Β Β which I think will really be very helpful. Also,Β Β
We have a couple of men who will be a partΒ of our time together during an interview. IΒ Β would like to ask Dave Gilliam if he might beΒ available to help when we get to that point,Β Β
To have a couple of chairs in the front here andΒ to have a couple of mics ready. Just a heads up. But let’s take a moment to pray right now, andΒ then we will start off with this first videoΒ Β clip. “Heavenly Father, Your own WordΒ tells us through the Prophet Jeremiah,Β Β
‘Is not my word like fire,’ declares the Lord,Β ‘and like a hammer which shatters a rock?’ Lord,Β Β Your word is extremely powerful. WeΒ tend to minimize it, marginalize it,Β Β not realizing the power that it holds. The wordΒ pictures of that verse spell out its impact: ‘IsΒ Β
Not my word like fire,’ declares the Lord, ‘likeΒ a hammer which shatters a rock?’ When we thinkΒ Β about what fire can do, when we think about what aΒ hammer can accomplish, it has a tremendous abilityΒ Β
To make an impact. So it is that Your word canΒ impact a life. Father, we pray that we wouldΒ Β be open to Your Word this day, that we wouldΒ not merely give mental assent to its truth,Β Β
But that we would recognize its truth for us,Β for our lives. It is our beacon, our light;Β Β it shows us the path on which we are to walk.Β Lord, I pray that this time that we have togetherΒ Β will be meaningful, personally transformative,Β life-changing, and that You will be exalted inΒ Β
It and through it. And we will be careful toΒ praise You in Your Son’s glorious name. Amen.” [Video] βI was in Alaska, doing a lawsuit. We were way outΒ on an island, getting ready to leave and go backΒ Β
To Anchorage and then home. I had a ticket in myΒ pocket to get on an airplane, and a pastor came upΒ Β and said, “Listen, I can save you money.” I said,Β “How’s that?” He said, “I flew a small airplaneΒ Β
Up here, and I fly a small airplane, and I canΒ take you in my little airplane, and you can saveΒ Β your ticket.” This did not sound… I said, “ThankΒ you so very, very much, but I’ve got this ticket;Β Β
We’ll just make our way on home.” Me and thisΒ other lawyer with me, he said, “No, no, no,Β Β you got to do it. You got to do it.” And againstΒ every better judgment I had, I said, “Okay.”
Well, we went out to the airport, took usΒ by his little plane, and I looked at it,Β Β and I thought, “Well, one good thing, it’sΒ shiny.” Then he walked around it, we got in,Β Β he’s on the left front, I’m on the right front,Β the other lawyer’s sitting right behind me,Β Β
And he started it up, and it startedΒ up just fine. We taxied out; I said,Β Β “Should we pray?” He said, “Yeah, that’s aΒ good idea. We normally don’t.” I said, “Well,Β Β this time we’re going to.” And I’m telling you, IΒ prayed five, eight minutes; I prayed a long time.
We went and got on the runway; he starts downΒ the runway, the plane lifted off ever so gently,Β Β and we start climbing, and it’s wonderful, notΒ a problem in the world. We started climbing,Β Β and we flew probably three, four minutes, andΒ something happened that will never leave my mind:Β Β
The pilot turned to me and he said, “We’reΒ going in the clouds, and I can’t fly in clouds,Β Β they make me pass out.” I said, “CloudsΒ make you do what now? It’s been cloudyΒ Β all day!” And we go right up into the clouds,Β and you can’t see anything, and he looks at me,Β Β
And his eyes roll back in his head, and he startsΒ mumbling, and he passes out. Co now I grabbed him,Β Β and I shook him, and I said, “Come on,Β you got to wake up so I can kill you!”
Now, we were in the clouds, flying along withΒ no pilot, and my friend in the back seat said,Β Β “We’re dead, aren’t we?” I said, “There’sΒ a very good chance of that, yes.” He said,Β Β “What are we going to do?” I said, “I don’tΒ know.” But there was a radio right there, andΒ Β
I handed him the microphone, and I said, “StartΒ asking for help.” So, he’s in the back seat,Β Β reaching up, and he said, “Hello? Hello?”Β We didn’t know any proper radio etiquette;Β Β all we were saying was, “Hello.” And somebodyΒ answered back, “Hello? Hello? Don’t you guysΒ Β
Know proper radio etiquette?” And I said, “GiveΒ me! We don’t know nothing. Tell them we’re in anΒ Β airplane with a passed-out pilot, and we don’tΒ know how to fly this plane!” The guy said,Β Β “I’m a freighter flying out of Anchorage on theΒ way to Tokyo,” and he said, “You’re telling meΒ Β
You have nobody who can fly that plane withΒ you?” I said, “Tell them, that’s correct.” Now, you got to understand, I am sweatingΒ bullets. He said, “The first thing I’m goingΒ Β to do is start circling, so I don’t lose you,Β because I’ll fly out of range of your radio,Β Β
And you won’t have me anymore.” And he said,Β “I’m going to get Anchorage emergency for you,Β Β and Anchorage emergency will be the people thatΒ can maybe help you try to save your life.” AfterΒ Β about five minutes, Anchorage came on, said, “WeΒ understand you have a passed-out pilot and thoseΒ Β
Of you who do not know how to fly that plane.” WeΒ said, “That’s right.” They said, “Well, the firstΒ Β thing we got to do is find you.” And I’ll neverΒ forget what this man at Anchorage said, he said,Β Β
“My job is to get you home safe.” He said,Β “That’s my job.” But he said, “Here’s the deal,Β Β if you want me to get you home safe, you gotΒ to promise me you’ll obey my voice.” He said,Β Β
“You can’t see me, but I can see you.” And heΒ said, “If you’re not going to obey my voice,Β Β you’re going to die.” When you can’t see anything,Β you have no idea how disoriented you become. Finally, he said, “Okay, I found you. NowΒ hear me clear,” he said, “You’re four minutesΒ Β
From a mountain. You’re going to crash into thatΒ mountain and die. Follow my voice.” I never said,Β Β “I have to follow your voice.” Is that reallyΒ able, you see? I understood without his voice,Β Β I had nothing. And do you understand, withoutΒ God’s voice, you have nothing. Finally,Β Β
He got us turned, and he said, “I’m freezingΒ all the traffic in the area.” He said, “It’sΒ Β going to take me an hour and a half to get you toΒ Anchorage, and there’s a lot of weather betweenΒ Β
You and Anchorage. You’re in for a rough ride.”Β And he said, “I want you to hear me. I don’t wantΒ Β you to look at what’s going on outside. I don’tΒ want you to pay attention to the storm, just myΒ Β
Voice.” He said, “If you start watching the storm,Β you will die. But I’ll take you through it.” Now, because they cleared all the traffic,Β several pilots, those nighttime freighters,Β Β those 747s, started talking to us.Β They said, “We’re praying for you,Β Β
Men. You’re going to make it, but listen to theΒ voice, that’s the key.” They said, “Trust theΒ Β voice.” You realize your head is full of voices,Β and everybody in this world wants to talk to you,Β Β and everybody wants to be the controllingΒ voice, and God says, “I want you to be aΒ Β
Living sacrifice. I want you to put yourselfΒ on the altar. Let my voice be your voice.” Finally, we went through the worst of the weather,Β but there was still more, and then the voice cameΒ Β
Back, and it said, “Now, I’m going to line you up.Β I’m going to bring you in right down the runway,Β Β and at the foot of the runway are some lights,Β and they’re in the form of a cross.” He said,Β Β
“Don’t you forget this, the cross is the wayΒ home.” Finally, he’s bringing us down, we stillΒ Β can’t see anything, and all he kept sayingΒ is, “Stay with me, my sheep.” The Bible says,Β Β “Hear my voice, and they follow me.” Finally,Β just a couple of hundred feet off the ground,Β Β
We saw the cross. I landed the plane, in fact,Β I landed it seven times. Finally, it all cameΒ Β to a stop, and the minute we stopped, the pilotΒ woke up. The voice said, “Thanks for listening.Β Β I watch them crash and burn all the time becauseΒ they won’t follow my voice. They don’t understandΒ Β
I’m the one who can see them, even when they can’tΒ see me, but they get the voices in their head,Β Β and they kill themselves, they self-destruct.Β Thanks for listening to the voice.” Then they put us in a motel room,Β and about four in the morning,Β Β
There’s a knock at my door, and I opened theΒ door, and a man was standing there. He said,Β Β “Hello, David.” He said, “You’re the voice,Β you’re the one who got me home.” He said,Β Β “I am. Do you understand, one day you’re goingΒ to stand before Him and say, ‘You were the voice,Β Β
You’re the voice that brought me home’? IfΒ you’re not on that altar as a living sacrifice,Β Β your head’s full of voices; and then,Β we wonder why kids crash and burn. We wonder why marriages are shattered, andΒ the Lord’s saying, “I’m the one who has theΒ Β
Voice.” All I can remember is that voiceΒ saying, “Stay with me, stay with me. Don’tΒ Β listen to what’s going on in your head,Β and don’t watch the storm. Stay with me,Β Β and I’ll take you through.” Tonight, you haveΒ a God who has promised to take you through.β
We live in a day and age where there are manyΒ competing voices for your attention. There areΒ Β a tremendous amount of distractions. There areΒ voices in our head. There are voices on socialΒ Β media all around us. There are voices that want usΒ to follow what they want us to know and to apply.Β Β
But listen, it’s so very important that you hearΒ the voice of God. Hearing the voice of God is aΒ Β matter of life and death. It’s one thing to be inΒ a life or death situation as it deals with flight;Β Β
It’s quite another situation when it deals withΒ your soul. And so it is of utmost importance inΒ Β this day and age that we’re listening toΒ the voice of God. It literally is a matterΒ Β of life and death, not only in termsΒ of eternity but also in terms of time.
Listening to the voice of God is a life-alteringΒ experience. God’s voice is altogether unique,Β Β different from all the other shouting voices thatΒ we hear out there. The children of Israel neededΒ Β to learn this for themselves. Let me read toΒ you some verses from the last book in the Torah,Β Β
The law of Moses, the book of Deuteronomy, chapterΒ 4. We are told in verse 33, “Has any people heardΒ Β the voice of God speaking from the midst of theΒ fire as you have heard it and survived?” Now,Β Β
When did that happen? When did God speak to HisΒ people from the midst of a fire? When did thatΒ Β take place? Well, the answer is found in theΒ same chapter, starting in verses 10-12. MosesΒ Β is writing, and he says, “Remember the day youΒ stood before the Lord your God at Horeb.” He’sΒ Β
Referring to Mount Horeb. Did you know that MountΒ Horeb is one and the same as Mount Sinai? If youΒ Β were to look at cross-references and compareΒ notes in your Bible and also consider what theΒ Β best of Bible scholarship has to offer on theΒ subject, Mount Horeb and Mount Sinai are oneΒ Β
And the same. We discover that in DeuteronomyΒ 4:12-13, which we will see. And also when youΒ Β use the cross-references of Exodus 33:6 andΒ Exodus 34:1-2. In any case, Moses writes,Β Β “Remember the day you stood before the LordΒ your God at Horeb when the Lord said to me,Β Β
‘Assemble the people to Me that I may let themΒ hear My words so they may learn to fear Me allΒ Β the days they live on the earth, and that theyΒ may teach their children.’ You came near andΒ Β
Stood at the foot of the mountain.” So, I madeΒ reference to the fact that Horeb is a mountain,Β Β yes, Mount Horeb. And that’s reinforcement forΒ it. “And the mountain burned with fire to theΒ Β very heart of the heavens, darkness, cloud,Β and thick gloom. Then the Lord spoke to youΒ Β
From the midst of the fire. You heard the soundΒ of words, but you saw no form, only a voice.” The voice of the Lord is that which deservesΒ our undivided attention. It really does. AndΒ Β the voice of God is spotlighted particularly inΒ Psalm 29, starting in verse 3. It says, “The voiceΒ Β
Of the Lord is upon the waters, the God of gloryΒ thunders, the Lord is over many waters. The voiceΒ Β of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord isΒ majestic. The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;Β Β
Yes, the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars ofΒ Lebanon. The voice of the Lord hews out flamesΒ Β of fire. The voice of the Lord makes the deerΒ to calve and strips the forests bare; and inΒ Β His temple, everything says, ‘Glory.'” And so,Β that passage alone underscores how important theΒ Β
Voice of the Lord is. It’s active, and it makesΒ a difference with living things all around it. Did you know that following, listeningΒ to, obeying the voice of the Lord is that,Β Β in part, which distinguishes angels? The GreekΒ refers to them as “angelos,” theyβre messengers.Β Β
We’re talking about the elect angels, the goodΒ angels, not fallen angels or demons. But whenΒ Β it comes to angels themselves, they set aΒ great standard. They are wonderful modelsΒ Β for us insofar as the fact that they listenΒ to the voice of the Lord and they followΒ Β
What God says. Sometimes we will refer to aΒ person as being a little angel, maybe kids,Β Β we will call infants βangels.β Sometimes we willΒ refer to an adult, “Well, she was my angel,” or,Β Β “He was like an angel to me.” Well, as much as weΒ may love and appreciate humans, other than Jesus,Β Β
No human being perfectly listened to the voiceΒ of God and obeyed the Word of God. But angelsΒ Β do. Listen to what we are told about them inΒ Psalm 103:20, “Bless the Lord, you His angels,Β Β mighty in strength, and I love this, who performΒ His word, obeying the voice of His word.” I wantΒ Β
To be like an angel in that way, don’t you? We areΒ to perform what God tells us to do. We hear whatΒ Β He says. This is that which you need to carryΒ out in your life. You need to obey the Word.
In our culture, if you communicate the Word ofΒ God, you are a part of a group of people knownΒ Β as haters, you spout hate speech if you believeΒ what the Word of God teaches. That’s a tag thatΒ Β
Unfortunately we wear in this day and age.Β But our goal is to perform the Word of God,Β Β to carry it out in our lives. Refusing to listenΒ to the voice is disastrous. That’s not only trueΒ Β when it comes to the aerospace industry, whenΒ it comes to flight, it is especially true whenΒ Β
It comes to our soul, our very spirit. It’sΒ disastrous to not listen to the voice of theΒ Β Lord. Colossians 3:25 says, “He who does wrongΒ will receive the consequences of the wrong whichΒ Β he has done, and that without partiality.” NumbersΒ 32:23: “Be sure your sin will find you out.”
It’s so important; it’s a matter of life and deathΒ that we follow the voice of the Lord. FollowingΒ Β God’s voice is really the way to go. I love how inΒ Jeremiah 7:23 it says, God is speaking, “Obey myΒ Β
Voice.” And there are three perks that will comeΒ for the individual who will follow God’s voice,Β Β three promises: “Obey my voice,” here’s theΒ first one, “and I will be your God.” Here’sΒ Β the second one, “and you will be my people, andΒ you will walk in all the way which I command you.”Β Β
Here’s the third perk, “that it may be well withΒ you.” We want to be in good standing with God;Β Β we need to hear and obey the voice. We want it toΒ go well with ourselves; we need to hear the voice.
Sadly, we live in a day and age where we are inΒ the minority. But popularity, popular opinion, hasΒ Β never dictated truth. It has never been the wisestΒ course of action in the minds of the populace toΒ Β
Follow God and His word. And we are livingΒ in the end times, and we know that, in part,Β Β because even as we are moving forward toward theΒ time when Jesus will return at His second coming,Β Β we are seeing the stage being set. We are seeingΒ the harbinger, the forerunner of events leading upΒ Β
To the time when Jesus will return. And so, withΒ the geopolitical environment in which we live,Β Β where there are nations lining up against Israel,Β and we are seeing people repudiating the Word ofΒ Β God, wanting nothing to do with Jesus, makingΒ a mockery out of Jesus, and deception runningΒ Β
Rampant, things are falling in place, theyΒ are lining up exactly as God says they will. Listen to the words of Jesus; well in MatthewΒ 24:3-5, it says that the disciples asked Jesus,Β Β “What will be the sign of Your coming? How areΒ we going to know when You’re coming back? GiveΒ Β
Us a heads up; give us an understanding ofΒ that, Jesus. What’s the sign of the end ofΒ Β the age?” And Jesus answered them; He said, “SeeΒ to it.” And here’s the first sign, “See to it thatΒ Β no one misleads you.” He starts right out fromΒ the get-go by warning His men about deception,Β Β
That there’s coming a time when deception willΒ be prominent. We’re living in that day and ageΒ Β right now. Fake news, false news, disinformation,Β wild rampant deception all around. And He says,Β Β “For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am theΒ Christ,’ and will mislead many.” Same chapter,Β Β
Matthew 24:11, “Many false prophets will ariseΒ and will,β here it is again, βmislead many.” Now,Β Β for the third time, He mentions how peopleΒ will be misled. Same chapter, chapter 24:23,24,Β Β “If anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is theΒ Christ,’ or ‘There He is,’ do not believe him,Β Β
For false christs and false prophets will ariseΒ and will show great signs and wonders so as toΒ Β mislead, if possible, even the elect.” And if youΒ know and love the Lord, there are times when youΒ Β could teeter-totter and wonder if somethingΒ is true or false; there’s a lot of deception.
At least five times in Matthew 24, JesusΒ calls attention to deception. And so we,Β Β as the people of God, need to uniquelyΒ hear the voice of God; we need to be wise,Β Β we need to be discerning, and stay on the straightΒ and narrow path that the Lord wants us to walk on,Β Β
Without turning to the left or to the right, evenΒ if none will follow. We need to follow Jesus;Β Β we need to be immovable, steadfast, anchoredΒ to the Lord Jesus and the Word of God. Well,Β Β before Jesus comes back, deception will beΒ dominant, and we also know that false prophetsΒ Β
Will be pervasive. In 2 Thessalonians chapterΒ 2, verses 1-3, Paul warns, “Now we request you,Β Β brethren, with regard to the coming of our LordΒ Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him,Β Β that you not be quickly shaken from your composureΒ or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message orΒ Β
A letter as if from us, to the effect that theΒ day of the Lord has come.” Then he says in verseΒ Β three, “Let no one in any way deceive you.” In ourΒ day and age, deception is running rampant; it isΒ Β
All over the place. It exudes to the point whereΒ people are wondering, βWho can you trust? WhoΒ Β can you believe? What authority can I turn to?βΒ Social media is a big contributor to this, butΒ Β many churches also have become compromised, justΒ like compromised politicians. I don’t need to sellΒ Β
You on the idea that there are some very crookedΒ politicians out there; I mean, that seems obvious. So it is that there are churches that areΒ becoming watered down, compromised, and theyΒ Β are buying βhook, line, and sinkerβ the ways ofΒ the world. They are deviating from Holy Writ,Β Β
From God’s Word. They have traded, I would say,Β godly convictions for beingβI will call it beingΒ Β βcartoonishβ. And so, they just come across silly;Β they’ll do anything to get a hearing. They haveΒ Β exchanged Bible exposition for entertainment; theyΒ have bought into the false narrative that churchesΒ Β
Need to be seeker-sensitive. And so, what happensΒ is there are churches that are now conformingΒ Β to the ways of the world, and they look justΒ like the world, why? Because they’re concernedΒ Β about nickels and noses; they want to fill theΒ seats, they want the income to pour in. But theΒ Β
Whole underpinning of the seeker-sensitiveΒ movement is unbiblical; Romans chapter 3,Β Β starting in verse 10, says, “As it is written,Β there is none righteous, not even one. There isΒ Β none who understands, there is none who seeksΒ for God.” It says it right there. There’s noΒ Β
Such thing as a seeker, an unbeliever who is trulyΒ seeking the Lord. If there’s an unbeliever who’sΒ Β moving in a direction of God, it’s because theΒ Lord is drawing that person to Himself, and thatΒ Β person has heard the gospel and has received it.Β But a person’s depraved nature does not naturallyΒ Β
Seek after God; we either believe that, or we’reΒ saying that Romans 3:10-12 is a lie. There’s noΒ Β such thing as an unbeliever who is a spiritualΒ seeker naturally; that is just false. And so,Β Β churches are pandering to crowds of people toΒ entertain them, to amuse them so that they willΒ Β
Come back the following week. They’ve turnedΒ the church into a worldly three-ring circus,Β Β a joke where we just blend in with the culture,Β and we are no different than anybody else. There’sΒ Β no distinctiveness. There’s no holiness. WeΒ are not set apart for God’s holy purposes.
Well, in the Christian Post, it reports theΒ following article entitled, “Ohio Mega-ChurchΒ Β Pastor Kicks Bible Off Stage.” A Bible! KicksΒ the Bible off stage! This just happened lastΒ Β weekend during the Super Bowl! This isΒ shocking; this should be very disturbingΒ Β
To all of us. This is nothing less thanΒ flagrant desecration of God’s Holy Word;Β Β that’s exactly what it is. It’s shockingΒ irreverence and disrespect for the Bible,Β Β and it is disgusting. It should make yourΒ blood boil; very offensive. And yet, this isΒ Β
What churches are resorting to. This happenedΒ just last weekend. Charles Haden Spurgeon,Β Β that great preacher from England in the 19thΒ century, said, “A time will come when insteadΒ Β of shepherds feeding the sheep, the church willΒ have clowns entertaining the goats.” How true.
There’s a lot of entertainment going on, theΒ entertainment of unbelievers, who are goats whoΒ Β want to be tickled, who want to be amusedΒ when they come to church on Sunday. Well,Β Β there’s another form of entertainment that is allΒ the buzz, and that has to do with what’s goingΒ Β
On with the war in Israel. People want to knowΒ what’s going on, and that’s a good thing. And yet,Β Β when it comes to the war that is goingΒ on in Israel, more than just being aware,Β Β there are those who are capitalizing onΒ what’s taking place for, in some cases,Β Β
For their own avarice, their own greedy purposes.Β They are fearmongering in our society. They’reΒ Β creating a stir and anxiety, a worry which addictsΒ people emotionally to their content. And so,Β Β there are some people in hysterics in the day andΒ age in which we live, and they may be thinkingΒ Β
That we are right there; we’re on the precipiceΒ of the war of Gog and Magog that is going to beΒ Β unfolding or in the minds of some people,Β a supposed war from Psalm 83 with the innerΒ Β ring of nations close to the land of Israel.Β They’re saying this is all coming together,Β Β
And the Arabic nations are going to be declaringΒ war against Israel, and Iran’s proxies are goingΒ Β to be all a part of that. And so, there is aΒ lot of buzz in society, just generally connectedΒ Β with the Israeli War and with prophecy. PeopleΒ are predicting that Jesus’ coming is going toΒ Β
Happen today or tomorrow when we don’t know theΒ day or the hour when Jesus will come back. Yes,Β Β we believe in the doctrine of imminence, in theΒ imminent return of Jesus. We’re βlooking for theΒ Β Blessed Hope and the appearing of the glory ofΒ our great God and Savior Christ Jesusβ (Titus 2).Β Β
But we don’t know when that time is. But thereΒ are people who are capitalizing on the fear,Β Β and they are not in the know. They are spoutingΒ information that they should not be communicating.Β Β And so, it’s helpful for us, when we haveΒ a sense of knowledge on a military basis,Β Β
What is the state of our country from a militaryΒ standpoint, potentially what is the state ofΒ Β Israel, and most lay people have no idea reallyΒ what is going on. But we have a couple of men,Β Β
Who I knew would be with us today, who haveΒ a background in this, and I’ve asked them toΒ Β join us today. One of them is John Hicks andΒ also, Jason Porter. Gentlemen, if you wouldΒ Β
Come forward at this time. I was not aware thatΒ Jim Grissom was going to be with us, but Jim alsoΒ Β has a background in what’s going on. He worksΒ out in the China Lake area; you’re welcome toΒ Β participate if you like, brother. AlthoughΒ I didn’t cue you for today. But gentlemen,Β Β
If you would please find a place here to sit.Β Here’s a mic for each of you. Gentlemen, maybe youΒ Β could take a few moments and introduce yourself.Β Jim, feel free to grab a chair. Gentlemen,Β Β if you take a few moments, introduce yourself,Β tell us a little bit about your background to giveΒ Β
Us a sense of understanding along those lines.Β John, let’s go ahead and start with you, okay? My name is John Hicks; I’m an aerospaceΒ engineer. I spent my entire career as aΒ Β federal civil servant out at Edwards Air ForceΒ Base testing and developing military aircraft,Β Β
And a lot of them are still in use today. In fact,Β one of the biggest things that I did was the F-16,Β Β which Israel has 175 of those still inΒ operation. So, I was a flight test engineer. Very good. And there’s a unique backgroundΒ you had with the F-16, the formation of that?
Yes, well, I was the lead performance engineerΒ and also on what the military calls the SCB,Β Β the Source Evaluation Board. I selectedΒ the F-16 for the Air Force, and it’s aΒ Β super-fighter that’s all over the world. So that’sΒ my background. Okay, very good. Thank you, John.
Jason, tell us a little bit about what yourΒ background is. My name is Jason Porter. I work atΒ Β Edwards Air Force Base currently. I’m on the B-52Β program as a mechanic, lead mechanic. So, we doΒ Β
A lot of testing of new weapons and different newΒ systems on aircraft. Also, at Edwards, I did workΒ Β on F-16s as well before I was working on B-52s.Β And then, previously, I worked on KC-135 tankersΒ Β that refuel other airplanes, and I also worked onΒ C-5 Galaxy aircraft, which is the largest cargoΒ Β
Airplane we have. So, I have quite an extensiveΒ background on turning wrenches on aircraft. AndΒ Β then, back in the ’90s, I was active duty inΒ the military in the Air Force, also workingΒ Β on B-52s. So, I’ve been there operationally also.Β That’s my basic background. Excellent. Fantastic.
And Jim, can you see why I thought it’d be aΒ good idea to have you come forward? I know IΒ Β didn’t give you much notice. Yeah, thank you.Β I’ve been doing this for a long, long time,Β Β
But I had a little deviation and actually wasΒ in the medical field. But early in my career,Β Β I was working on air defense systems with the AirΒ Force, Navy, and Army. And then, just recently,Β Β in the last 12 years, I’ve been working with theΒ F/A-18 over at China Lake, all the aircraft thatΒ Β
Fly off the aircraft carriers, and a lotΒ of them are currently doing strikes today,Β Β and they’re heavily involved over there.Β Also in China, Taiwan, also in Ukraine,Β Β also in Cuba. So, also, we’ve gotβit’sΒ all over the place. But I’m also a tester,Β Β
And I’ve also been assigned to strike forces.Β And currently, we’re really having a lot ofΒ Β frustration with the current administrationΒ because we have to do scenarios and calculateΒ Β loss of life and preemptive strikes and stuff,Β and weβre really, really, really struggling rightΒ Β
Now with this current administration. And not justΒ that, if you’re pro-Israel or pro-whatever, it hasΒ Β nothing to do with that. It’s just there’s beenΒ corruption in the current administration. It’sΒ Β really a shame because we put a lot of men andΒ women at risk, and then we’re suffering losses,Β Β
And we’re getting behind on the things, too. AndΒ I’m alsoβI had worked with satellite control. Well, there’s no question that theseΒ are extremely well-qualified men whoΒ Β have a tremendous background in the fieldΒ of military and Flight Aviation. What wouldΒ Β
You say is what are some of the fakeΒ narratives or the false reports thatΒ Β are going out there when it comes to ourΒ military and to the best of your knowledge,Β Β even Israel’s military? Who wouldΒ like to jump in the water with that?
Well, if you see it on TV, it’s probably notΒ exactly true. Would you care to expound on that,Β Β brother? Well, when it comes to the current warΒ stuff going on, they try to draw your attentionΒ Β to what the newest thing they want you to lookΒ at, and that’s usually like where your attentionΒ Β
Probably shouldn’t be because there’s somethingΒ else happening over here. So everybody’s focusedΒ Β on what’s going over there and not what’s goingΒ on over here. A lot of the stuff with the IsraelΒ Β stuff, I mean, there’s so many people that areΒ anti-Israel, and it all just comes out when weΒ Β
Have something like this happen. And even in theΒ US, the amount of people that are anti-Israel,Β Β but we’re supposed to be like their strongestΒ supporter, which is kind of sad. So a lot of stuffΒ Β
That you hear about that comes from them like warΒ crimes and stuff like that. I mean, is it really?Β Β I mean, how many of you actually know what’sΒ in the Geneva conventions war crimes? I mean,Β Β few of you are probably military veterans thatΒ understand them, but a lot of people and othersΒ Β
Are pointing fingers about like, βOh, they didΒ this. They did that.β But what really happened,Β Β and they don’t tell you what really happened. TheyΒ don’t know what really happened. And of course,Β Β Israel has been accused. You know, they haveΒ a 100% right to defend themselves. So thisΒ Β
Is where people are trying to say, βOh, lookΒ at what they’re doing to these people!β Oh,Β Β what happened to them first? You know, theyΒ got invaded and kidnapped a bunch of people,Β Β a lot of those people are still missing, stillΒ trying to look for. And it’s a really sadΒ Β
Situation. The war crimes come down to OctoberΒ 7th with gunning down civilians and then usingΒ Β civilians as human shields. Those would beΒ at the top of the list of war crimes, right? And there’s no less war crimes going on inΒ Ukraine at the same time. But there seemsΒ Β
To be a whole lot of focus on that maybe moreΒ than there should be. I don’t know. That’s justΒ Β kind of my opinion about that. I know that. Yeah,Β we, you know, they obviously know that Ukraine’sΒ Β got a whole lot of support that got sent toΒ them to defend themselves. But once again,Β Β
You don’t know what’s really happening in theΒ war. You don’t know what the Russian side is.Β Β You know what the Ukraine side is. It’sΒ what gets reported, what somebody decides.Β Β It’d be cool if we just got the true storyΒ today, and then everybody watches it. HowΒ Β
Many people are going to believe what they’reΒ watching, right? Too many people are gullible. John, anything to add along those linesΒ of the false narratives you see? Well, IΒ Β track it pretty carefully, actually, and there’s aΒ tremendous, particularly in the West, a tremendousΒ Β
Anti-Israel propaganda going on, and you folksΒ need to be aware of that. If you read, as I do,Β Β several news media sources, they are so twistedΒ and biased against Israel. Israel, militarily,Β Β if it were left alone, is quite capable of takingΒ care of itself. But that’s not the problem. TheΒ Β
Problem is the politics and the political pressureΒ from around the world against Israel, and thatΒ Β shows up in the Western press. It shows up in ourΒ government. You get a unilateral picture of IsraelΒ Β being the bad guy, and people simplisticallyΒ forget it was Hamas that started this, notΒ Β
Israel. And over the decades, back to 1948, it’sΒ been the Palestinians that have attacked, not theΒ Β Israelis. The Israelis have been in a defensiveΒ mode for decades, and they continue to pound. OnΒ Β the one hand, you know, they’re sort of walkingΒ a delicate line here. The current administration,Β Β
On the one hand, they say they support Israel,Β but then, on the other hand, they pressure themΒ Β politically to accept a two-state solution. AndΒ that’s all you hear about, a two-state solution,Β Β which Israel, until about a decade ago, wasΒ actually supportive of that and tried toΒ Β
Encourage that and tried to negotiate that. And itΒ was the Palestinians, who did not want a two-stateΒ Β solution, and they still don’t today. Okay, youΒ may not realize that, but the press makes it soundΒ Β like it’s all Israel’s fault. Okay, and becauseΒ of Pastor Jeff asking me about this, I went andΒ Β
Looked at some original stuff from Hamas, andΒ this was their, Hamas, by the way, Hamas, if youΒ Β don’t know, it’s Arabic for Islamic ResistanceΒ Movement. That’s what it stands for. And theirΒ Β goal is to remove Israel as a nation from theΒ Middle East. Okay, now if you think that’s new,Β Β
As of October the 7th, here’s the Hamas CovenantΒ from August of 1988. Okay, this is when they wereΒ Β first forming the organization of Hamas. ArticleΒ 6, and I’m quoting from the Covenant, “StrivesΒ Β to raise the banner of Allah over every inch ofΒ Palestine.” Okay, Article 27, “Rejects secular,”Β Β
Their words, βPLO, until it adopts Islam as itsΒ way of life.” Article 31 is, “Islam, Christianity,Β Β and Judaism can coexist in peace and quiet withΒ each other, but it’s not possible except under theΒ Β wing of Islam.” Okay, and they chide or admonishΒ Israel and everybody else to stop disputing theΒ Β
Sovereignty of Islam in this region.β NowΒ that was from 1988. If you think that’s old,Β Β here’s another thing that Hamas wrote and approvedΒ in, as they call their Principles and Policies,Β Β from May 2017. βHamas is a Palestinian,β this isΒ item one. βHamas is a Palestinian Islamic NationalΒ Β
Liberation and Resistance Movement. Its goal isΒ to liberate Palestine and confront the ZionistΒ Β project,β their words for Israel. Okay, item two,Β βPalestine, which extends from the River Jordan inΒ Β the East to the Mediterranean in the West, is anΒ integral territorial unit. It is the land and homeΒ Β
Of the Palestinians.β And if you’ve heard the newsΒ lately, you hear all these anti-Israel protests,Β Β and one of their mantras, one of their slogans,Β is “From the river to the sea.” That’s where thisΒ Β comes from. It came from Hamas itself. Get rid ofΒ Israel. So they don’t want a two-state solution.Β Β
But to show you how ignorant people are, newsΒ media went around and interviewed these studentsΒ Β at Harvard, MIT, Princeton, elsewhere, andΒ would you believe it? They asked them, you know,Β Β when they were shouting the slogan “From the riverΒ to the sea,” they asked them, βWhat river?β TheΒ Β
Students did not know what river. They didn’tΒ even know where the Jordan River was. And theyΒ Β asked them what sea? And they did not know that itΒ was the Mediterranean. These people are ignorant,Β Β unbelievably ignorant. But they bought intoΒ the propaganda. They bought into the “JoinΒ Β
The movement” kind of thing. Here’s another one.Β Item 12, βThe Palestinian cause in its essence isΒ Β a cause of an occupied land and a displacedΒ people.β And finally, item 14, βThe ZionistΒ Β projectβ that is Israel βis a racist, aggressiveΒ colonial and expansionist project since 1948 whenΒ Β
The West set it up, based on seizing property ofΒ others. It is hostile to the Palestinian peopleΒ Β and to their aspiration for freedom, liberation,Β return, and self-determination.β That’s what ledΒ Β to October the 7th. Okay, so you really have toΒ watch. There’s a lot of propaganda out there.Β Β
Israel can take care of itself, but it has aΒ tough time dealing with the West’s politicalΒ Β propaganda. So there’s much concern these daysΒ as people consider the alignment of Iran, Turkey,Β Β and Russia in particular, that the players areΒ coming together to form the Gog-Magog war fromΒ Β
Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39. In light of Iran’sΒ uranium capability and its development, there’sΒ Β concern about the intercontinental ballisticΒ missiles that Iran has now in its possession.Β Β Do any of you have an understanding of where IranΒ is at, especially in contrast to Israel? Is IsraelΒ Β
About to be attacked by Iran and its proxies?Β Would any of you like to weigh in on that? Well, I believe it or not, I actually worked inΒ Russia for six years, back and forth. I didn’tΒ Β stay there, but I was working a joint programΒ with a bunch of Russian scientists who actuallyΒ Β
Freely admitted to me that they were the onesΒ who had set up the nuclear program in Iran. TheyΒ Β got paid $4500 in US dollar tax-free to, for sixΒ months of work in Iran. And you might find it tooΒ Β
Fun to hear, they wanted me to get them a job inΒ California for $4500 a year, and they were goingΒ Β to send half of it home to their family, and theyΒ were going to live on the other 2500. That’s theirΒ Β
Naivety, that’s their ignorance. But they actuallyΒ helped set up the program. And Israel, I’ve dealtΒ Β with the Israelis, I know the Israeli particularlyΒ the Aerospace, they have, and they don’t like toΒ Β talk about it, and they don’t admit it, but theyΒ have an estimated minimum of 80 nuclear warheadsΒ Β
Which they could use. They have the F-15 andΒ the F-16, which I worked on both of those,Β Β can easily reach Iran and come back that couldΒ deliver those weapons. They restrain themselvesΒ Β and confined themselves to their ground troopsΒ whereas Iran just now is trying to develop aΒ Β
New nuclear weapon. They don’t have the visionableΒ material, but they’re trying to develop one. TheyΒ Β have almost enough right now, about 80%, to makeΒ one nuclear bomb, and they’re pushing very hardΒ Β toward that in spite of the lies that they give toΒ the West. The thing that’s saving Israel right nowΒ Β
Militarily is Iran does not have the ability toΒ reach Israel from Tehran, and those areas. And theΒ Β reason is they have an antiquated Air Force,Β and I know because I know all the airplanes,Β Β the F1, which is the French Mirage, the F14s,Β which they have 40 of those, the F5, which is aΒ Β
Very old aircraft that I used to fly, and ChineseΒ version of a MIG 21 and so forth. Their Air ForceΒ Β does not have the range to make Israel unlessΒ it’s a one-way trip. They have missiles, but theΒ Β
Missiles can’t make Israel either. The ones thatΒ they have of which I’m familiar with a number ofΒ Β them because I used them in Russia. I used theΒ SA-5 to do a joint program with the Russians.Β Β It was MOC 6 and a half which is hypersonic.Β So don’t get frightened by this thing aboutΒ Β
Hypersonic weapons. These new hypersonic weapons,Β they’ve been around for 30, 40 years, okay? They’re not new. The only thing that’s new, thatΒ I’m aware of, and I have my finger on the pulse ofΒ Β a lot of this stuff, the Iranians have recentlyΒ developed two MOC 10 to 12 hypersonic missilesΒ Β
Called Fattah-1 and Fattah-2. The Fattah-1,Β which is a two-stage solid propellant rocket,Β Β was introduced in June of last year into service.Β So it’s brand new. It can do MOC 10, MOC 12.Β Β That’s your hypersonic bugaboo that the pressΒ has put out there about the terrible new weapons.Β Β
The problem is we don’t know how much of that isΒ propaganda and how much of it is real capability.Β Β The second missile they put out, Fattah-2, wasΒ just introduced to the public this past November.Β Β It’s a two-stage with liquid. They’re the onlyΒ ones that could reach Israel. But you have toΒ Β
Ask yourself, βHow much of that is propagandaΒ and how much of it is reality?β The problem,Β Β if it’s ballistic, okay, there’s no particularΒ guidance. They’re going to be bombing Jordan,Β Β the West Bank, Iraq, Syria, you know, beforeΒ they ever get to Israel. The problem is,Β Β
It not only has to be guided, but it has to beΒ maneuverable, which is to say, it’s a hypersonicΒ Β body that can avoid the Iron Dome, which Israel isΒ very effective with, and they have the US PatriotΒ Β
Missile, which is also very effective in knockingΒ down ballistic missiles. So the only way they canΒ Β get in to Israel militarily is with maneuveringΒ hypersonic vehicles, and those are the two thatΒ Β they just recently introduced, and we don’t knowΒ enough about them to know if they’re a real threatΒ Β
Or not. But otherwise, militarily, their AirΒ Force, their missile force, they don’t have it,Β Β whereas Israel, if they chose to, and they haveΒ done this before, they have bombed a nuclear site,Β Β a reactor in Iraq, right on the Iranian borderΒ with F-16s, and destroyed it back in the 80s.Β Β
So they have the capability if they want to,Β but the big thing is they’re really tryingΒ Β to restrain themselves. And you hear about theΒ civilian to military casualty ratio, okay? AndΒ Β they’re damning Israel for their collateralΒ damage. You may not know that right now,Β Β
And this is from the IDF, the Israeli DefenseΒ Forces, they estimate that they have a ratio,Β Β and this is not pretty, but it’s the truth.Β They have a ratio of one and a half civiliansΒ Β to every one military that they kill, one andΒ a half to one. Now, that sounds pretty bad,Β Β
But to give you a comparison, World War II,Β the Korean War, those kind of major battles,Β Β the civilian to military was two and a halfΒ to one, and I know, I looked that up in theΒ Β military records. So it was two and a halfΒ to one. Nobody in a war, especially if you’reΒ Β
Hiding behind people, escapes civilian casualties.Β They have denied. Hamas has denied having tunnelsΒ Β under hospitals and schools and such. But theyΒ found kilometers worth of tunnels, huge tunnels,Β Β underneath those hospitals. They have found the UNΒ headquarters that was supposed to be for rescue;Β Β
And, all that of the Palestinians were sittingΒ on top of a huge electric power station,Β Β which Hamas got their power from the UN. SoΒ you know, the lies and the propaganda is huge. I wanted the three of you to come here to giveΒ a sense of that from an inside perspective.Β Β
We’re not to believe all the hype. There’s aΒ lot of falsehoods that are going out there,Β Β and even in Christian circles, there’s falseΒ information that is going out there as far as whatΒ Β Israel is capable of handling, what our countryΒ is capable of handling. Going full circle backΒ Β
To what we were talking about from the beginning,Β we need to be focused on the voice of the Lord,Β Β the voice of God, and in 1 Corinthians 4:6,Β it says, “Do not go beyond the things whichΒ Β have been written.” Another translation says, “DoΒ not go beyond what is written in the Scriptures.”Β Β
So our focus ought not to be on the militaryΒ capability of Israel or our country or what’sΒ Β even going on with our administration, but to getΒ the Gospel out. People need Jesus. What is theΒ Β gospel? 1 Corinthians 15 says, “For I delivered toΒ you as of first importance what I also received:Β Β
That Christ died for our sins according toΒ the Scriptures, that He was buried, and thatΒ Β He was raised on the third day according to theΒ scriptures.” We need to believe that message,Β Β that Jesus laid down His life on that cruel crossΒ for our sins, was bodily raised from the dead,Β Β
Trusting Him as our personal Savior and Lord,Β willing to turn away from anything that may beΒ Β displeasing from the Lord. The Bible calls thatΒ repentance. And so touching on the voice of God,Β Β if you’re here today and don’t know Jesus yet,Β God’s voice has a message for you today. It’sΒ Β
Tucked away in Hebrews 3:7,8, 15. “Today, if youΒ hear His voice, do not harden your heart.” AndΒ Β finally, in the future, God’s voice will doΒ the miraculous when believers who have diedΒ Β will hear the voice of Jesus. Jesus saysΒ in John 5:25, “Truly, truly, I say to you,Β Β
An hour is coming and now is, when the dead shallΒ hear the voice of the Son of God, and those whoΒ Β hear shall live.” So whether a person believesΒ in Jesus in this life and continues to live atΒ Β
The time of the Lord’s return, or has gone homeΒ to be with the Lord and now is in the processΒ Β of decomposing, even those who have died inΒ Christ will hear the voice of the Lord and live. Well, thank you so much, gentlemen, forΒ sharing your expertise with us. I mean,Β Β
There’s a lot more that could be shared, andΒ that was just the tip of the iceberg. But theseΒ Β are our resident insiders when it comesΒ to the military and what’s going on. TheyΒ Β have classified information. I know they can’tΒ spill the beans on everything that they know,Β Β
But they have great insight and understanding.Β But we need to rest in the sovereignty of God.Β Β God is in control. He is in control ofΒ Israel. He’s in control of our country,Β Β and we need to rest in HisΒ strong, sovereign hands.
1 Comment
Click onto the following link for more messages on the Bible: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-qVzSc-IWwW5Zdgei7G1pqJWeQTMBfXI
π Subscribe for more Bible teaching: youtube.com/channel/UC18viSXDKd2moRL0yYAh5Og?sub_confirmation=1
π€What insights did you gain from this message? How will you apply it to your life?