Headline News
Saudi Arabia Publicly Executes 37 ‘Criminals’ Under Sharia Law Including Teenager Who Sent Messages Over WhatsApp To Warn People Of Government Violence
Saudi Arabia held its largest mass killing ever with 37 dead, including one man who was crucified and a teenage sentenced to death for using WhatsApp.
Abdulkareem al-Hawa was put to death in front of a baying crowd along with 36 other men who were executed this week in the barbaric desert kingdom
Pay close attention to this article and read it very carefully, this is what life is truly like when you live in a country that is governed by Sharia Law. The Law of Mohammed is cruel and unforgiving, justice is not a factor, it is only about exercising raw power to dominate and oppress.
I am not against Muslims as people, they are free to come here to America and assimilate into our culture. I would love to see them all come to s saving knowledge of Jesus Christ as Saviour and avoid the fiery Hell that Mohammed has been burning in since June 8, 632 AD. But I am resolutely against the tyrannical religion of Islam and its diabolical Sharia Law.
Since 9/11, there have been over 34,911 Islamic terror attacks, in the month of March alone there were 132 Islamic terror attacks, resulting in 729 killed, 776 injured and taking place in 23 countries. Look closely at the man being crucified in the picture at the top of the article, that’s not Jesus Christ paying for your sins. That’s a petty criminal receiving “justice” from Sharia Law. Don’t forget that.
Saudi Arabia mass execution – Lad, 16, tortured with electricity and BEHEADED just for sending WhatsApp messages about protests
FROM THE UK SUN: Abdulkarim al-Hawaj, 21, was a schoolboy when he was detained and accused of being a “terrorist” for sending texts online about an anti-government demonstration.
He was a Shiite Muslim – which is a persecuted minority group in Sunni-dominated Saudi – living in the troubled Eastern province.
Abdulkarim was beaten and tortured with electricity while his hands were chained above his head when he “confessed” to his crimes, human rights charity Reprieve said.
This week, he had his head cut from his body in front of a baying, bloodthirsty crowd along with 36 other men in the medieval country.
BUTCHERED FOR SENDING TEXT MESSAGES
Sentencing a person to death who is aged under 18 is banned under international law. Another victim, Mujtaba al-Sweikat, was a teenager who was set to start a new life in the US, studying at Western Michigan University, when he was arrested for attending an anti-government protest.
The then-17-year-old – who had enrolled in English language and finance – was badly beaten including on the soles of his feet before he “confessed” to crimes against the state. Human rights charities claim he was also tortured into confessing and convicted in a “sham trial.”
Why are so many left-wing progressives in America so silent about Islam’s totalitarian tendencies?
People afraid of being called Islamophobes have created space for hardline Muslim men to promote sharia courts, the wearing of the full-face veil, arranged marriage, female genital mutilation (FGM), and gender segregation in public places.
Despite his university protesting his sentence, insisting he had “great promise,” Mujtaba was also beheaded this week. Reprieve Deputy Director Harriet McCulloch insists both men were sharing information about “peaceful” demonstrations.
She said: “Many things can be used to justify a death sentence in Mohammed Bin Salman’s Saudi Arabia, including ‘disobedience against the King’, ‘preparing banners with anti-state slogans’ and ‘incitement via social media’.
“Mujtaba al-Sweikat and Abdulkarim al-Hawaj were teenagers sharing information about peaceful protests on their mobile phones. Saudi Arabia’s western allies must act now, to prevent any more young people being killed for exercising their right to freedom of expression.”
Another man, Munir al-Adam, was just 23, when he was arrested at a government checkpoint in 2012. His feet were so badly beaten he was forced to crawl on his hands and knees for days, it has been reported.
Munir lost the hearing in one of his ears, following a childhood accident, but was left completely deaf after the horrific torture, it has been alleged. He told a judge that he agreed to sign the confession because he was exhausted by the brutal and relentless torture.
The killings were carried out in Riyadh, the Muslim holy cities of Mecca and Medina, central Qassim province and Eastern Province, home to the country’s Shiite minority. Lynn Maalouf, Middle East Research Director at Amnesty International, said the mass execution was a chilling demonstration of the Saudi Arabian authorities callous disregard for human life.
She said: “It is also yet another gruesome indication of how the death penalty is being used as a political tool to crush dissent from within the country’s Shiite minority.”
For Abdulkareem al-Hawaj’s family, perhaps it was consolation their son’s decapitated head and body was not impaled and put on display as a warning to others. Others were not so fortunate.
‘CALLOUS DISREGARD FOR HUMAN LIFE’
The 37 citizens killed during beheading bloodbath had all been convicted of terrorism offences in the hardline kingdom. It emerged one man had even been crucified. Saudi lawmakers insist the men were charged with “adopting terrorist extremist ideology, forming terrorist cells” and harming the “peace and security of society”.
Those executed had been involved in attacking a base killing a number of security officers, the Saudi Press Agency statement said. The slaughter of mainly minority Shiites is likely to stoke further regional and sectarian tensions between rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Saudi dissident Ali Al-Ahmed, who runs the Gulf Institute in Washington, identified 34 of those executed as Shiites based on the names announced by the Interior Ministry.
“This is the largest mass execution of Shiites in the kingdom’s history,” he said.
SHAM TRIALS
In fact it marked the largest number of executions in a single day in Saudi Arabia since January 2, 2016, when the kingdom executed 47 people for terrorism-related crimes. The Interior Ministry’s statement said those executed had adopted extremist ideologies and formed terrorist cells with the aim of spreading chaos and provoking sectarian strife.
It said the individuals had been found guilty according to the law and ordered executed by the Specialised Criminal Court in Riyadh, which handles terrorism trials, and the country’s high court.
Amnesty International said 11 of the men were convicted of spying for Iran and sentenced to death after a “grossly unfair trial.” At least 14 others executed were convicted of violent offences related to their participation in anti-government demonstrations in Shiite-populated areas of Saudi Arabia between 2011 and 2012.
The Interior Ministry said the body of one of the executed men Khaled bin Abdel Karim al-Tuwaijri was publicly pinned to a pole. The statement did not say in which city of Saudi Arabia the public display took place. READ MORE
Saudi Arabia executes 37 Shias on minor charges
Human rights groups have been outraged over Saudi Arabia’s execution of 37 men this week. Most of these men were of the Shia minority and were punished on terror, violence and unrest-related charges. However, their actual crimes consisted of “disrespecting authority”. Gulf Affairs Institute Director Ali Al Ahmed joins In Question to discuss the outcry with RT America’s Manila Chan.
Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last days before the Rapture of the Church
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When you contribute to this fundraising effort, you are helping us to do what the Lord called us to do. The money you send in goes primarily to the building of the recording studio, but it also goes to the overall daily operations of this site. When people ask for Bibles, we send them out at no charge. When people write in and say how much they would like gospel tracts but cannot afford them, we send them a box at no cost to them for either the tracts or the shipping, no matter where they are in the world. Even all the way to South Africa. We even restarted our weekly radio Bible study on Sunday nights again, thanks to your generous donations.
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“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJV)
“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB
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Headline News
The Children Of The Glory Fellowship Orphanage In Kenya Sleep On Cardboard And Now Operation Africa! Wants To Give Them New Cots And Clean Blankets
Operation Africa! Has Been Given A New Mission To Provide 44 Mattresses And 44 Blankets For The 84 Children At Glory Fellowship Orphanage Sleeping On Cardboard Floors
The children at Glory Fellowship Orphanage in Kenya are sleeping shoulder-to-shoulder on pieces of cardboard spread across a bare concrete floor. There are no mattresses beneath them and no warm blankets covering them on top. That is an actual photo at the top of this article, showing you how these precious children actually go to sleep every night. What if that was your child, would you be happy with that? I say we do something about it.
“Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” James 1:27 (KJB)
Through Operation Africa!, the Lord has already allowed us to send more than 1,100 King James Bibles to Kenya, provide them with life-saving medicine, and complete a water well and tanker program at the orphanage. Now God has placed another urgent need directly before us: 84 children need 44 mattresses and 44 blankets. This is not a request for luxury. We are talking about the most basic human necessities, like a comfortable place to lay their heads and a clean blanket to keep them warm through the night. These children should not have to spend another night sleeping on cardboard when, together, we have the power to change their situation. We can’t fix all of Africa, but Lord willing, we can fix this.
The Bible does not tell us merely to feel sorry for the fatherless; it tells us to visit them in their affliction. That means seeing the need, stepping into the need and doing something about it. Through Operation Africa!, God has brought these children into our lives and given us an opportunity to put our faith into action. Let’s get every one of these 84 children off the floor, put a clean mattress beneath them and place a warm blanket over top of them. The children will sleep two-to-a-bed. The cots are $45 each, the blankets are $30 each, and we need 44 of both. Altogether that comes to $3,300, a very reasonable price to pay to put all 84 children into the type of sleeping arrangements you would want for your precious children. All of us together should easily be able to do this, pray for this outreach, and come help us!!
- HOW TO DONATE: Click here to view our WayGiver Funding page
If God has prospered you, please take a moment to click on the donate button to help us in this overwhelmingly urgent task of providing the children of Glory Fellowship Orphange with medicine and clean drinking water. We need your prayers, we need your generous financial support, and we need you to stand with us in the closing days of the Church Age. Thank you so very much, TO THE FIGHT!!!
NOTE: If you need a 501 C3 Letter of Donation for tax purposes, please send your donation to:
NTEB Ministries
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Ste. 1272-129
Virginia Beach, VA 23454.
Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last Days before the Rapture of the Church
- HOW TO DONATE: Click here to view our WayGiver Funding page
When you contribute to this fundraising effort, you are helping us to do what the Lord called us to do. The money you send in goes primarily to the overall daily operations of this site. When people ask for Bibles, we send them out at no charge. When people write in and say how much they would like gospel tracts but cannot afford them, we send them a box at no cost to them for either the tracts or the shipping, no matter where they are in the world. We have a Gospel Billboard program. We are now broadcasting Bible studies, Podcasts and a Sunday Service 5 times a week, thanks to your generous donations. All this is possible because YOU pray for us, YOU support us, and YOU give so we can continue growing.
But whatever you do, don’t do nothing. Time is short and we need your help right now. The Lord has given us an open door with a tremendous ‘course’ for us to fulfill that will create an excellent experience at the Judgement Seat of Christ. Please pray for our efforts, and if the Lord leads you to donate, be as generous as possible. The war is REAL, the battle HOT and the time is SHORT…TO THE FIGHT!!!
“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)
“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB
Headline News
THE BIBLE BELIEVERS SUNDAY SERVICE: I Quit
I Quit: When God’s Mightiest Servants Reached Their Breaking Point, Lost Their Courage And Discovered That Their Calling Was Stronger Than Their Discouragement
“I Quit” are two words that nearly every servant of God will be tempted to say at some point in the ministry. The Bible does not airbrush its heroes or pretend that men of faith never collapse beneath the burden. Jeremiah decided to stop preaching, Peter returned to his fishing boat, Elijah asked God to let him die, John the Baptist questioned Christ from prison, Moses could no longer carry the people, David became convinced that Saul would eventually kill him, and Paul despaired even of life. These were not weak men playing at ministry; they were mighty servants who discovered that calling does not make the flesh indestructible. The difference was not that they never reached the breaking point—it was that God met them there and refused to allow their darkest moment to become the final chapter. Christian, do you feel like quitting today? This message is for you.
“O LORD, thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived: thou art stronger than I, and hast prevailed: I am in derision daily, every one mocketh me.” Jeremiah 20:7 (KJB)
The Bible Believers Sunday Service: I Quit
I Quit
“For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;” 2 Corinthians 1:8-10 (KJB)
God’s calling does not make His servants immune to exhaustion, fear, disappointment, loneliness, or doubt. God sometimes allows His servants to reach the end of their own strength so they will learn to trust “in God which raiseth the dead.”
MAIN POINT: The breaking point does not have to become the quitting point.
Dispensational Note: Jeremiah and Elijah ministered to Israel under the law and the prophetic program. John the Baptist and Peter ministered in connection with Israel, Messiah, and the kingdom. Paul is our apostle and doctrinal pattern for the present Church Age. These men did not occupy the same dispensational position, but the spiritual principle remains: God’s servants are weak, but God remains faithful.
I. Jeremiah: When Faithful Preaching Brings Reproach
“O LORD, thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived: thou art stronger than I, and hast prevailed: I am in derision daily, every one mocketh me. For since I spake, I cried out, I cried violence and spoil; because the word of the LORD was made a reproach unto me, and a derision, daily. Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.” Jeremiah 20:7-9 (KJB)
A. Jeremiah was faithful, but faithfulness did not protect him from discouragement
Jeremiah preached exactly what God told him to preach. Instead of producing repentance, his preaching produced mockery, opposition, persecution, and reproach. His discouragement was not caused by disobedience. It came while he was faithfully carrying out his calling.
B. Jeremiah allowed his circumstances to distort his perception
When Jeremiah accused the LORD of deceiving him, he was speaking out of anguish, not giving a doctrinal statement about God’s character. God had already warned Jeremiah that the people would fight against him. Jeremiah had not been deceived; he had become overwhelmed by the cost of obeying God.
C. Jeremiah attempted to resign
Jeremiah said:
- “I will not make mention of him.”
- I will not “speak any more in his name.”
- I am finished preaching.
- I will remain silent.
D. The Word would not release the prophet
Jeremiah could close his mouth, but he could not extinguish the Word burning inside him. The pain of holding back the message became greater than the pain of delivering it. Jeremiah tried to silence the message, but the message would not release the messenger.
II. Peter: When Personal Failure Makes You Go Backward
“Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing.” John 21:3 (KJB)
A. Peter had once appeared fearless
Peter had promised to follow Jesus even unto death. But when confronted during the Lord’s trial, Peter denied Christ three times. His confidence in himself was shattered. That’s a great starting point for the Christian, to have your self-confidence broken. You must decrease, He must increase.
B. Peter returned to something familiar
Peter did not formally say, “I quit.” Nevertheless, his actions indicate retreat. Not knowing what place remained for him, Peter returned to the occupation he had known before Jesus called him.
He could return to the boat, but he could not return to his old life as though Christ had never called him.
C. Peter’s retreat influenced other people
When Peter said, “I go a fishing,” the others answered, “We also go with thee.”
A discouraged leader rarely retreats alone. Other people are watching, and they may follow him into his withdrawal.
D. The Lord allowed Peter’s nets to remain empty
Peter had years of fishing experience, but “that night they caught nothing.” The empty nets demonstrated that Peter could accomplish nothing independently of Christ. Jesus already had fish and bread waiting on the shore. Christ did not need Peter’s catch; Peter needed Christ’s provision.
E. Christ restored Peter through love and recommissioning
“So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.” John 21:15 (KJB)
“He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.” John 21:16,17 (KJB)
Jesus did not ask Peter whether he still felt brave. Peter’s self-confidence was gone. The question was, “Lovest thou me?”
Peter’s restoration was followed by a renewed commission:
- “Feed my lambs.”
- “Feed my sheep.”
- “Follow me.”
Teaching Truth: Failure said, “Go back.” Jesus Christ said, “Follow me.”
III. Elijah: When Exhaustion Follows a Great Victory
“But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.” 1 Kings 19:4 (KJB)
A. Elijah’s collapse came immediately after his Mount Carmel victory
Elijah had confronted 450 prophets of Baal. God had answered by fire. The people had confessed that the LORD was God.
Then one threat from Jezebel sent Elijah running.
- Yesterday, Elijah faced 450 prophets.
- Today, he was afraid of one woman.
- Yesterday, he prayed for fire to fall.
- Today, he prayed for his life to end.
- Yesterday, he stood before a nation.
- Today, he sat alone beneath a tree.
B. Great victories can be followed by dangerous emotional lows
Spiritual victory does not make the flesh indestructible. Elijah had expended tremendous physical, emotional, and spiritual energy. When the excitement ended, exhaustion, disappointment, fear, and isolation descended upon him.
C. God addressed Elijah’s physical exhaustion
“And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat. And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again. And the angel of the LORD came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee. And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God.” 1 Kings 19:5-8 (KJB)
God did not begin by rebuking Elijah. He allowed him to sleep, provided food and water, and allowed him to sleep again. Sometimes a servant does not immediately need another sermon. He needs rest, nourishment, and time in the presence of God.
D. Discouragement distorted Elijah’s perception
“And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.” 1 Kings 19:10 (KJB)
Elijah felt alone, so he concluded that he was alone. But feelings are not facts.
“Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.” 1 Kings 19:18 (KJB)
Elijah saw no one. God saw seven thousand.
E. God restored Elijah in five ways
God gave Elijah:
- Rest for his body.
- Food for his strength.
- Truth for his distorted perspective.
- Work for his prophetic calling.
- Elisha for companionship.
MAIN POINT: Elijah’s juniper tree was a terrible moment, but it was not the conclusion of his ministry.
IV. John the Baptist: When Circumstances Contradict Expectations
“And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities. Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.” Matthew 11:1-6 (KJB)
A. John had been a mighty and fearless preacher
John had publicly identified Jesus Christ:
“The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” John 1:29 (KJB)
John had seen the Spirit descend upon Christ. He had identified Jesus as the Son of God. Yet confinement, uncertainty, and approaching death brought him to a moment of doubt.
B. John struggled to reconcile his circumstances with his preaching
John had announced:
- The coming King.
- The approaching kingdom.
- The axe laid to the root.
- The fan in Christ’s hand.
- The coming judgment by fire.
Yet Herod remained on the throne, and John remained in prison. The King had come, but John was still bound. Other people were receiving deliverance, but John’s prison door remained shut.
C. John did not understand the interval between the Advents
John belonged to Israel’s prophetic and kingdom program. He saw the prophecies concerning Messiah’s coming, His kingdom, and His judgment, but he did not yet understand the gap between the First and Second Advents or the still-unrevealed mystery of the Church Age.
The prophetic timetable was unfolding differently than John expected.
D. John took his question to the right Person
John did not send his disciples to Herod, the Pharisees, or public opinion. He sent them directly to Jesus Christ.
Faith is not the absence of painful questions. Faith takes those questions to the right Person.
E. Jesus answered John with scriptural evidence
“Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.” Matthew 11:4-6 (KJB)
Jesus did not explain every detail or promise that John would be released. He directed John back to the evidence of fulfilled Scripture.
The answer was essentially: Do not judge who I am by the bars surrounding you. Judge who I am by the Word of God.
F. Jesus did not define John by his weakest moment
“Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” Matthew 11:11 (KJB)
John was questioning Jesus, but Jesus was not questioning John’s faithfulness. Christ knew the difference between hardened unbelief and a faithful servant suffering through a dark hour.
MAIN POINT: John’s question did not erase his calling, his courage, or his entire ministry.
V. Moses: When the Burden Becomes Too Heavy
“I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me. And if thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee, out of hand, if I have found favour in thy sight; and let me not see my wretchedness.” Numbers 11:14,15 (KJB)
A. Moses became overwhelmed by responsibility
Moses was attempting to carry the burden of the entire nation. The work truly was too heavy for one man.
B. Moses saw death as his only escape
Overwhelming pressure can narrow a person’s thinking until he can no longer see any solution except escape.
C. God provided shared responsibility
God instructed Moses to gather seventy elders. The LORD did not remove Moses from his calling; He provided other men to help carry the burden.
MAIN POINT: Sometimes the answer is not quitting the work but sharing the weight.
VI. David: When Fear Becomes Greater Than the Promise
“And David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul: there is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul shall despair of me, to seek me any more in any coast of Israel: so shall I escape out of his hand.” 1 Samuel 27:1 (KJB)
A. God had promised David the throne
Saul could not kill David without overthrowing the promise and purpose of God.
B. David listened to his heart instead of God’s promise
The verse begins, “David said in his heart.” David looked at Saul’s repeated attacks and concluded, “I shall now perish.” His circumstances appeared more powerful than God’s Word.
C. Discouragement drove David into enemy territory
When a servant stops resting in God’s promises, the world begins to look like a place of safety. David fled into the land of the Philistines because fear told him there was “nothing better.”
MAIN POINT: Discouragement causes us to calculate the future without including the faithfulness of God.
VII. Paul: When a Church-Age Servant Reaches the End of His Strength
“For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life:” 2 Corinthians But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:” 2 Corinthians 1:8,9 (KJB)
A. Paul was pressed beyond his natural ability
Paul did not say that God would never allow something beyond human strength. He said that he was “pressed out of measure, above strength.” The pressure exceeded Paul’s natural ability to endure it.
B. Paul “despaired even of life”
This was not an immature believer. This was the apostle to the Gentiles. Yet he reached a place where death appeared certain.
C. God was destroying Paul’s self-reliance
The purpose is stated plainly:
“But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:” 2 Corinthians 1:9 (KJB)
God brought Paul to the end of himself so that Paul would place his complete confidence in the God of resurrection.
D. Paul also experienced abandonment
“At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge. Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.” 2 Timothy 4:16,17 (KJB)
Every human companion may leave, but the Lord remains.
MAIN POINT: When no man stood with Paul, the Lord stood with him. As it turned out, that was all he needed.
Spiritual Application
- Recognize the Different Causes of Discouragement
These servants became discouraged for different reasons:
- Jeremiah: mockery and rejection.
- Peter: personal failure and shame.
- Elijah: exhaustion, fear, and isolation.
- John: confinement and unmet expectations.
- Moses: overwhelming responsibility.
- David: prolonged persecution and fear.
- Paul: suffering, pressure, and abandonment.
The cause may differ, but the temptation is the same: stop, retreat, isolate yourself, or abandon the calling.
- Do Not Make Permanent Decisions During Temporary Collapse
Jeremiah decided never to preach again.
Peter decided to return to fishing.
Elijah asked to die.
David fled into enemy territory.
None of them was seeing clearly at that moment. Exhaustion, fear, humiliation, and loneliness are terrible counselors. Do not make a permanent decision while standing inside a temporary storm.
- Distinguish Between Rest and Retreat
Elijah needed sleep and food. Moses needed help carrying the burden. Peter needed restoration. John needed reassurance from Scripture. Rest is not quitting. Receiving help is not weakness. Stepping back long enough to regain strength is not the same as abandoning God’s calling.
- Do Not Turn Feelings Into Facts
Elijah felt alone, but seven thousand remained.
David felt certain that Saul would kill him, but God had promised him the throne.
John felt confused by the prison, but Jesus was still the Messiah.
Peter felt finished, but Christ still intended to use him.
Feelings are real, but they are not always reliable.
- Return to the Word of God
Jeremiah had the Word burning inside him.
Jesus directed John to the scriptural evidence.
David needed to remember God’s promise.
Paul learned to trust the God who raises the dead.
Discouragement grows when circumstances interpret the Bible. Faith returns when the Bible interprets the circumstances.
- Take Your Questions Directly to God
Jeremiah poured out his complaint before the LORD.
Elijah spoke honestly to God.
Moses cried unto the LORD.
John sent his question directly to Jesus.
God already knows the condition of the heart. Honest anguish brought into His presence is better than silent bitterness carried away from Him.
- Accept God’s Provision
God may provide:
- Rest, as He did for Elijah.
- Help, as He did for Moses.
- Correction, as He did for David.
- Scriptural reassurance, as He did for John.
- Restoration, as He did for Peter.
- Strength in loneliness, as He did for Paul.
- Renewed fire for the message, as He did for Jeremiah.
Do not reject the form in which God sends His help. He knows best, let HIM do it.
- Remember That Your Retreat Can Affect Others
When Peter said, “I go a fishing,” others followed. Leaders must remember that their responses to discouragement can influence families, churches, ministries, and younger believers. This does not mean pretending to be invincible. It means taking weakness to God before that weakness becomes a path others begin following.
- Do Not Define a Servant by His Weakest Moment
Jeremiah was more than his complaint.
Peter was more than his denial.
Elijah was more than his juniper tree.
John was more than his prison question.
Moses was more than his frustration.
David was more than his fearful retreat.
Paul was more than the moment when he despaired even of life.
God recorded their weakness, but He did not allow their weakness to write the final chapter.
- Understand What God Is Accomplishing
“But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:” 2 Corinthians 1:9 (KJB)
The ultimate purpose is the destruction of self-confidence. God does not need invincible men. There are none. He uses weak men who have learned that His grace, His Word, and His strength are sufficient.
Closing Challenge
Jeremiah tried to silence the message, but the Word burned within him.
Peter tried to return to fishing, but Jesus stood on the shore.
Elijah asked to die, but God fed him and sent him back.
John questioned Christ, but Christ answered him with the Word.
Moses wanted to escape the burden, but God sent men to help him.
David feared he would perish, but God’s promise remained unchanged.
Paul despaired even of life, but the Lord stood with him.
The common thread is not the strength of these men. The common thread is the faithfulness of their God.
“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” Galatians 6:9 (KJB)
“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 15:58 (KJB)
Final Questions
- Are you interpreting God through your circumstances, or your circumstances through the Word of God?
- Are you calling yourself alone when God still has seven thousand?
- Are you returning to old nets because of one terrible failure?
- Are you making permanent decisions while physically and emotionally exhausted?
- Are you looking at prison bars instead of the works of Christ?
- Are you trying to carry a burden God never intended you to carry alone?
- Are you trusting in yourself, or “in God which raiseth the dead”?
Final Challenge: Do not quit in the dark what God called you to do in the light. Rest if you must. Receive help when it is offered. Pour out your heart before the Lord. Return to the Word. Then arise, go back to the work, and continue in the strength which God supplies.
“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38,39 (KJB)
Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last Days before the Rapture of the Church
- HOW TO DONATE: Click here to view our WayGiver Funding page
When you contribute to this fundraising effort, you are helping us to do what the Lord called us to do. The money you send in goes primarily to the overall daily operations of this site. When people ask for Bibles, we send them out at no charge. When people write in and say how much they would like gospel tracts but cannot afford them, we send them a box at no cost to them for either the tracts or the shipping, no matter where they are in the world. We have a Gospel Billboard program. We are now broadcasting Bible studies, Podcasts and a Sunday Service 5 times a week, thanks to your generous donations. All this is possible because YOU pray for us, YOU support us, and YOU give so we can continue growing.
But whatever you do, don’t do nothing. Time is short and we need your help right now. The Lord has given us an open door with a tremendous ‘course’ for us to fulfill that will create an excellent experience at the Judgement Seat of Christ. Please pray for our efforts, and if the Lord leads you to donate, be as generous as possible. The war is REAL, the battle HOT and the time is SHORT…TO THE FIGHT!!!
“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)
“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB
Free Bible Program
Life At The Crossroads: Bibles Behind Bars Is Bringing King James Bibles And The Gospel Of Jesus Christ To Men Living Inside A Maximum-Security Missouri Prison
At Crossroads Correctional Center In Missouri, Bibles Behind Bars Is Putting The Preserved Word Of God Into The Hands Of Men Who Need Truth And Hope Before It Is Too Late
Crossroads Correctional Center is not an abandoned relic from Missouri’s prison history; it is once again an active maximum and medium-security institution housing roughly 1,250 men behind concrete, steel, electrified barriers and coils of razor wire. Closed in 2019 and reopened in 2022, the facility stands as a grim monument to the consequences of choices made, laws broken and lives forever altered. From the air it resembles a cold, mechanical wheel, with cellblocks radiating outward from central corridors and every road ultimately ending at another locked gate. For the men living inside, however, this is not some trivial architectural curiosity or bland government statistic—it is daily life at the Crossroads.
“The Lord gave the word: great was the company of those that published it.” Psalms 68:11 (KJB)
There is something hauntingly appropriate about that name, Crossroads, because every man inside that prison has arrived at a crossroads far greater than the one that brought him before a judge. The State of Missouri can confine a man’s body, regulate his movements and determine the hour when his cell door opens, but it cannot prevent the word of God from reaching his heart. This is why the work of Bibles Behind Bars is so necessary and needed, placing the preserved word of God into the hands of prisoners who desperately need truth, hope and the gospel of the grace of God. These men do not need another watered-down paraphrase, religious pamphlet or empty program, they need a King James Bible they can open, read and believe. Some will leave Crossroads through the front gate, while others may never leave at all, but the blood of Jesus Christ can save any sinner who believes. No man is beyond the reach of God’s grace, and no prison wall is thick enough to stop his preserved word. Chaplain Matt at Crossroads wrote to us and said “We have had an influx of inmates hungry for the Word of God and they have been asking for Bibles in mass requests and we about out of Bibles and would appreciate a donation for as many as you can give!” There it is, waist-high and over the plate, let’s hit this thing out of the park.
In addition to Crossroads, we also have pending requests for Bibles from:
- Orange County Department of Corrections – FL
- Torrance County Detention Facility – CA
- Macon County Sheriff’s Office – IL
- One Bible requested by Mom Nancy for her son in Bay County Jail, Panama City – FL
Christian, the only way this works is if you will lift this ministry up in prayer as often as the Lord brings it to your mind and heart. The only way this works is if you will go above and beyond to help us with this “great commission” the LORD has given us. Come help us, we need you!!
- HOW TO DONATE: Click here to view our WayGiver Funding page
If God has prospered you, please take a moment to click on the donate button to help us in this monumental task of providing King James Bibles, New Testaments, scripture portions, gospel tracts as well as Spanish Bibles to inmates in jails and prisons from Florida to Alaska, and every state in between. We need your prayers, we need your generous financial support, and we need you to stand with us in the closing days of the Church Age. Thank you so very much, TO THE FIGHT!!!
NOTE: If you need a 501 C3 Letter of Donation for tax purposes, please send your donation to:
NTEB Ministries
1340 N Great Neck Rd.
Ste. 1272-129
Virginia Beach, VA 23454.
Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last Days before the Rapture of the Church
- HOW TO DONATE: Click here to view our WayGiver Funding page
When you contribute to this fundraising effort, you are helping us to do what the Lord called us to do. The money you send in goes primarily to the overall daily operations of this site. When people ask for Bibles, we send them out at no charge. When people write in and say how much they would like gospel tracts but cannot afford them, we send them a box at no cost to them for either the tracts or the shipping, no matter where they are in the world. We have a Gospel Billboard program. We are now broadcasting Bible studies, Podcasts and a Sunday Service 5 times a week, thanks to your generous donations. All this is possible because YOU pray for us, YOU support us, and YOU give so we can continue growing.
But whatever you do, don’t do nothing. Time is short and we need your help right now. The Lord has given us an open door with a tremendous ‘course’ for us to fulfill that will create an excellent experience at the Judgement Seat of Christ. Please pray for our efforts, and if the Lord leads you to donate, be as generous as possible. The war is REAL, the battle HOT and the time is SHORT…TO THE FIGHT!!!
“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)
“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB
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