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The faith of Abraham…

16 and said, By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: 17 that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; 18 and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

Genesis 22:16-18

Why is Abraham’s faith so important? Abraham’s faith is important because it marks the beginning in history of the prophetic process of salvation. Although in the epistle to the Hebrews we find the record that there was faith in other men of God who existed before Abraham,[1] their faith not unlike that of Abraham, necessarily, served to establish the Will of God on earth,[2] thus making a difference between them, the sons of God, and the offspring of Cain, a generation eventually known as the ‘sons of men’, from whom eventually arise the ‘daughters of men’.[3]  Note in the story that when the faith of the sons of God —the generation of Seth— was upset by the generational union with the daughters of men,[4] God arranged to destroy by a flood the apostate generation that arose from them; only Noah and his sons were saved to leave testimony to future generations that faith is a bond of communion with God, exclusively.

The faith of Abraham is important because it establishes on earth the value of justification by faith,

this is the difference between the faith of Abraham and the faith of the men of God who preceded him; the apostle Paul addressing the community of faith in Rome, writes to them and emphasizes that Abraham was justified for having believed God;[5]  Thus faith justifies those who act by it, because it magnifies the Truth of the Promise, and to whom it gives it; then, by way of conclusion, the apostle adds, that faith opens up the operation of the Grace of God, which gives life and calls things that are not as they were.[6]

We see, then, that it is not only a matter of believing, but above all, of establishing on earth the value of the Word of God, so that through it others may be enlightened and know the God who is invisible to them.[7]

How is faith in Abraham defined? What we know about Abraham’s faith so far is that faith came about in him by the action of believing that God would make him a ‘father of multitudes’,[8] even though both he and his wife Sarah were old, and even though Sarah was a barren woman.[9]

Thus, in its basic definition, faith is believing in God’s promise, above all, believing even when there are natural impediments that prevent the emergence and development of the promise that God has promised.[10]

However, there are other definitions of greater spiritual transcendence that it is convenient for us to know. Reviewing the situation of Abraham’s life from the moment he received the promise, we observe that faith in Abraham did not only consist in believing God, as a punctual action, it consisted above all in acting according to what had been said about him, that is, that he would be “father of multitudes”, without really being so yet;[11]  The story describes that from the moment he ‘believed’ in the promise of the Lord, Abraham ‘integrated’ a series of amendments to his way of life to ‘accommodate’ God’s promise to his existence; Abraham walked from that moment on not guided by a vision, Abraham lived as if he were already ‘father of multitudes’, this new way of life became the reality of his ‘walk’ in perfection before the Lord.[12]

To that end, Abraham’s acts of splitting a calf, a goat, and a ram in half and walking among them as a sign of the covenant,[13] along with the act of circumcision of the entire male population of his house,[14] the alteration of his name,[15] and other related acts,[16] are evidence of the amendments to his way of being and living that Abraham introduced as part of having ‘believed’ God’s promise.

Thus, it is clear that faith is not a punctual act, and that although it is born from the action of ‘believing’ the Word of God, faith is a transformation of conduct and form of life; no conviction is faith in itself if changes are not implanted in the form of being, faith is then to act according to the Word of promise that has been received.

Faith is a transformation of conduct and form of life; no conviction is faith in itself if changes are not implanted in the form of being, faith is then to act according to the Word of promise that has been received.

20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? …    26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

James 2:20-26

Now, faith, though born in man who believes God’s promise, is not an attribute of human nature; faith is a divine attribute which is implanted in man when he ‘believes’ the Word-Promise,[17] the Spirit of Truth imparts it as a ‘measure’ of action;[18]  and here the apostle Paul’s writing to the community of faith in Rome makes sense, when he said that justification is by faith, so that it may be known that justification is by the Grace of God, in order that each one who works for it may strive in faith to attain the promise of the Word.[19]

Thus, faith is a spiritual virtue that is established as a source of transformation and leads the believer to live according to the Will of God, as it is written, that the righteous shall live by faith.[20]

Thus, faith is not just a tool to ‘enable’ God’s promise, faith does not have an instrumental function; faith is the spiritual resource to live according to God’s Will.[21] Abraham did not see in his time the fulfillment that he would be ‘father of multitudes’, he even had to dismiss the first of his sons, Ishmael, and was almost about to sacrifice Isaac, in whom he had been told that through him he would have the fulfillment of the covenant of promise; nevertheless he did not hesitate to do so, because faith in Abraham did not consist in living by what had been promised to him, it consisted in living by pleasing God, thus establishing the most sublime definition of faith: faith is surrender without reserve, and without demanding to receive anything in return; and precisely because of this his faith, many years later, God himself coined the expression: ‘God of Abraham, God of Isaac and God of Jacob’,[22] Jesus took this fact from Abraham and established by the expression the teaching that he who learns to live by faith lives forever before his Lord.[23]

Faith is the spiritual resource to live according to God’s Will

What else could we add? Faith is an active creed, it is consciousness of life; faith is to live on earth under the principles of life in Heaven, it is to live with the consciousness that we are pilgrims and upstarts on earth,[24] it is to be clear that there is an Almighty God in the Heavens before whom we will arrive one day, but before whom we move all the days of our earthly existence. Faith is a covenant before God, it requires a commitment to live by establishing facts of life according to faith;[25] only he who develops a commitment to life according to faith is the only one who can develop as a believer, the expression of Jesus clearly shows it, No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.[26]

Faith is tried,[27] the purpose of trials to faith is to make sure that he who claims to walk by it is found worthy to be justified by it; if you have faith, strive not to let darkness override it with religious philosophy.

All biblical quotations are taken from the King James Version.

Pastor Pedro Montoya

Twitter: @pastormontoya

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[1]     Hebrews 11:2-7:  2 For by it the elders obtained a good report…    4 By faith Abel…   5By faith Enoch….    7 By faith Noah,….

[2]     Genesis 4:26:  And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the Lord.

[3]     Genesis 6:2: that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.

[4]     Ezra 9:2: For they have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their sons: so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of those lands: yea, the hand of the princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass.

[5]     Romans 4:3: For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

[6]     Romans 4:16-17:  16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all, 17 (as it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.

[7]     Genesis 21:22: And it came to pass at that time, that Abimelech and Phichol the chief captain of his host spake unto Abraham, saying, God is with thee in all that thou doest:

Genesis 23:6: Hear us, my lord: thou art a mighty prince among us: in the choice of our sepulchers bury thy dead; none of us shall withhold from thee his sepulcher, but that thou mayest bury thy dead.

[8]     Genesis 17:4-5: 4 As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. 5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.

[9]     Genesis 11:30: But Sarai was barren; she had no child.

      Genesis 18:11: Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.

[10]   Romans 4:11-16:  11 And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also: 12 and the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised….    16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,

[11]   Genesis 15:5-6:  5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. 6 And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

[12]   Genesis 17:1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.

[13]   Genesis 15:9-17

[14]   Genesis 17:23

[15]   Genesis 17:5

[16]   Genesis 22:1-7

[17]   James 1:18-21:  18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures…   21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.

[18]   Romans 12:3:  For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

[19]   Romans 4:16-20:  16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,….  20 he staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;

[20]   Habakkuk 2:4: Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him:
but the just shall live by his faith.

Romans 1:17: For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

[21]   Genesis 17:1:And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.

[22]   Exodus 3:6: Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.

[23]   Matthew 22:32: I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.

[24]   Hebrews 11:13

[25]   Hebrews 11:6: But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

[26]   Luke 9:62

[27]   James 1:3: knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

1 Peter 1:7: that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

Fight the good fight of faith…

11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. 12 Fight (ἀγωνίζου) the good fight (ἀγῶνα) of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.

1st. Timothy 6:11-12

At first sight, by the use of the word ‘fight’, the expression coined by the Apostle Paul and addressed to Timothy could well be considered as a personal exhortation to raise the level of faith and ministerial authority of Timothy, who, according to the wording of the epistle, seems to be facing difficult times in Ephesus.[1]  We say that at first sight, because when we consider the expression in light of other Gospel teachings, there is no evidence that faith is a weapon of attack, Paul even defines it in his epistle to the Ephesians as a weapon of defense;[2] So, ‘fight the good fight of faith‘ is not a word of advice and/or encouragement from Paul to Timothy, Paul does not intend Timothy to fight anyone, not even against darkness; ‘fight the good fight of faith‘ is rather the exhortation to strive to walk faster than those who are working in tune with darkness, it is to fulfill the ministry for which he was reached.[3]

fight the good fight of faith is the exhortation to strive to walk faster than those who are working in tune with darkness, it is to fulfill the ministry for which he was reached.

Fight, ἀγωνίζου (agonizu) in Greek, was in the time of the New Testament an expression of popular use, and its meaning denotes the action of entering into competition against other runners with the commitment to give the highest performance, is to enter the race willingly with the awareness that it will achieve a winning result; So, in that sense fight, ἀγωνίζου (agonizu), is not to enter the fight against temptations, against sin, or against darkness, it is to acquire the consciousness that it must accelerate the pace, if the city is not to be wrapped up in false doctrine. Paul wants Timothy to see that some people are teaching different doctrine; the demand for Timothy is to strive even more, without truce, to correct those who do such a thing; thence comes a second instruction, Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine… Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.[4]

Fight, ἀγωνίζου (agonizu), is the command not to abandon the task of proclaiming the message of the cross, it is vital to bring people out of ignorance and bring them to Christ Jesus;[5] ‘fight the good fight of faith’ is the race to reach Eternal Life.[6]

Fight, is the command not to abandon the task of proclaiming the message of the cross, it is vital to bring people out of ignorance and bring them to Christ Jesus;

Thus, fight, ἀγωνίζου (agonizu), in general terms, means the conscious ‘effort’ to do according to the Will of God. Fight’ means ‘strive’ to establish the Will of God. The expression used by the apostle reflects an ‘agonizing’ effort, that is to say, an effort carried to the last consequences.  The good fight of faith, then, means the strength born of the knowledge of God’s call that is imposed on all spiritual resistance that seeks to stop the work of faith.

The good fight of faith is the personal decision for the work of God,[7] it is the maximum effort even beyond the limits of self-sacrifice in order to complete the work that was demanded of us by the Spirit.[8]  The good fight of faith overcomes all resistance put up by the kingdom of darkness; the good fight of faith is to understand that nothing and no one can stop the work of the Lord, but understanding, above all, that we are charged with watching over its fulfillment. The good fight of faith demands active participation in the work of God. In the epistle to the Hebrews we find this same exhortation in almost the same words.

3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. 4 Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. 5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:

Hebrews 12:3-5

The good fight of faith is the personal decision for the work of God, it is the maximum effort even beyond the limits of self-sacrifice in order to complete the work that was demanded of us by the Spirit.

The apostle Paul’s exhortation to Timothy can be paraphrased as follows: “Sacrifice yourself to the point of agony in order to win this spiritual battle of faith; on it depends the Eternal Life for which you were called, having borne witness before many witnesses.”

Sacrifice yourself to the point of agony in order to win this spiritual battle of faith; on it depends the Eternal Life for which you were called, having borne witness before many witnesses.

Although the word is the root of the English term ‘agonizing’, in its time, the word was not used to indicate a tragic event, but on the contrary, to reflect determination, firmness, security and commitment to put all the effort into what one does. In the writings of the New Testament it appears a good number of times, and all of them showing this same character of competitive effort:

  • Luke 13:24: Strive (ἀγωνίζεσθε) to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.
  • John 18:36: Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight (ἠγωνίζοντο), that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.
  • 1st. Corinthians 9:25:  And every man that striveth (ἀγωνιζόμενος),  for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.
  • Colossians 1:29:  whereunto I also labour, striving (ἀγωνιζόμενος) according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.
  • Colossians 4:12: Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring (ἀγωνιζόμενος) fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.
  • 1st. Timothy 4:10: For therefore we both labour and suffer (ἀγωνιζόμεθα) reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.
  • 1st. Timothy 6:11-12: Fight (ἀγωνίζου) the good fight (ἀγῶνα) of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.
  • 2nd. Timothy 4:7: I have fought (ἠγώνισμαι) a good fight (ἀγῶνα), I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:

All biblical quotations are taken from the King James Version.

Pastor Pedro Montoya

Twitter: @pastormontoya

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[1]     1st. Timothy 1:3:As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine,

[2]     Ephesians 6:16: above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

[3]     2nd. Timothy 4:5:But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.

[4]     1st. Timothy 4:13-15

[5]     Ephesians 4:18:having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:

[6]     2nd. Timothy 4:7: I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:

[7]     Luke 10:42: but one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

[8]     2nd. Timothy 4:2:preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

Year 2021, get ready to fight… a counterattack is coming

On September 20 of this year, the Lord led me to consider Jonah’s proclamation about Nineveh, particularly about the danger of destruction that was looming over the city, which although it was because of God’s just judgment because of the evil of its very inhabitants, it was an imminent danger because they did not know precisely about its existence.

As I was studying about Jonah’s proclamation, the Lord revealed to me another danger, this time about the danger of destruction that is looming over the United States of America because of all the actions of Peace that have been reached for the benefit of Israel, and for the confirmation of Jerusalem as the capital of the Kingdom, but above all, because the same American people have not understood God’s choice for them at this time. There is a plot from hell to reverse all these efforts, and to try, the Lord pointed out to me that the danger of attack would begin on November 3, that is, the day of the elections. For that date I published the writing: Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown…

So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days’ journey.  And Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown. […]

There are forces of darkness pushing the circumstances and forcing situations to cause stagnation to the prophetic work of the Kingdom on earth, the attack consists not in preventing the fulfillment of prophetic events, but in establishing a ‘delay’ in the time of their fulfillment; the prophetic Word depends on the fulfillment of time to validate itself as God’s work.[1]  A delay in the execution according to the fulfillment of time invalidates the prophetic action, and gives Satan the authority to operate with ‘right’ over the regions and over its inhabitants, for a time equivalent to the time that would have lasted the realization of the prophetic Word; it is understandable now, why the prophets of God are strongly persecuted and attacked,[2] and others are seduced by fame and popularity.[3]

The year 2020 is a year of prudent and foolish virgins, it is the year where the difference of the spiritual condition of each one is established; and we begin to see this with the arrival of the pandemic and the closing of the temples because of the lockdown, many believers were confronted in their faith without being able to understand or explain if this came from God or was a product of the devil.

Donald Trump, called by the prophet Isaiah as ‘the man that executeth my counsel’,[4] acting on God’s instruction, has initiated a process of aligning the nations around Israel, and this, to fulfill the prophetic teaching found in the book of Exodus. Observe the Word that Jehovah-God commissions Moses to deliver to Pharaoh: And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even my firstborn.[5]  The word ‘firstborn’ means the first of many who will come after this one, otherwise it would say, my only son. Israel is seen by God as his firstborn son, which teaches us that ‘other’ nations will arise to unite with Israel, as son nations, and will rise as nations of Righteousness.[6] So the work is just beginning.

According to the text of Isaiah, the appearance of the man of my counsel is subordinate to the appearance of a supernatural sign. The text states that along with the convocation to the man that executes my counsel, Jehovah also calls the bird of prey.

How do we fight this spiritual battle? What should we do? The task that is commissioned to us is a task that is carried out with wisdom; any other strategy will simply not prosper.

The instruction that the Spirit of Truth gives us is, get out of every medium that spreads resistance to the Will of God, repudiate all its arguments and its advertising media.

 Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the Lord.

Isaiah 52:11

My people, go ye out of the midst of her, and deliver ye every man his soul from the fierce anger of the Lord.

Jeremiah 51:45

And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

Revelation 18:4

No one who is contaminated with the spirit of rebellion will be able to fight against what the prophetic Word wants to stop; being contaminated does not necessarily mean being in sin, it means rather, tolerating what God hates and repudiates;[7] it means sympathizing with those who rise up in opposition to the Lord.[8]

My people, go ye out of the midst of her, it means to ‘break’ ties with those who manifestly oppose what God is doing, and/or that stand against those whom God has chosen to do His work.  This time of opposition to Donald Trump, identify those who have joined the plot to remove him, and break ties with them, abandon all your arguments and your advertising media, even if they are social pages. The time we are approaching demands integrity of faith, alliances with darkness blind us.

One more instruction, prepare yourself in the study of the Scriptures to deal with what God wants us to do in this time of darkness that has already begun.[9]  Let me explain, every time has its own emphasis, not every epoch follows the same instruction; this time of pandemic has shown us that God’s demand is not directed to ‘evangelize’ and/or to raise up churches, but many have not understood this, this time is to be kept, it is to be hidden, it is a time of preparation.[10]

The failure of the foolish virgins, according to the parable, was that they believed that all missions are carried out in the same way, they did not consider that there are missions that have their own characteristics, that have contingencies. The foolish virgins were foolish because they could not understand about the times; the times we are living in are prophetic times, they demand precision, they are not carried out according to ecclesiastically developed protocols, they are part of the strange operations[11] that God develops to manifest His Power and establish His Sovereignty over the face of the earth.

Above all, do not neglect your calling; remember that you are light and that God has made you dwell in a place not to enjoy it, but so that from there you may establish the Glory of the Most High through your faith. This time is for establishing faith, do not seek to ‘evangelize’, seek rather to establish faith, conversions will be made by the Spirit of Truth.

All biblical quotations are taken from the King James Version.

Pastor Pedro Montoya

Twitter: @pastormontoya

Chat en WhatsApp

[1]     Daniel 12:9: And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.

Galatians 4:4: but when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,

Ephesians 1:10: that in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:

[2]     1 Kings 18:4: for it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the Lord, that Obadiah took an hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.

[3]     2nd. Peter 2:15: which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;

Jude 1:11: Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.

[4]     Isaiah 46:11: calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it.

[5]     Exodus 4:22

[6]     Zechariah 8:22: Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the Lord.

[7]     2nd. John 9-11: 9 Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. 10 If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: 11 for he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.

[8]     Revelation 2:20: Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.

[9]     Luke 12:37: Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.

[10]   1 Samuel 19:2: But Jonathan Saul’s son delighted much in David: and Jonathan told David, saying, Saul my father seeketh to kill thee: now therefore, I pray thee, take heed to thyself until the morning, and abide in a secret place, and hide thyself:

1 Kings 17:3: Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.

Isaiah 26:20: Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be over past.

Jeremiah 36:19: Then said the princes unto Baruch, Go, hide thee, thou and Jeremiah; and let no man know where ye be.

[11]   Isaiah 28:21: For the Lord shall rise up as in mount Perazim, he shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his strange work; and bring to pass his act, his strange act.

The year 2020, the year of perfect vision

And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.

Luke 8:10

I was remembering that last year, just around this time, at a meeting with several friends of mine, I jokingly asked them: -Do you know what the year 2020 has been called? I remember that they gave me several names; of course, none of them coincided with the answer I had, since it was something I had coined, in a humorous way; at the end I explained that because it was the year 2020, it would be called the year of perfect vision: 20/20 vision. At that moment I presented it as something humorous, an occurrence that came to my mind for the moment.

A couple of days ago the phrase came back to my mind again but this time with a greater seriousness, and for the moment I thought, a year ago at this time, did the phrase really come to me as a momentary occurrence, or was God troubling my spirit about the things we would face?

The year 2020 will go down in history as a year loaded with many upheavals, I have not read any article reporting on what this year meant for humanity, but I think that from someone doing so it will highlight that the year 2020 brought social crisis, economic scarcity and death, among other things. Definitely the year 2020 is a turning point, the history of humanity has taken a turn, the question is, where to? and why?

Of course, these ‘convulsions’ of the year 2020 are forms of evaluation of a journalistic vision; but we men and women of faith are not alarmists, we are not impressed by the adversities, since we know from the Scriptures that God can even ‘reveal’ the sovereignty that He has over the earth and all its inhabitants; so, if the year 2020 has to do with ‘perfect vision’, something more than simple misfortunes God wants us to see; the 20/20 vision has to do with the spiritual and prophetic vision of how God evaluates situations, and how He intends for men and women of faith to evaluate situations.

The year began with some pretty hectic situations, the impeachment of President Donald Trump (January 16 – February 5, 2020); it was followed by the alarming news that we are facing a ‘pandemic’, and that it is producing many deaths (March 11); then, in the summer, the six tropical storms and seven hurricanes that directly hit the United States; the two hurricanes that hit Central America; the upsurge of COVID-19; and now, at the end of the year, a rigged election that, according to many testimonies, there has been a deliberate conspiracy to remove Donald Trump and put in his place a person who, because of the way he chose his cabinet, is the continuity of Barack Obama’s government.

What is all this data telling us? What should we see for it? These data are leading us to understand that there are forces of darkness pushing the circumstances and forcing situations to cause stagnation to the prophetic work of the Kingdom on earth, it is a time of prelude to persecution over the work of faith that will rise in a very subtle way through the media, all to make men and women of faith ‘ashamed’ of their faith in Jesus and the prophetic work; I find that there is a similarity between what happened during this year and the form of oppression and stagnation provoked by Tobias and Sambalat to prevent the Jews from rebuilding Jerusalem upon the return from captivity.[1]  The pandemic brought as a direct consequence that many churches were closed for several months, many ministers were not prepared for such a situation and could not understand the transition process to which God is taking us.

In prophetic matters about the role of nations, the book of Daniel opened the way to understand that nations respond to spiritual powers that seek to establish hegemony over entire regions. The year 2019 ended up showing two nations -USA and China- in a commercial struggle. Why the commercial war between the USA and China, only free trade competition? History has taught us that political power is gained in the field of trade,[2] so whoever dominates the market will dominate their competitors politically and economically.

As for the pandemic, is it really a new viral disease, or a genetic manipulation produced in the laboratories? Why did COVID-19 originate in China but has attacked the rest of the countries in the world more? The ongoing trade war between the U.S. and China, which threatened to stall the trade in Chinese products, was diminished precisely by the emergence of COVID-19. If people in China continue to ingest bats and pangolins, which many believe were the cause of the emergence of COVID-19, why haven’t they continued to be infected as they were when the pandemic began? In recent months, even a Chinese intervention in the November 3 election has come to light.

What will we be exposed to in the next few years? The people of faith must learn to live life in Jesus by faith; relying on a vaccine is not the solution to a crisis of faith.

Why is COVID-19’s rebound? Is it a natural curve? In recent months a global operation with a climate background has come to light, which has nothing to do with COVID-19, but has used the initiative of countries to restore lockdowns, to show the need to ‘reform’ the traditional work lifestyle and maintain the online operations that predominated during the time of the lockdown initially decreed by governments.

The operation is called, ‘the great reset’,[3] because of its English name; its slogan reads: “To reset and shape the future we want”. The people behind this operation are extremely influential people, including many rulers of industrialized countries, but surprisingly, Donald Trump does not support this operation. The upsurge in COVID-19 is unnatural; the governments of several industrialized countries lifted health measures early to ‘expose’ the population to greater contagion, and then forced the reintroduction of lockdowns to extend the online form of work that had been in place since March.

Why do they want to remove Donald Trump from the presidency of the USA? Is there a conspiracy in the world behind all these events? Donald Trump is a threat to this operation ‘green new deal’, it is not just a political party and part of the population that does not tolerate him; Donald Trump got more votes on November 3rd than any other previous president in time for re-election, so it is not for lack of sympathy that they are looking to remove him from the presidency. The operation of November 3rd came about as a plan B of not prevailing impeachment against him, this operation of electoral fraud was planned with enough time; if you check the text in Esther’s book about the conspiracy of Haman son of Amadatha Agageo to exterminate the Jews, you will see that the conspiracy operation was done twelve months in advance.[4]

Where is God in all this? The year 2020 is about to end, and when the clocks of the whole world strike twelve one minutes on December 31st, and we have entered the year 2021, we will begin to see God’s supernatural intervention on all this work of darkness that man has contributed to stop the prophetic advance of the Kingdom on earth, because there is time for everything. All this that is happening worldwide is only a warning of the soon appearance of the Antichrist, and of which many men and women of faith are not prepared to resist.

There is no doubt that the year 2020 has been a different year, but everything that has happened should not go unnoticed, among it, above all, the replacement of Donald Trump; the extraordinary amount of tropical storms and hurricanes that hit the nation during the year should be a warning about what they are exposing themselves to if Donald Trump is removed from the presidency.

Prophetically speaking, the year 2020 is a pivotal year, there is a turn in the way God will be delivering prophetic Revelation as part of the signs of the times, it is not only about ‘natural’ events but, above all, the course of action that will be developing in the nations; the nations of the world will be intervening directly by the hand of God, under this vision should be understood the hurricanes over Central America.

The year 2020 is a year of prudent and foolish virgins,[5] it is the year where the difference of the spiritual condition of each one is established; and we begin to see this with the arrival of the pandemic and the closing of the temples because of the lockdown, many believers were confronted in their faith without being able to understand or explain if this came from God or was a product of the devil. As the fatuous virgins were unable to move on to the next phase of the operation for which they were chosen, many ministries and congregations were left on the road without the option of restructuring.

The month of January will be a month of spiritual upheaval, it will bring much more confusion than what COVID-19 brought about in terms of faith; many will succumb, but others will be affirmed, and this is the work of the Spirit of Truth, that the Word established by the Lord may be fulfilled: Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice.

All biblical quotations are taken from the King James Version.

Pastor Pedro Montoya

Twitter: @pastormontoya

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[1]     Ezra 4:23-24:   23 Now when the copy of king Artaxerxes’ letter was read before Rehum, and Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they went up in haste to Jerusalem unto the Jews, and made them to cease by force and power. 24 Then ceased the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem. So it ceased unto the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

[2]     Revelation 18:23:and the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.

[3]     https://greatreset.com/

[4]     Esther 3:7: In the first month, that is, the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of king Ahasuerus, they cast Pur, that is, the lot, before Haman from day to day, and from month to month, to the twelfth month, that is, the month Adar.

[5]     Mathew 25:1-14

What is life in Christ Jesus?

Life in Christ Jesus is the result of faith, of believing that Jesus of Nazareth is God incarnate and manifested to humanity,[1] to the Jewish people in principle, in order to show by His doctrine and example[2] the way to reconciliation with the Creator.[3]

Life in Christ Jesus is a life of faith, it consists in living on earth observing the principles of life in heaven;[4] it consists in learning not to depend on the resources that derive from self-sufficiency and denial of God, nor to live under the fear originated by the powerlessness of not knowing how to handle adverse circumstances; life in Christ Jesus is a life of rest based on the Word of Salvation that He sends to free us from that which threatens our faith.

Life in Christ Jesus is a life of establishing God’s Will on earth;[5] any other theme or emphasis is just ‘aggregate’ benefits granted by Grace to those who showed the dignity of being called ‘children of God’.

Life in Christ Jesus is a spiritual life, it is a new life brought about by the Spirit of Truth who introduces us into the Body of Christ, by water baptism in His Name;[6] and from there, every ‘born-again’ person becomes a ‘Temple’ of the Holy Spirit,[7] establishing spiritual guidance,[8] deliverance,[9] healing,[10]  and supernatural strength.[11]

Life in Christ Jesus is being hidden in God,[12] is restoration of the image and likeness of god,[13] is God’s righteousness,[14] is Peace and Joy;[15] life in Christ Jesus is to glory even in tribulation.[16]

Life in Christ Jesus is God’s dignity and honor,[17] not that we sought Him, He sought us, and gave Himself up in propitiation for us.[18] Therefore, he who has been called to live the life in Christ Jesus understands and can say with certainty of faith:

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 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 8:35-39

All biblical quotations are taken from the King James Version.

Pastor Pedro Montoya

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Twitter: @pastormontoya

[1] 1st. Timothy 3:16: And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

[2] 1st. Peter 2:21: For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:

[3] Romans 3:23: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

[4] Matthew 16:19: And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

[5] Matthew 6:10:Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

[6] Romans 6:4:Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

[7] 1st. Corinthians 3:16: Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

      1st. Corinthians 6:19: What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

[8] Romans 8:14:For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

[9] Romans 6:22:But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.

      Colossians 1:13:who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

[10] Romans 8:11:But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

[11] Ephesians 1:18-19: 18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,

[12] Colossians 3:3:For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

[13] Romans 13:14: But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

      Ephesians 4:24: and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

[14] Philippians 3:9: and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

[15] Romans 14:17: for the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

[16] Romans 5:3: And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

[17] Matthew 8:8-10: 8 The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. 9 For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. 10 When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.

[18] Galatians 2:20: I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.