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FDA Reverses Its Position On Taking A Daily Aspirin

If you are one of the 40 million Americans who take an aspirin every day, you may want to heed the latest warning from the US Food and Drug Administration

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If you are one of the 40 million Americans who take an aspirin every day, you may want to heed the latest warning from the US Food and Drug Administration

After many decades of promoting aspirin, the FDA now says that if you have not experienced a heart problem, you should not be taking a daily aspirin—even if you have a family history of heart disease. This represents a significant departure from FDA’s prior position on aspirin for the prevention of heart attacks.

On its website, the FDA now says:

“FDA has concluded that the data do not support the use of aspirin as a preventive medication by people who have not had a heart attack, stroke or cardiovascular problems, a use that is called ‘primary prevention.’ In such people, the benefit has not been established but risks — such as dangerous bleeding into the brain or stomach — are still present.”

Their announcement was prompted by Bayer’s request to change its aspirin label to indicate it can help prevent heart attacks in healthy individuals. Aspirin generated $1.27 billion in sales for Bayer last year, and from Bayer’s request, it appears they want everyone to be taking their drug.

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But the FDA says “not so fast”—and rightly so. Evidence in support of using aspirin preventatively has gone from weak to weaker to nonexistent. This is why I’ve been advising against it for more than a decade. It looks as though aspirin, even “low-dose aspirin” (LDA), may do far more harm than good.

In fact, it is debatable whether or not aspirin has ANY protective benefits against cardiovascular disease, even if you have suffered a heart attack or stroke. Recent scientific studies have uncovered a number of serious side effects, suggesting that whatever aspirin may offer may be overshadowed by its risks, especially when safer natural alternatives exist.

As is true for nearly all medications, the longer we watch for side effects, the more we tend to find—even for drugs like aspirin that have been around for more than 100 years. Just because aspirin is an over-the-counter drug and has been around for more than a century does not mean that it’s harmless.

Aspirin May Conceal a Cardiac Event in Progress

Roughly 800,000 Americans die from cardiovascular disease annually, which includes heart attacks and stroke. This is why heart health has been such a major focus, and why aspirin was hailed as a “wonder drug” by those who believed it was a safe and effective preventative. But that ship has sailed.

Nearly 10 years ago, Dr. John G. F. Cleland, a cardiologist from the University of Hull in the UK, wrote an excellent article published in the British Journal of Medicine casting doubt upon the efficacy of aspirin therapy for prevention of heart attacks.

Based on a series of meta-analyses from the Antithrombotic Trialists’ Collaboration, which is an enormous body of research following more than 100,000 patients at high risk for cardiac events, Dr. Cleland concluded that aspirin therapy was not saving lives. Rather, aspirin seems to change the way vascular events present themselves.

The number of non-fatal events may be reduced, but the number of sudden deaths is actually increased, because what most physicians don’t realize is that surprisingly aspirin can mask a cardiac event in progress.

Dr. Cleland also found that studies touting aspirin’s benefits are seriously flawed and interpretation of those studies is biased. Since Cleland’s original study, a deluge of scientific studies have further exposed aspirin’s failure, which I have summarized in the next few sections.

Studies Show Aspirin Is a Dismal Failure at Preventing Heart Attacks

The following table lists, chronologically, a sampling of studies showing that taking aspirin may do more harm than good. Regardless of whether you’re a man, woman, or diabetic, aspirin has failed miserably. This list of studies is not comprehensive. You will find much more information in the GreenMedInfo database, which lists more than 60 articles about aspirin’s toxic effects.

  • American Heart Journal 2004 (WASH) – Patients receiving aspirin treatment showed the worst cardiac outcomes, especially heart failure
  • New England Journal of Medicine 2005 – Ten-year study at Harvard involving nearly 40,000 women found no fewer heart attacks or cardiovascular deaths among women receiving aspirin therapy
  • British Medical Journal 2009 – Aspirin therapy for diabetics produced no benefit in preventing cardiovascular events
  • Pharmacoepidemiological Drug Safety 2009 – Swedish researchers studying individuals with diabetes found no clear benefit for aspirin, but did note it can increase the risk of serious bleeding
  • Journal of the American Medical Association 2010 – Scottish study found that aspirin did not help prevent heart attacks or strokes in healthy, asymptomatic individuals with a high risk of heart disease
  • Journal of the American College of Cardiology 2010 – Patients taking aspirin showed ahigher risk for recurrent heart attack and associated heart problems
  • Expert Opinions in Pharmacotherapy 2010 – British meta-analysis of 7374 diabetics concluded that aspirin does not lower heart attack risk

Aspirin Increases Your Risk of Bleeding

Not only has aspirin failed to reduce the prevalence of heart attacks and strokes, but the list of its adverse effects seems to grow greater the more that it is studied. Chief among these is gastrointestinal bleeding, as aspirin interferes with your platelets—the blood cells that allow your blood to clot. According to one article, long-term low-dose aspirin therapy may double your risk for a gastrointestinal bleed.

Aspirin also increases your risk for a brain bleed, especially if you are older. One study found a high mortality rate for elderly individuals who had been taking aspirin prophylactically when they suffered a head trauma, resulting in deadly brain hemorrhage.

Aspirin Destroys the Lining of Your Gastrointestinal Tract

Regular aspirin use also destroys the lining of your gastrointestinal tract, increasing your risk for duodenal ulcers, H. Pylori infection, Crohn’s disease, diverticular disease, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and intestinal perforations. More than 10 percent of patients taking low-dose aspirin develop gastric ulcers. The damage to your duodenum—the highest part of your intestine into which your stomach contents pass—can result in duodenal ulcers, which are prone to bleeding. Even low-dose aspirin is proven to cause problems.

A Japanese study found a higher incidence of bleeding at the ulcer sites of patients with duodenal ulcers taking low-dose aspirin (LDA) therapy, versus those not taking LDA. An Australian study also showed that aspirin causes gastroduodenal damage even at the low doses used for cardiovascular protection (80mg). And Japanese researchers found that aspirin had caused “small bowel injuries” to 80 percent of study participants after only two weeks of aspirin therapy.

Even MORE Bad News for Bayer

Each year, 15,000 people die and 100,000 people are hospitalized as the result of aspirin and other NSAIDs—and these are probably conservative estimates. But aspirin may be one of the oldest killer drugs! Strong historical evidence points to aspirin overdose as a major contributor to high death tolls during the 1918 influenza pandemic. Aspirin toxicity can result in hemorrhage and fluid buildup in your lungs, which can result in death. If you are interested in the evidence for this, please read Dr. Karen Starko’s fascinating paper in Clinical Infectious Diseases.

Lending even more weight to Starko’s work, an animal study in 2010 suggests that treating the flu with antipyretics (such as aspirin) may increase your risk of death. This study involved animals, but the results were compelling enough for the researchers to make an “urgent call” for human studies. Aspirin also depletes your body of important nutrients, including vitamin C, vitamin E, folic acid, iron, potassium, sodium, and zinc, as well as impairing your melatonin production. And in addition to aspirin’s growing list of bodily assaults, routine aspirin use has been associated with even broader health problems, such as:

  • Increased risk of one type of breast cancer in women (ER/PR-negative)
  • Increased risk of kidney failure
  • Cataractsmacular degeneration, and blindness
  • Hearing loss and tinnitus
  • Erectile dysfunction: Aspirin and other NSAIDs have been linked to a 22 percent increase in your risk of erectile dysfunction (ED), according to Kaiser researchers who studied more than 80,000 men

The Real Key to Protecting Your Heart Is Reducing Chronic Inflammation

Getting back to the subject of your heart, with all of these adverse effects, why risk taking aspirin when there are safer and more effective alternatives? About one in three deaths in the US are attributed to cardiovascular disease—but 25 percent of those are preventable.

The key is to address chronic inflammation, which can be accomplished by making specific lifestyle changes that encompass diet, exercise, sun exposure, and bare skin contact with the earth. In the remainder of this article, I will focus on heart-health strategies that work FAR better than aspirin. For additional information, please refer to our prior article about cardiovascular disease.

Read the rest of this story on Health Impact News…

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CAMP MEETING PREVIEW!! We Are Partnering With Missionaries The Burtons To Open A Bible And Gospel Tract Printing Company In The Philippines

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NTEB and For His Glory Ministries Are Partnering To Open A Bible And Gospel Tract Printing And Distribution Center In The Philippines

The 8th NTEB Old-Fashioned Camp Meeting is officially one month away, and we are soooo excited to see everyone. As you know, our theme this is missions – local and foreign -and will be present a roster of speakers who are actively engaged in missions in these last days. Over the past several months, we have gotten to know and spend time with newlywed couple Mike and Michelle Burton, and we bring you the good news of their surrendering to be boots-on-the-ground missionaires to Angeles City in the Philippines. Not only that, NTEB will be partnering with them and their For His Glory Ministries, to open up a Bible printing facility and evangelization outpost! We just wrapped up a podcast with them, and you can watch it below. We have prayed a long time for the Lord to give us an opening in the Philippines, and now He has in a mighty and incredible way.

“And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us. And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them. ” Acts 16:9 (KJB)

Ever since we started our Free Bible Program, it has been our hearts desire to establish an NTEB base in the Philippines for the distrubution of Bibles in English and Tagalog, as well as gospel tracts and scripture portions. We get thousands of requests per year, and have always wanted to have a facility there. But try as we might, as we prayed for this over the years, the Lord never opened up that door for us, until now that is. Mike and Michelle, along with Philippine national Edgardo Gatchalian, have secured a location in Angeles City where they will not only be living, but will also serve as base of operations for printing Bibles and tracts, as well as a distrubution center. NTEB will be providing them with Bibles and tracts, as well as helping to cover some of the costs of getting their new facility up and running. Please pray about helping us to do this bold and mighty work for the Lord, and if God has prospered you, please click on the donate link to help us. We are going to need to raise right around $25,000 to launch the printing company and help with work on the facility. Come help us!!

HOW TO DONATE: Click here to view our WayGiver Funding page

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

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.

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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 SHORTTO 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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THE PROPHECY NEWS PODCAST: Trump’s War Against Iran Turns To Strategic Defeat As Washington Retreats From ‘Operation Epic Fury’ To An ‘Economic D-Day’

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We Went From ‘Operation Epic Fury’ To An ‘Economic D-Day’ As Donald Trump Desperately Searches For A Victory His War Against Iran Failed To Deliver

The headlines coming out of the Iran war today confirm that Donald Trump’s promised victory has become a strategic defeat unfolding before the entire world. What began in hubris as Operation Epic Fury has sadly morphed into Economic D-Day as Trump’s dreams of an easy victory has turned to dust. After nearly six months of American bombing, Iran is now threatening 46 commercial ships with detention or confiscation, traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has collapsed from more than 130 daily passages to approximately 16, and Tehran is negotiating with Oman over shipping lanes and the collection of transit fees. Trump entered this war promising to obliterate Iran’s nuclear program, dismantle its missile forces, reopen Hormuz and bring the Islamic Republic to its knees. Instead, the regime remains standing, its missiles remain operational, its nuclear ambitions remain unresolved and its control over the world’s most important energy chokepoint is stronger than it was before the first American bomb fell. Iran did not need to defeat the United States on the battlefield; it only needed to survive long enough to expose the limits of American power. Donald Trump has made this war all about him, and that’s exactly how history will remember it. They will say “Trump did this”, and they’ll be right.

“Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” Proverbs 16:18 (KJB)

On this episode of the Prophecy News Podcast, Donald Trump has abandoned the language of imminent military victory and replaced it with Scott Bessent’s ridiculous promise of an “Economic D-Day,” an admission that the bombs never produced the surrender Washington demanded. Iran’s currency is collapsing and its people are suffering terribly, but economic misery is not the decisive American triumph Trump promised. Meanwhile, the Pentagon is diverting so many forces into this expanding Middle East quagmire that a major military exercise with South Korea has reportedly been canceled, weakening American readiness against China and North Korea. The self-proclaimed “president of peace” has spent tens of billions of dollars, wounded hundreds of American service members and killing 18, disrupted the global economy and reduced American military flexibility—only to leave Iran standing defiantly at the gates of Hormuz. Trump may call it maximum pressure, economic warfare or “D-Day,” but the world sees exactly what it is: a desperate attempt to manufacture victory after his war failed to deliver one.

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  • The BIBLE BELIEVERS Sunday Service

Every Sunday morning, from 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM EST, we invite you to join us live and in-person at the Bible Believers Church here inside the Bible Believers Bookstore in Palatka where we lift up the Lord Jesus Christ in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, and preach a message from the pages of the King James Authorized Version Holy Bible. If you’ve been looking for a First Century house church, you’ve found it.

OUR MOST RECENT SUNDAY SERVICE VIDEO: Paul The Apostle, The Ambassador In Bonds


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Every Sunday evening from 6:00 – 8:00 PM EST, we offer an in-depth rightly dividing and dispensationally correct rocket ride through the preserved word of God as found within the pages of the King James Holy Bible. 

  • SUNDAY NIGHT: Our original Sunday Night Radio Bible Study, it’s from 7:00 – 9:00 PM EST, and we have praise, singing, testimony and of 90-minute King James Bible study. All our King James bible study programs are archived here.

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Every Monday Wednesday and Friday afternoons from Noon to 1:30 PM EST, we examine breaking news and current events  in light of bible prophecy. 

  • The Prophecy News Podcast: Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at Noon EST, we review all the latest news and events related to bible prophecy, and examine what is happening in light of what is written. If you miss the live show, all of our Prophecy News Podcast programs are archived here.

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  • “You are truly an end time ministry and I appreciate how our Precious Lord is using you to educate his very own flock. There is a lot of confusion , but your ministry is putting scripture in the right prospective. Thank-you so so much Geoffrey S Grider for standing firm and putting in a lot of hours of your time. God Bless You , also your Ministry and your family. IN JESUS MIGHT NAME.” T. Muto
  • “Jesus. I am now 64 years old and never in all the years I’ve been a Christian was I able to grow in the Lord as much as I have in the last past year. All because of our blessed brother’s work Geoffrey Grider who as the bravery of standing fast forward without fear of claiming the truth of God by the power of his love in Jesus Christ. May God bless you abundantly to the end my dear brother… ROMANS: 8: 36,37,38” Mireille Anderson
  • “I met you at the car dealership earlier this year. We spoke briefly, then you handed me a card and told me to check out the website. You left. A few minutes later, you returned to tell me not to forget to look up the website. I told you…” I already did. I already subscribed.” In that short time we spoke, I experienced from you…a total stranger…peace, joy, kindness, gentleness, compassion, and love. I am convinced that God sent you to share the Good News that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior. For that, and for the work you are doing for the Kingdom of God, I say…Thank you and God Bless You.” Sonia Merced
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  • “You and your organization are on the front lines in the Battle For Truth…. current events, end times, and trying to awaken a sleeping Laodicean Church. Thank you brother for fighting for us and all your teaching and insight God bless…” Daniel Cartrette
  • I just want to thank you for the teachings you give every Sunday night on radio.  You are such a blessing to me. I absolutely love your way of teaching the scriptures.  I don’t have a church where I can have fellowship and teaching, so you have been my teacher for many months now. Thanks God you are there for all of us who have no church to go to.  I pray that the Lord will bless you abundantly in your ministry, and your loved ones too.  You are such a blessing to me, and many others, in these last days before the rapture.  Thank you so much Geoffrey, from the bottom of my heart. May the Lord keep you, until He comes back for us. You are in my prayers.” Donald Godin
  • “Thank you for the work  you are doing brother.  Your page and your testimony were a blessing to me this morning as I came across it for the first time.  Thank you for the reality of your testimony and what God has done for you in introducing you to Jesus our Lord.  God has brought me, in salvation, to Himself as well, through His love and mercy and grace in salvation.  How can we praise Him enough?  How can we not share this good news!?  I pray this day for God’s blessing on your ministry that He may save many souls through the work He has called you to.  Isaiah 40:31 (KJV)” Mark and Melissa
  • “Love the Sunday night bible study. I want to support someone who has the passion for the lost like Geoffrey does and rightly divides the word of God. God bless you.” Teresa Carey
  • “I give because not many news outlets are brave enough or Godly enough to tell these stories from a Christian’s point of view. I see stories here that will not be seen anywhere else.” William Grayshaw
  • “It’s hard to find solid biblical teaching in America these days. It’s a blessing to be able to take part in a ministry financially without being concerned about false teaching. All glory to God! God bless!” Maximilian Swan
  • “I donate because you are reporting the truth about the increasing wickedness of our time, as God’s word foretold. In so doing we are reminded to “Keep looking up” as we wait in joyful hope for the Lord’s coming, Maranatha! ” Anthony Sloane
  • “Geoffrey has the best End Times News out there. I have been receiving his emails for years now and always enjoy his Sunday night messages although I don’t always think exactly as he thinks. We are all in this “boat of life” together and as I come to the end of my life’s journey here, I am more aware of Jesus’s call for us to be one as He and the Father are One.” Deborah Cleaveland

STREET-TESTED NTEB GOSPEL TRACTS:

This is the official gospel tract of NTEB, used here on the streets of Saint Augustine and sent around the world as they are purchased through our website. We ask you to prayerfully consider supporting the work of Now The End Begins by purchasing a box of these full-color, high-quality gospel tracts. Thank you in advance!

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 SHORTTO 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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THE BIBLE BELIEVERS SUNDAY SERVICE: Paul The Prisoner, The Ambassador In Bonds

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The Ambassador In Bonds: Paul’s Roman Chains Became A Platform For Preaching The Gospel Of The Grace Of God To Gentiles, Jews And Kings

Paul did not call himself the prisoner of Rome, the prisoner of Caesar or the victim of an unjust legal system; he called himself “the prisoner of Jesus Christ” and an “ambassador in bonds.” Rome may have forged the chain, but God determined what the chain would accomplish. Paul’s imprisonment carried the gospel into palaces, courtrooms, military barracks and prison cells that might otherwise have remained closed to him. He did not ask the Church merely to pray that his chains would fall off; he asked for utterance and boldness so that he could continue preaching while wearing them. That is the testimony believers desperately need in 2026—a faith that does not collapse when it becomes uncomfortable, unpopular or costly. We do not seek persecution, but neither do we soften the gospel, conceal our convictions or surrender our testimony merely to escape the consequences of standing for Jesus Christ.

“For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,” Ephesians 3:1 (KJB)

Every born-again believer is an ambassador stationed inside a foreign and increasingly hostile world, and an ambassador has no authority to rewrite the message of his King. The pressure may presently come through ridicule, censorship, lost opportunities, broken relationships or accusations of hatred and extremism, but Paul’s example teaches us that the commission remains in force even when the ambassador is bound. Governments can imprison the preacher, corporations can remove the platform, and men can confiscate the Bible, but “the word of God is not bound.” The defining question for the Church in these last days is not whether we can preserve our comfort, popularity and safety; it is whether we will remain faithful when those things are threatened. We do not seek the chains, but neither will we abandon the testimony to avoid them, the ambassador may be bound, but the word of God remains forever free. On this Sunday Service, come meet Paul the prisoner, the ambassador in bonds.

The Bible Believers Sunday Service: Paul The Prisoner, The Ambassador In Bonds

Paul The Prisoner, The Ambassador In Bonds

The Lord Jesus began His earthly ministry with this Bible verse showing His connection with the captive and the prisoner:

“And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.” Luke 4:16-20 (KJB)

I. The Position of the Ambassador

“Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.” 2 Corinthians 5:20 (KJB)

  • An ambassador represents another ruler

An ambassador does not speak on his own authority. He delivers the message entrusted to him by his king.

Ambassador: “A minister of the highest rank employed by one prince or state, at the court of another, to manage the public concerns of his own prince or state, and representing the power and dignity of his sovereign” – Webster’s 1828

  • An ambassador lives in foreign territory

The Christian’s citizenship is in heaven, although he presently lives and serves in this world.

“For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:” Philippians 3:20, (KJB)

  • An ambassador cannot rewrite the King’s message

The world may dislike the gospel, but we have no authority to alter it. Our message remains:

  • Christ died for our sins.
  • Christ was buried.
  • Christ rose again.
  • Lost sinners must be reconciled to God.
  • Salvation is by grace through faith, apart from works.

Application

We are not called to make the gospel acceptable to the world. We are called to make the gospel known to the world. We are called to reconcile lost sinners to Jesus Christ. Paul says we have been given the ministry of reconciliation, that’s the mandate for every born again believer.

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.” 2 Corinthians 5:17-20 (KJB)

II. The Prisoner of Jesus Christ

“For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,” Ephesians 3:1 (KJB)

“I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,” Ephesians 4:1 (KJB)

  • Rome supplied the prison

Human rulers arrested Paul, Roman soldiers guarded him, and earthly authorities placed him in chains.

  • Jesus Christ controlled the purpose

Paul did not primarily call himself Caesar’s prisoner. He called himself “the prisoner of Jesus Christ.”

Caesar controlled the prison door, but Jesus Christ controlled Paul’s ministry.

  • Paul saw the Hand of God inside his problems

Paul understood that nothing could enter his life without passing through the permissive will of God.

“But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel;” Philippians 1:12, (KJB)

Application

Instead of asking only, “Lord, how can I escape this?” we should also ask, “Lord, how can Christ be magnified through me while I am here?”

III. The Bonds of the Gospel

“For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.” Ephesians 6:20 (KJB)

  • Paul was bound because of the message

Paul was not imprisoned for committing crimes. He was imprisoned because he preached the truth concerning Jesus Christ.

“For this cause therefore have I called for you, to see you, and to speak with you: because that for the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain.” Acts 28:20 (KJB)

  • Paul’s chains identified him with Christ

Paul was willing to bear reproach because the Lord Jesus Christ had first suffered for him.

  • Paul’s chains proved the value he placed upon the testimony

Anyone can speak when speaking costs nothing. Paul continued speaking when the gospel cost him his liberty.

Application

The believer must decide what the testimony of Jesus Christ is worth before persecution comes. Convictions formed under pressure are usually convictions surrendered under pressure.

IV. The Boldness of the Prisoner

“And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,Ephesians 6:19 (KJB)

  • Paul did not ask primarily for release

Paul asked believers to pray for his preaching—not merely for his escape.

  • Paul did not ask for an easier message

He asked for boldness to deliver the message God had already given him.

  • Paul understood that courage comes from God

Even the apostle Paul requested prayer. Boldness is not natural personality, religious aggression or political bravado. Biblical boldness is the power to speak God’s truth clearly when silence would be easier.

Application

Our prayer in 2026 should not merely be, “Lord, keep me from trouble.” It should be, “Lord, give me utterance and boldness if, and when, the trouble comes.”

V. The Furtherance of the Gospel

“So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places;” Philippians 1:13 (KJB)

  • Paul’s imprisonment opened new doors

His chains carried the gospel into the Roman palace and before governors, rulers, soldiers and kings.

  • Paul’s courage strengthened other believers

“And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.” Philippians 1:14 (KJB)

Paul’s imprisonment did not silence the Church. His courage made other believers bolder.

  • Paul’s suffering produced lasting fruit

Some of the greatest books in the New Testament were written while Paul was imprisoned. Rome restricted Paul’s movements, but it could not stop his ministry.

Application

God can use one believer’s faithful suffering to strengthen an entire congregation. People are watching how we respond when obedience becomes costly.

VI. The Word That Cannot Be Bound

“Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel: Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds; but the word of God is not bound. Therefore I endure all things for the elect’s sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him:” 2 Timothy 2:8-11 (KJB)

  • The preacher can be imprisoned
  • The Bible can be confiscated
  • The meeting place can be closed
  • The believer can be censored
  • But the word of God cannot be bound

Governments may regulate preaching. Employers may threaten jobs. Technology companies may remove accounts. Families may reject faithful believers. Prisons may confiscate a man’s possessions. But once the word of God enters a heart, no earthly chain can stop its work. This is why our Bibles Behind Bars ministry is so very necessary and vital.

Application

We must never measure the power of the gospel by the freedom of its messenger. God’s word remains powerful even when His messenger is suffering.

“If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.” John 15:18 (KJB)

“But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask: can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? And they said unto him, We can. And Jesus said unto them, Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of; and with the baptism that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized:” Mark 10:38,39 (KJB)

VII. The Pattern Believers Must Follow

“Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.” 1 Corinthians 4:16 (KJB)

“Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 11:1 (KJB)

“Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.” Philippians 3:17 (KJB)

FUN FACT: In the King James Bible, we see Paul calling ALL believers to “follow him” as he walks out and lives out the Christian life. Next to Jesus Himself, Paul is the only apostle who commands believers to follow his example. But in all modern versions including the New King James Bible, that command is changed from “following” Paul to “imitating” Paul. That’s not right!

  • Therefore I urge you to imitate me. – NIV
  • I urge you, then, be imitators of me. – ESV
  • Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me. – LSB
  • Therefore I urge you, imitate me. – NKJV

Born again believers follow Paul as he follows Jesus, but it is the satanic counterfeits designed to deceive that call people to imitate Christ. The Antichrist is nothing more than an imitation, counterfeit Jesus. The modern version “bibles” are also a satanic counterfeit.

Following Paul does not mean that every Christian must deliberately seek imprisonment. Paul did not seek chains; he simply refused to abandon the truth in order to avoid them.

“This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.” 1 Timothy 1:15,16 (KJB)

We follow Paul by:

  1. Knowing Whom we represent, the Lord Jesus.
  2. Remaining faithful to the gospel committed to us.
  3. Refusing to be ashamed of Jesus Christ.
  4. Accepting the possible cost of biblical conviction.
  5. Using every circumstance to advance the gospel.
  6. Praying for boldness when opposition comes.
  7. Remembering that the word of God is not bound.

Practical Application for Believers in 2026

The pressure upon believers may begin with ridicule, censorship, social rejection, professional consequences and accusations of hatred or extremism. In some places, it may eventually become legal persecution or physical imprisonment.

We must distinguish between suffering for Christ and suffering for our own foolishness. Not every controversy is persecution, and not every arrest makes someone an “ambassador in bonds.” Paul suffered because he faithfully preached the gospel and refused to deny the truth.

“Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;” 2 Timothy 1:8 (KJB)

Closing Challenge

Paul’s testimony forces every believer to answer three questions:

  1. Do I understand that I am Christ’s ambassador in a foreign country?
  2. Is the testimony of Jesus Christ worth more to me than acceptance, comfort and personal security?
  3. Will I continue speaking if faithfulness brings consequences?

The ambassador does not determine the message. The foreign country does not determine the message. The King determines the message. We do not seek the chains, but neither do we surrender the testimony to avoid them. The ambassador may be bound, but the word of God is not bound.

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

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.

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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 SHORTTO 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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