“We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. Wherefore we labor, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.”

2 Corinthians 5:8-10

Did you know the Bible tells us clearly there are actually two very different and separate “judgements” for all people of all time? One is called the Judgement Seat of Jesus Christ (aka the Bema Seat of Jesus). The other is known as the Great White Throne Judgement of God. Every single human being ever born throughout history will stand before one or the other. For our eternal sake, they are VERY different! They happen at different times and have very different results! As I have said on numerous occasions, depending on our belief or not in Jesus Christ, we will be rewarded standing in front of one or judged standing in front of the other.

“Every man’s work shall be manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss; but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.”

1 Corinthians 3:13-15

The very first judgement which will occur will be right after the Rapture of the True Believers in Jesus Christ. Both “…the dead in Christ”, as well as “…we which are alive” will join Jesus in Heaven. This is not a judgement resulting in punishment but instead is one that will determine our Promised destiny of spending eternity with Jesus in Heaven. Due to our Christian belief that He died for our sins, we will instead be rewarded for what we did with His many Gifts to us. Our earthly works may be lost, but we “…shall be saved.” You see, the ultimate judgement of our sins were paid for when Jesus died on the cross. By believing in Him and accepting His gift of salvation, our sins have already been judged. All that is left is to be rewarded for what we have done as a Christian Believer. The Judgement Seat of Jesus does not judge our sins! Rather, it rewards us for our lives in following Him:

“For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, WE ARE THE LORD’S (capitals mine). For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living. But why dost thou (you) judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all (Believers) stand before the JUDGEMENT SEAT OF CHRIST (capitals mine). For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.”

Romans 14:8-12

While we will be “judged”, a few of the things we may be judged on are how well we obeyed the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20); the level of victory we had over our sins (Romans 6:1-4); and, did we self-control the way we spoke (James 3:1-9). More importantly, since we will be standing in front of the Judgement Seat of Jesus, we already know we will be spending eternity with Him in Heaven. This judgement instead is to reward us with various crowns for our achievements during life as Christians. Those crowns are described as:

•  The Imperishable Crown (2 Timothy 2:5)
•  The Crown of Rejoicing (2 Timothy 4:8)
•  The Crown of Righteousness (James 1:12)
•  The Crown of Glory (1 Peter 5:4)
•  The Crown of Life (Revelation 2:10)

The bottom line is for those who Believe in Jesus and have accepted His Sacrifice for our sins and were faithful to Him, there will be NO punishment, only a reward of Crowns given to us by Him!

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.”

Romans 8:1-2

And, just like the twenty four elders in Heaven we are told about in Revelation 4:10-11, my bet is we will ALL gladly follow suit in their response to God!

“The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, AND CAST THEIR CROWNS (capitals mine) before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”

Only God deserves the honor and glory for sending His only Begotten Son Jesus Christ to die for our sins giving us the opportunity by accepting Him to spend eternity with Him in Heaven. Because of our sinful nature, we don’t deserve that! Any crown I receive I will gladly give back to Him!

So, what if we don’t believe in Jesus and we never accepted Him as our personal Savior? It’s not pretty! Now there will be a different Judgement and this is not by Jesus but by God Himself in what is known as the Great White Throne Judgement. This will be after Jesus’s Millennium (1,000 year) Reign of Righteousness on the earth (where we Believers will also be reigning with Him). Satan will have been cast into hell (where he will meet up with his buddies the anti-christ and the false prophet). The old earth and the old heavens will have been destroyed by God in preparation for the new earth and new Heaven which will then exist 100% sinless for eternity.

“And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God: and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those  things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. AND WHOSOEVER WAS NOT FOUND IN THE BOOK OF LIFE WAS CAST INTO THE LAKE OF FIRE (capitals mine).”

Revelation 20:11-15

If you don’t believe in Jesus and that He died for your sins, your name WILL NOT be found in the Book of Life and you will be judged and have to rely only on your works while alive on earth. But as the Bible also tells us “All men have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”, and therefore since the “…wages of sin are death”, there is no appeal of your punishment or second chance at any time. You may have been a nice person, but your sins have never been forgiven. You therefore will experience “…the second death” and will be sent to hell forever.

As bleak as this may seem, we have all been given free choice. Remember what we were also told in John 3:16? “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” That choice simply is we can either accept Jesus’s Gift of Salvation and live faithfully by His Commandments or we can elect to not believe in Him and hope our earthly works are good enough to offset our sins and the resulting punishment. They are not! To me, it is very comforting to know and to believe in the gift  Jesus personally has given us to make the right choice and to accept Him as our Lord and Savior. I know many will think this condemnation by a Loving God may seem unjust but He gave us the ability to decide for ourselves and gave us the knowledge of what is required to stand before the Judgement Seat of Jesus and not the Great White Throne Judgement of God. If you agree and know anyone, friends, family or acquaintances that don’t believe, PLEASE let them know what Jesus told us all:

“I come quickly and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.”

Revelation 22:12

If you do as we also have been instructed by Jesus to do, and that is to “…therefore comfort one another with these words:” you will hopefully one day meet up with them in Heaven. Remember, these are not my words! These are the Word’s of God! Trust always in Him and I will see you at the Judgement Seat of Jesus!

May God Bless you!

So, I had to find out what it said about this slogan. Interestingly, Wikipedia says “The word seclorum does not mean “secular”, as one might assume, but is the genitive (possessive) plural form of the word saeculum, meaning (in this context) GENERATION, CENTURY OR AGE.” While Charles Thomson, who helped design the bill, intended it to mean “A new order of the ages”, today we definitely can see how a “new world order” pertains to today’s global, one world mind-set. And, when it was printed it meant in this GENERATION, CENTURY OR AGE!

What is a one world mind set? As liberal financier George Soros infamously said, “The single greatest deterrent to world peace is the United States of America.” What he was saying is that as long as you have a single country with its own values, economy, freedom, etc., you simply cannot have a unified world. The Bible is VERY clear that in the last days we WILL have a one world government; a one world economy; and, a one world religion:

One World Government:

“The beast (Satan) was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise its AUTHORITY (capitals mine) for forty-two months (time period after the abomination of desolation in the 3rd rebuilt Temple until the return of Christ at Armageddon). It opened its mouth to blaspheme God and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. It was given power to wage war against God’s holy people and to CONQUER (capitals mine) them. And it was given AUTHORITY (capitals mine) over every tribe, people, language and NATIONS (capitals mine). All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast (Satan) – all whose names HAVE NOT (capitals mine) been written in the Lamb’s book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world.”

Revelation 13:5-8

One World Economy:

“And he (Satan) causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the numbers of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six (666)”.

Revelation 13:16-18

One World Religion:

“At that time if anyone says to you ‘Look, here is the Messiah! or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false messiahs (Satan) and false prophets (THE false prophet who with Satan will be defeated by Christ at Armageddon and will be bound for 1,000 years) will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See I have told you ahead of time.”

Matthew 24:23-24

These quotes from the Bible, as well as many, many more point to a single period in the last 42 months of this world prior to the return of Christ at Armageddon when Satan will be allowed to rule the world. He can only do this if he controls the government, the economy, and the religion. Any of these with diverging views would be a deterrent and restrict his idea of an autocratic rule. I will cover the False Prophet in a future post but basically, he is the anti-Christ’s right-hand man (or woman) that will merge all the religions of the world into one, that being the worship of the anti-Christ! This is the famed “abomination of desolation” spoken of in Daniel 11:31, “His armed forces will rise up to desecrate the (rebuilt) temple fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice. Then they will set up the abomination that causeth desolation (a “statue of the anti-Christ, demanding that he now be worshipped as God).”

Since I had Wikipedia open, I thought it might be interesting to see what else happened in 1935 in addition to the printing on the US $1 bill the slogan “new world order”:

• The Italian colonies of Tripoli and Cyrenaica are joined together as Libya. (one of the 6 countries that will invade Israel in the War of Gog and Magog – see previous post)
• Iceland legalizes abortion on medical grounds (millions of innocent children are aborted every year throughout the world, a sign of moral degradation relatively new in history)
• In Nazi Germany, Adolf Hitler orders reinstatement of the air force, the Luftwaffe in violation of the 1919 Treaty of Versailles (this started the beginning of WWII and the desire to eradicate the Jews but which eventually led to the re-creation of the United Nations from the failed League of Nations and the rebirth of the nation of Israel).
• Adolf Hitler announces German re-armament in violation of the 1919 Treaty of Versailles (like above, a precursor to WWII).
• Persia is renamed Iran (another one of the 6 countries invading Israel in the upcoming War of Gog and Magog – see previous post).
• In Nazi Germany, Adolf Hitler announces the reintroduction of conscription to the Wehrmacht in violation of the 1919 Treaty of Versailles (see above regarding WWII).
• United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the Social Security Act into law (while sold as a social entitlement, it has in fact become a way to gather information on all people and to redistribute wealth).
• The Nuremberg Laws go into effect in Germany, removing citizenship from Jews (Wow! Another move towards WWII and the Final Solution).
• A dozen labor leaders come together to announce the creation of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO), an organization charged with pushing the cause for industrial unionism in North America (another move to create a unified economy)
• Lectorium Rosicrucianism is founded as a new religious movement which considered itself a worldwide school of esoteric Christianity. It was founded by Dutch mystics Jan van Rijckenborgh, his brother Zwier Willem Leene and Catharose de Petri. The school teaches a form of modern Christian Gnosticism and is based upon the ideas and imagery of Rosicrucianism (which advocated a “Universal Reformation of Mankind”), the beliefs of the Cathars (whose beliefs are believed to have been brought from Persia (Iran!!!) or the Byzantine Empire (western Europe headquartered in Constantinople, today’s Turkey!!!) and other forms of religio-mystical thought such as Hermeticism (a doctrine that affirms the existence of a SINGLE, TRUE THEOLOGY that is present in ALL religions that was given by God to man in antiquity) and Alchemy.

Wow! Who would have thought a move by the US in 1935 to put a 153-year-old design on the most common paper currency would have so many other signs of end times prophecies? Now, since “…no many will know the hour or the day, not the angels in heaven, but the Father only.” I am NOT saying this will happen today BUT, as the Bible says, “…the generation will know.” when we see those things happening now that were previously prophesied, “…know that the end is near”.

In the USA today, as we near our next election, there appears to be a more favorable view of government led control over everything, aka socialism/communism, which is gaining favorability amongst many. If the movement continues it may very well be the forerunner of more Bible prophecies coming to fulfillment!

Should we be afraid? Absolutely not! Because we know God’s plan is for those that have accepted Christ as their Savior and have asked Him for forgiveness of their sins. We should only worry about those friends and family that have not yet found Christ. We must all tell them about His Promise FOR THEM as well and it is with this hope that we ALL can “…therefore comfort one another with these words.”

God Bless you, your friends and family!

Have you ever noticed when the Bible mentions, for example, the number 40, it ALWAYS relates to something bad? It rained in the days of Noah for 40 days and 40 nights (Genesis 7:4); the Jews wandered in the wilderness for 40 years (Numbers 14:23); Jesus wandered in the wilderness for 40 days (Luke 4:1-2); etc. Never does the Bible refer to the REALLY GREAT 40 days or 40 years! How about the number 7? It always relates to the number 7 as being THE number of completion, as when God created the earth and on the SEVENTH day, He rested (because it was complete!). In a later post I will relate to you in much greater detail how numbers play a significant role in the Bible and in prophecy. God is perfect! This means His numbers are perfect!

A very dear, longtime friend of mine sent me an email today with the statement below. It immediately reminded me of numbers, their perfection and how the Bible ALWAYS is consistent in their meanings. I did a quick fact check on some of the statements and discovered they are accurate! I hope you are amazed as I continuously am at the incredible and miraculous perfection of God!

When GOD solves our problems,
we have faith in HIS abilities.
When GOD doesn’t solve our problems,
HE has faith in our abilities.

One may observe God’s accuracy
in the hatching of eggs. . . 
·      those of the canary in 14 days;
·      those of the barnyard hen in 21 days;
·      eggs of ducks and geese in 28 days;
·      those of the mallard in 35 days;
the eggs of the parrot and the ostrich hatch in 42 days.

(NOTICE, THEY ARE ALL DIVISIBLE BY SEVEN,
THE NUMBER OF DAYS IN A WEEK!)

See God’s wisdom in the making of an ELEPHANT. . .
The four legs of this great beast all bend forward in the same direction. No other quadruped is so made.
God planned that this animal would have a huge body
– too large to live on two legs.
For this reason
·      He gave it four fulcrums so that it
can rise from the ground easily.

·      The HORSE rises from the ground on its two front legs first.
·        A COW rises from the ground with its two hind legs first.

HOW WISE THE LORD IS IN ALL HIS WORKS OF CREATION!

Each Watermelon has an even number of stripes on the rind.
·        Each Orange has an even number of segments
·        Each Ear Of Corn has an even number of rows.
·        Each Stalk Of Wheat has an even number of grains.
·      Every Bunch Of Bananas has on its lowest row
an even number of bananas,
and each row decreases by one,
so that one row has an even number
and the next row an odd number.

AMAZING! THERE’S MORE…

The waves of the sea roll in on shore
twenty-six to the minute in all kinds of weather.
All grains are found in even numbers on the stalks.
God has caused the flowers to blossom at certain
specified times during the day.
Linnaeus, the great botanist, once said that if he had
a conservatory containing the right kind of soil,
moisture, and temperature,
he could tell the time of day or night by the flowers
that were open
and those that were closed.

The lives of each of us may be ordered by the Lord in a beautiful way for His glory, if we will only entrust Him with our lives. If we try to regulate our own lives, we will have only mess and failure. Only God, who made our brains and hearts, can successfully guide them to a profitable end.

When you
carry the Bible, Satan has a headache;

When you
open it, he collapses.

When he
sees you reading it, he loses his strength, and

When you
stand on the Word of God, Satan can’t hurt you!

And did you also know…
…that when you are about to forward this email to others,
the devil will probably try to discourage you,
but do it anyway.

LIFE WITHOUT GOD IS LIKE
AN UNSHARPENED PENCIL –

IT HAS NO POINT.

I pray God bless you in ways you never even dreamed. I didn’t think twice about forwarding this one on and I hope you don’t, either.

Pass on the blessings to “…therefore comfort one another with these words.”!!

“And AFTER THESE THINGS (capitals mine) I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honor, and power, unto the Lord our God:”

Revelation 19:1

After what things? ALL the things God told us would happen before Christ’s return to reign on this earth! Interestingly, if you search the phrase “…after these things”, you will see those words in that exact alignment are listed 24 times in the Bible. The first time is in Genesis 15:1:

“AFTER THESE THINGS (capitals mine) the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not Abram” I (am) thy shield, (and) thy exceeding great reward.”

One example, in Genesis 13 God Promised the Land of Israel to Abraham. Then in Genesis 14 Abraham and a small group of his men (318) went out at night and retook the land as well as the “goods” originally taken from Abraham’s family. In Genesis 15, Abraham asked God for a family to fulfil His commitment to make of Abraham’s descendants a great nation even though Abraham at that time had no children. I explained in Ishmael and Isaac – Two Brothers from different Mothers are shaping today’s world! how God ultimately fulfilled His Promise to Abraham “…after these things.”

The last time they are used is in the last book of the Bible, as quoted in the opening Scripture above. What struck me when reading these verses was their placement in the first and last books of the Bible.  As the phrase started to unravel, I became aware of the individual meanings of each word and how they then connect in importance to Bible prophecy. The same meaning holds true throughout the Bible in each of the 24 usages of this phrase:

1. AFTER – This appears to indicate the next thing to be revealed must occur soon after the previous events have already happened. In other words, what is about to be told to us will only occur AFTER the previous events have become known to the audience God is speaking to.
2. THESE – Again, I believe God is very specific in telling us what is going to happen and when He refers to THESE, He is simply telling us what has already happened in the past. Now this could mean things which already occurred in the Old Testament or things yet to occur in the days, weeks or years ahead. By using the word THESE, I believe He is being very specific so we will know the timeline for future prophecies and be watching for them.
3. THINGS – We can take numerous meanings for the word THINGS when used in the context in which the phrase is used. First, because He says THINGS, I take that to mean multiple, not singular, events. Otherwise, it would be simple if it was just one event to say “thing”, but by saying THINGS that tells me we will see more than one thing. Of course, the more THINGS which have been shown to have occurred increases the inherent validity of the prophecy.

Now, I know this may seem basic by reading “…after these things” but in the context of Bible prophecy, they not only may validate past prophecies now fulfilled but then goes on to tell us what is coming next. By studying the Bible in its entirety, we are then able to chronologically validate what God has told us will happen, has happened and what is next. He wants us to know!

“Surely the sovereign Lord does nothing WITHOUT (capitals mine) revealing His plan to His servants the prophets.”

Amos 3:7

All we ever need to know has been told us in the Bible. First and foremost, we were told a Saviour would be born and would die as the perfect sacrifice for our sins. If you agree and accept Jesus Christ as your Saviour and that he fulfilled every prophecy made about His future coming and death for us (Isaiah 53), ask Him to forgive our sins, we will spend eternity with Him in Heaven. Secondly, the Bible gives us prophecies whose fulfillments and future occurrences accuracy are beyond believable statistical possibility to us should give us reason to believe all the Bible teaches us. Knowing this comforts me daily and is why I attempt to do what Jesus told us all to do, and that is to “…therefore comfort one another with these words.”

At some time in the near future, we will no longer hear what comes “…after these things” but rather will hear the judgement of our eternal punishment in hell for not accepting Jesus or our eternal reward with Jesus Christ in Heaven forever! I bet you know what I am waiting for!

“Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb (Jesus) is come, and his wife (the Church) hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white; for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb, And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.”

Revelation 19:7-9

Lately, I have been very intrigued by the various aspects of ancient Jewish wedding traditions and how they correlate to the prophecies God made and the events regarding the future return of Jesus. The more I researched the ancient Jewish wedding timeline, the more convinced I became that God used this event to tell us about His future plan for the world. In order to explain this, I thought it easiest to highlight the various stages of the Jewish wedding; what leads up to it; what does it entail; and, what does it mean for those of us living today.

The Engagement of the Bride and Groom

In ancient times, the father of the bride would make public the fact his daughter was now “available” for marriage. This typically happened when the future bride was in her early teenage years. The father of the young man, soon to be the groom, would personally select who his son would marry. Together, they would travel to the bride’s home to allow the future bride and groom to meet.

Please note, at this time the groom was still living in his father’s house. Most importantly, the groom’s father would offer a dowry to the bride’s father to gain his acceptance of their offer of marriage. At that time, not only the bride’s father, but also the future bride needed to accept the father of the groom and the groom’s offer in order for the wedding agreement to move forward. Once both parties accepted the offer by having a glass of wine, the bride and groom were officially betrothed, and were legally considered married. But, the marriage had not yet been physically consumated. I believe John 3:16 very adequately explains the dowry, or price, God, through Jesus Christ, paid for His bride, the Church. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Only through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ paying the dowry, the price of pardon, for our sins can we become “married” to Him for eternity!

The Groom Left His Bride to Build a Home

At this time the son, aka the future groom, still lived at home with his parents. It was very unusual for the newly married bride and groom to go off and live by themselves. In fact, we have a very clear picture of this when God told Abram (Abraham) to leave his father’s house in Genesis 12:1, “Now the LORD said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, AND FROM THY FATHER’S HOUSE (capitals mine), unto a land that I will shew thee:” Obviously even though Abram was married to Sara, they still lived with his father. But back to the wedding timeline:

Instead the groom left his bride with her parents in order to go back to his father’s house and build a room for them to live in. As Jesus said in John 14:2-3, “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” Like the groom, Jesus went to prepare a place for His Bride, the Church. When it is completed, He will Return for His Bride!

Candidly, I don’t know if this was only one room or whether it had other rooms included. But I do know it was part of his father’s house. Also, at the beginning of the building process, no one knew exactly how long it would take to build this new home although tradition usually expected about one year. As Jesus answered in Mathew 24:36 regarding when He would Return, “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.” Remember, the groom could only return to get his bride WITH THE CONSENT OF HIS FATHER when the house construction was completed!

The Bride needed to be Prepared for His Return

In the meantime, the bride only knew she must be prepared for the moment when the groom would return. She did not know the day or hour of his return. Sound familiar? She would be made aware of his coming based solely upon the groom blowing a shofar (trumpet) and shouts along with his escorts as he approached. Matthew 25:6 tells it all. “And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.” This typically happened at night.

As noted above, the groom’s father decided when the new room/home was ready and only he could give the approval for the groom to leave to go and gather his wife. While the groom had been building their new home, she was getting prepared by making her wedding garments, preparing the lamps in case he returned at night, etc. She was in a way told in Mark 13:33, “Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.” She knew she was legally married to the groom and was told to be ready for his return at any time, just as we are to be ready for His Return! And not only that but her bridesmaids were also told to be ready at any time for the groom to come for his bride.

If you recall the story of the ten bridesmaids in Matthew 25, “THEN SHALL THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN BE LIKENED (capitals mine) unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.” Here Matthew clearly states this event compares the wedding to the coming of Jesus Christ for His Bride, the Church. Of course if you read further you will notice 5 of the 10 were not prepared! They did not have enough oil for their lamps and were totally left out of the wedding ceremony. Do you get the picture of this comparison?

What I recently learned was in the ancient Jewish wedding when the groom came at the sound of the trumpet for his bride, she was placed on a chair which was then lifted up. She was then carried out to meet her future husband. Of course, I believe this also mimics the words of Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4:17; “Then we (the bride – Believers) which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, TO MEET THE LORD IN THE AIR (capitals mine): and so shall we ever be with the Lord (the Groom).”

The Bride and Groom then Returned to his Father’s Home

It is important to note this is not the public wedding celebration. Instead, the bride, after going with the groom to his father’s house, was kept hidden in private and surrounded only by their immediate family members and a few guests for seven days. This is similar to the bride (the Church) being hidden during the 7-year Tribulation. They did have a small ceremony but not the glorious public affair which would occur later. In Revelation 19:9 we read, “And he saith unto me (John), Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb (Jesus). And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.” Only the Blessed will be able to be at the wedding ceremony of the bride and groom which are in his father’s house (Heaven)! The rest will not participate in this joyous event which lasts for seven days (the time of the Tribulation on earth?) which Jesus told us we would NOT be subject to. He told us this in Revelation 3:10-11, “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience (been prepared!), I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.”

The Public Wedding Ceremony

After seven days of waiting in secrecy, the groom and the bride publicly appeared at their wedding ceremony. This was a much larger event visible to many more people. At this time they were also recognized for what they were, a new husband and wife, and many shared in their joyous occasion. I believe Paul very elegantly interpreted this marriage as prophetic in Ephesians 5:22-25, “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, EVEN AS CHRIST IS THE HEAD OF THE CHURCH (capitals mine): and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church (Believers) is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;” When Jesus Christ comes again at His Second Coming, His bride, the church will be coming with him and they will be visible to every man, woman and child alive on the earth. After defeating the anti-christ and the false prophet, and throwing Satan into the bottomless pit for one thousand years, He will reign in peace and justice over the entire world. And, we the Bride will rule and reign with Him as stated in Revelation 20:6, “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and SHALL REIGN WITH HIM A THOUSAND YEARS (capitals mine).”

The wedding ceremony therefore will take place on the earth, not in Heaven as the first private ceremony. Obviously the dead in Christ during the Tribulation and the Old Testament Saints will then be resurrected and will also be there to celebrate!

Finally, I think it is important to note most Biblical scholars believe Jesus began His earthly ministry at 30 years of age and this lasted 3 1/2 years before He was crucified, buried and rose from the dead in payment (a dowry) in preparation for His marriage to His Church (the Believers who accepted His Pardon for our sins). We have all read of the many miracles He performed during this 3 1/2 years but do you know what His very first miracle was? Read John 2 where He attended a wedding and was asked by his mother Mary to get wine because they had run out for the guests. While telling her His time had not yet come, He did turn the water into wine. Wine was drunk by both the bride and groom to cement their marriage! Coincidence? I doubt it!

All of this tells us that Jesus left His Father’s home, paid the dowry (His life), went back to Heaven to prepare a mansion for us in His Father’s house, and will come back at a time unknown to gather us for a marvelous wedding feast with Him in Heaven. After seven days/years He will Return WITH us to earth and we will reign with Him during His 1,000 years Millennial Reign on earth. If you believe in Jesus and have asked Him for the pardon of your sins, you will be invited to the wedding! I find this comforting, knowing the other option is terrible. Please do as I have done and as we have been instructed by Jesus to do and that is to “…therefore comfort one another with these words.”

I hope to see you SOON at the wedding! May God Bless you!

“Lamb & Lion Ministries is located just north of Dallas, Texas, a city at the center of the national debate over Islamic expansionism in America. The Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex is home to 62 Sunni and 5 Shia mosques, for a total of 67 officially recognized Islamic houses of worship. The region features one of the largest and fastest-growing Muslim communities in the United States, second only to Houston.

Recent debate has raged over the development of the East Plano Islamic Center (EPIC), now rebranded as The Meadow, a 402-acre residential development with plans to build an Islamic K-12 school, another mosque, various retail shops, and Muslim-only housing units. Its stated purpose is to prioritize attracting Muslim residents and enforcing Islamic sharia law, which would violate state law.

Championed by CAIR, a designated foreign terrorist and transnational criminal organization with ties to Hamas, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has worked hard to strip CAIR of its ability to operate in Texas. Yet he has failed to slow the growth of Islamic developments, as our nation’s pluralistic laws and religious freedoms are being used to overcome the Governor’s hurdles, and construction continues.

This past month, even after hundreds of people showed up at a McKinney council meeting to protest the McKinney Islamic Association’s plan to build a new mega-mosque, the liberal council, likely fearing being labeled Islamophobic, voted unanimously (7-0) to allow construction. Among the protesters was an Iranian who once lived under Sharia law. He explained that for centuries, Islamic strategy has been to build a mosque first to get a foothold in a community. Once established as a base of operations, the Muslim population then grows rapidly, inevitably forcing out native residents and increasingly demanding more benefits and rights beyond local law.

A growingly common sight at our local community parks is Muslims kneeling on prayer rugs, praying over the area and asking Allah to claim it. You only have to look no farther than Dearborn, Michigan, where an estimated 45,000 people gathered for what organizers say was the largest Arbaeen march ever held in the United States, to see the future of Texas, if not the entire nation.

Rised to Conquer
Islam, for all intents and purposes, appears poised to conquer, not just Texas, but the entire world.

Islam’s growth rate has risen 500% over the last 50 years as their birth rate dwarfs the birth rates of all other religions. Today’s 1.5 billion Muslims make up 22% of the world’s population and control 65 nations. Between the twin strategies of holy war (jihad) and immigration, Muslims are expected to exceed 50% of the world’s population and surpass Christianity as the largest religion by the end of the 21st Century.

By all indications and by every statistic, Islam will indeed conquer the world. Churches will eventually become mosques. Your children will eventually become Muslims or die for refusing. That is the direction the world is plunging towards right now.

Or, is it?

I would argue, no. Praise the Lord! Islam has an end according to the Bible. The Bible foretells of three prophetic wars that are coming soon which I believe will absolutely end Islam as a viable religion in the end times.

1) The Psalm 83 War
The first end-time war, the Psalm 83 War, strikes at the geographical heart of Islam. It’s a war in which Israel will subdue its hostile neighboring countries: Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Gaza, and Jordan. Since Israel was reborn on May 14, 1948, it has repeatedly fought wars and skirmishes with these nations to protect the Jewish people’s right to exist. According to Psalm 83, when this prophecy is fulfilled in full, Israel will control those bordering nations, either militarily or through peace agreements such as the Abraham Accords, and so gain a brief period of peace.

(Additional info The War of Psalm 83)

2) The Gog-Magog War (Ezekiel 38–39)
The second war which follows is found in Ezekiel 38–39. The Gog-Magog War is one of the best described prophetic wars in all the Bible, covering two whole chapters. This exciting war will be a major world-changer.

The Gog-Magog War foretells how Russia, Iran, Turkey, Libya, all those ‘Stan nations, and the other countries that form an outer ring of Islamic nations will war against Israel. Israel appears undefeatable after the Psalm 83 War, and so all of those nations combine into a coalition in order to make an attempt to plunder and destroy Israel.

What happens? These hordes, these uncountable armies; well Israel has no chance of standing up against them. Israel appears doomed!

However, the Bible reveals that God will make His appearance back on the earth, not physically, but He Himself personally annihilates the invading hordes, so that there’s no denying God is behind this divine rescue. God intervenes using biblical types of judgments such as fire and brimstone, making the armies turn on each other, and being decimated by earthquakes. God even rains fire down on the homelands of these invading nations. The entire coalition of Islamic armies, along with Russia, are almost utterly destroyed.

For a religion that’s based on having to destroy one’s enemies for Allah’s honor, and then Allah loses every single last day’s war big time, I believe these end time wars are going to stagger Islam before the Tribulation begins.

(Additional info The War of Gog and Magog )

3) The Conventional War of the Tribulation (Revelation 6)
The third prophetic end time war should finally hammer the nail in the coffin of Islam.

Despite Islam’s might in the world today, there’s no mention of Islam during the Tribulation. Rather, we glean from the Bible that during the Tribulation four religions will exist. One, there will be Christianity made up of those Tribulation Saints who accepted Christ after the Rapture. Two, there’s Judaism. The Antichrist spends much of his time persecuting Tribulations Saints and Jews. Three, there’s the early Tribulation Harlot religion, made up of a conglomeration of world religions. At first, she seems in charge, but the Antichrist is really just using her for his own ends. And four, halfway through the Tribulation, the Antichrist stomps out all competing religions and sets himself up as the sole object of worship.

Now, if you can’t have another religion competing with you, especially a militaristic religion like Islam which demands there are no other religions besides itself, what do you do with it? You have to annihilate it. And, the biggest populations of Muslims in the world, most don’t realize, live in Indonesia and Bangladesh and other eastern nations outside of the Middle East. So, more than likely, the Antichrist is going to spend the beginning of his reign annihilating Islam so that there’s no competitor to setting himself up as the true global ruler.

How tragic that 2 billion people will die from the Antichrist’s conventional war. But after that war, the Islamic map should be wiped clean.

(Additional info Who will the antichrist be fighting at Armageddon?)

In Conclusion
Looking at these three biblical end time wars, I can only conclude that Islam doesn’t have much of a future left to it. A Psalm 83 War could be fulfilled at any minute, inevitably with the destruction of Damascus (see Isaiah 17 and Jeremiah 49). The Gog-Magog alliance of nations already exists. Europe is so fragile that they are ready for a strong leader to take over. Everything has lined up and is in place. These world-shaking events could literally occur at any moment.

And so, according to the Bible, Islam has very little time left to it.”

“Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city (Jerusalem), to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up (finish) vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy (Jesus Christ).”

Daniel 9:24

NUMBERS have meaning in Scripture!!

The number 70 in the Bible, as shown in the examples below, symbolizes fullness, restoration, and an endpoint:

• The post-flood world was repopulated by 70 descendants of Noah, resulting in 70 nations (Genesis. 10).
• Terah, the father of Abraham, was 70 years old when Abraham was born (Genesis 11:26).
• The Nation of Israel began with 70 Hebrews who migrated to Egypt (Exodus 1:1-5).
• Moses appointed 70 elders to be the governing body of Israel (Numbers 11:16).
• Following the liberation from bondage in Egypt, the children of Israel camped at an oasis of 70 palm trees (Exodus 15:27).
• The Jews were liberated from captivity in Babylon after 70 years (Jeremiah 29:10).
• God’s plan of redemption for Israel and Jerusalem is comprised of 70 weeks (of years = 490 years) (Daniel 9:24-27).
• Jesus sent out 70 disciples to harvest the field of believers (Luke 10:1 KJV).
• A typical human lifespan is 70 to 80 years (Psalm 90:10).
• Israel’s greatest ruler, King David, died at the age of 70 (2 Samuel 5:4).

Seeing how the number 70 symbolizes restoration, it’s interesting that restoration-themed events in Israel’s history tend to occur at a 70-year interval:

• From the destruction of the First Temple in 586 BC to the completion of the Second Temple in 515-16 BC is 70 years.
• From the completion of the Second Temple in 515-16 BC to the completion of the wall around Jerusalem in 445 BC is 70 years.
• From the UN vote in favor of the establishment of the modern State of Israel in 1947 to the very first recognition by a foreign power (USA) that Jerusalem is Israel’s capital in 2017 is 70 years.

The most significant 70-year intervals correspond to the dates 1948 and 1967:

• From the first modern Jewish settlement in the Land of Israel (Petah Tikvah) in 1878 to the birth of the Nation of Israel in 1948 is 70 years.
• From the first major step in reestablishing the State of Israel (First Zionist Congress) in 1897 to the final step (restoration of Jerusalem) in 1967 is 70 years.

Notice that both watershed events related to Israel’s restoration to the Land–the rebirth of the Nation in 1948 and the restoration of its capital Jerusalem after the 6 Day War in 1967–are preceded by a seminal event 70 years earlier. The odds against this occurring by chance are astronomical, obviously suggesting Divine orchestration.

2018-19 to 2028-29 is a logical endpoint for the 70-year pattern because Jesus says the generation who sees Israel reborn will see the End of the Age (Matthew 24:32-34). A generation is defined as 70 to 80 years in Scripture (Psalm 90:10). Seventy is not only a day! It is the course of a year, just as when I turned 45 on my birthday I was 45 for 1 year, until my next birthday. Also, please remember while the majority of the world uses the Gregorian solar calendar (January 1 through December 31) Orthodox Jews use the Hebrew lunisolar calendar which begins on Rosh Hashanah (this year on September 29, 2019). This means until then there is an overlap of years when the two calendars are combined. We are in the year 2019 as of this post but in the Jewish calendar it is still their year 5778 which corresponds primarily to our year of 2018. For that reason, when we refer to the year 2018-2019 it is considered to be in the Jewish context/calendar.

Another reason 2018-19 is a possible endpoint for the 70-year pattern is that it represents the third date-milepost. The number three signifies completeness of testimony in Scripture:

“This will be my third visit to you. ‘Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses’”

2 Corinthians 13:1

CONVERGENCE

In addition to the 70 years from 1948, a timeline in Daniel’s 70 weeks prophecy (Daniel 9:24-27) points to 2018-19. In verse 25, the angel Gabriel reveals how many weeks (seven-year periods) will elapse from the time a decree is issued to rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince comes to rule:

“Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, until the Messiah, the Prince, there will be seven weeks and sixty two weeks”

Dan. 9:25

The modern-day rebuilding of Jerusalem began in 1969. When we add Daniel’s seven weeks, or 49 years, to this date we arrive at 2018-19.

1969 + 49 = 2018-19

What are the odds that Israel’s prophetic 70th year would correspond to the 49th year since the rebuilding of Jerusalem began?

If the 70/49 convergence in 2018-19 isn’t uncanny enough, here’s another: The “seven weeks and sixty-two weeks”(69 weeks of years) in Daniel’s prophecy add up to 483 years. When we add 483 years to the time that an earlier decree to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls was issued in 1535 AD by the Ottoman Emperor Suleiman, we again arrive at 2018-19.

1535 AD + 483 = 2018-19 AD

Thus, we have three key eschatological timelines pointing to 2018-19. But there’s more! Israel’s 70th year also corresponds to the calculated 6,000th year from Creation, the time that the seventh thousand-year (Millennial) day known as the “Day of the Lord” begins.

6,000 AD – 3982-83 BC (Creation of Adam according to the Bible) = 2018-19 AD

PEACE AND SAFETY

Another factor pointing to 2018-19 is the drafting of a Middle East peace plan dubbed by President Trump as the “Deal of the Century.” This is crucial because the fundamental sign given by Paul to the Church in order to identify the season of the Rapture will be people saying “peace and safety”:

“Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind …. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command … and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air …. Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates [of this event] we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, ‘Peace and safety,’ destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape”

1 Thessalonians 4:13, 16, 17; 5:1-3

While there have been a number of peace plans proposed since the restoration of Jerusalem in 1967, the Deal of the Century is the only one to coincide with a convergence of key eschatological timelines, begging the question: if the talk of “peace and safety” in 2018-19 isn’t that which Paul was alluding to, then what could he have been alluding to, and how will we recognize it when it occurs?

Assuming that Paul’s peace-and-safety sign is manifesting before our eyes, consider the ominous scenario: Daniel’s weeks prophecy assigns a period of 70 weeks (490 years) to redeem the Jews and Jerusalem. In 2018-19, exactly 70 years after the Jews’ return to the Land, and 49 years after Jerusalem was restored as its capital, a peace plan has been drafted that purportedly aims to divide the Holy City between Jews and Palestinians.

Do you see the problem?

God’s plan calls for the restoration of the Holy City, while the world’s plan is to divide it. Dividing Jerusalem is prohibited because it belongs to the One (Jesus) who will reign there during the Millennium (Jeremiah 3:17). The Lord has been patient for decades as Israel has tried to secure peace by giving away land. A plan that aims to divide the Land around the 6,000th year from Biblical creation, however–the time that Messiah the Prince is set to take possession–explains why destruction will come “suddenly” upon those saying, “peace and safety” (1 Thessalonians 5:3).

PARALLELS TO PONDER

Exile–

Ancient Israel was exiled physically from the Land for 70 years. Is it possible that modern Israel’s 70 years represent a time of spiritual exile in which the Jews are present in the Land yet separated from the heart of Messiah? The physical exile preceding the spiritual makes sense in light of Paul’s teaching that the physical man, Adam, precedes the spiritual Man, Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:45-49).

Judgment–

When Israel’s 70 years of exile were complete, God judged Babylon (Jeremiah 29:12). Could the completion of modern-day Israel’s 70th year mark the beginning of judgment for “spiritual Babylon,” i.e. the world?

Holocaust–

2018-19 marks 80 years since the beginning of the seven-year Holocaust period (1938-45). Could 2018-19 also mark the beginning of the ultimate time of Jacob’s Trouble? History records that during the Holocaust an estimated two thirds of the Jewish population of Europe was systematically murdered.

Similarly, Zechariah says that two thirds of Israel will perish during the Tribulation: “In all the land, declares the LORD, ‘two-thirds will be cut off and perish, but a third will be left in it. This third I will bring through the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold’” (Zechariah 13:8-9).

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION

In the Bible, the number 70 signifies fullness, restoration, and an endpoint.

It’s significant that the numbers 71 through 80 DO NOT typify restoration or an endpoint in any comparable way in Scripture.

Israel’s 70th year, ending in the spring of 2019, marks the convergence of four prophetic timespans and the drafting of the most anticipated Middle East peace plan in half a century. If this once-in-history convergence is God’s way of declaring the season of His return, the world may soon see the Rapture and the beginning of the Tribulation week.

In this scenario, the Church’s redemption occurs “seven sevens” after Jerusalem’s rebuilding began, while Israel’s redemption occurs after “seventy sevens,” at the end of Daniel’s 70th week. The dividing line that separates the Church Age from the time of Jacob’s Trouble is Israel’s 70th year.

Spelled out another way:

7 x 10 (70) = end of the Church Age/start of Tribulation

7 x 7 (49) = Church’s redemption (Rapture)

7 x 70 (490) = Israel’s redemption (resurrection)

Notice that in each case multiples of God’s perfect number “7” signify ultimate perfection and completion.

Having put forth a scenario, it goes without saying that we CANNOT set a time limit on Jesus’ return. No man knows the day or hour, and Scripture is clear that our prophetic range of vision is limited on this side of the last trump (1 Corinthians 13:13; Matthew 24:36-44).

On the other hand, believers should understand that nowhere in the Bible is speculation about the year or season of the Rapture DISCOURAGED. In fact, believers are encouraged to study the clues, to recognize the season, and be watching when the Lord returns (Hebrews 10:25; Luke 12:37; 21:28; Ezekiel 33:6). This is why the numbers and timelines are included in Scripture: This is why Daniel provides the countdowns of “weeks” to Messiah (Daniel 9:25).

This is why Jesus links the time of His return to the rebirth of Israel and a definite (70-80 years = generation) timespan (Matthew 24:32-34; Psalm 90:10). This is why Scripture is brimming with typologies like the 70 years in Babylon, which commentators agree is a picture of humanity’s time of separation or exile in the fallen world.

Around 2,560 years ago, when the 70 years of Babylonian captivity were nearly over, Daniel understood by Jeremiah’s prophecy that their time of liberation was at hand:

“You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home”

Jeremiah. 29:10

Today, as the end of Israel’s 70th year draws near, many are coming to understand by the prophecies that our time of liberation is at hand. Like Daniel, we’re not privy to the day or hour, but we know that it’s soon.

ADDITIONAL AND INTERESTING NOTES:

Additional evidence that 1948 and 1967 are central dates in God’s plan of redemption:

• Abraham, the father of the Nation of Israel, was born 1,948 years from Creation.
• The years 1948 and 1967 have been shown by scholars like Dr. Ken Johnson and Ellis H. Skolfield to have been mathematically predicted in Scripture.
• The years 1948 and 1967 were highlighted by total lunar eclipses on biblical feast days, evoking the prophecies about the moon being turned to blood before the great and terrible day of the Lord (Joel 2:31).
• The wars fought in 1948 and 1967 (the War of Independence and the Six Day War) were accompanied by a host of miraculous events that tipped the scales of victory in Israel’s favor.
• The 19th book and 48th chapter in the Bible (Psalm 48) accurately describes the rebirth of Israel. WOW!!!
• The numbers 19 and 48 add up to 67, which is the year that Israel’s capital, Jerusalem, was restored.
• Gold is heated to exactly 1,948 degrees (1948) Fahrenheit during the refining process. Scripture compares Israel’s deliverance during Jacob’s trouble to the refining and purification process of precious metal (Zechariah. 13:9).
• During Israel’s 70th anniversary, a comet discovered in 1948 made its closest flyby since that time. On the day of optimal viewing, the comet passed within a few degrees of the star cluster Pleiades, which is said to be a heavenly representation of the Church.
• When we add 1,948 years to 70 AD (the year the Second Temple was destroyed), we arrive at the biblical year spanning 2018-19. When we reverse the numbers and add 70 years to 1948 we, again, arrive at 2018-19.
• 1948 + 70 years = 2018-19. 2018-19 marks 70 jubilees from the time of the Exodus (circa 1500 BC), when Israel was called out as a Nation. Thus, 2018-19 marks 70 jubilees since Israel’s original birth and 70 years since the nation was born a second time.

Some put the Exodus at 1522 BC, which means the Jews entered the land of Canaan circa 1482 BC. If this calculation is correct, as of 2018-19 it has been exactly 3,500 years, or 70 jubilees, since the Jews first entered the Promised Land.

• Biblical years begin and end on Nisan 1 in the spring (Exodus. 12:1-2). This equates to April 6, 2019 this year.
• In 1969, the Jewish Quarter Development Company was established under the auspices of the Construction and Housing Ministry to rebuild the desolate Old City of Jerusalem.

The May 9, 1969 headline about the rebuilding of Jerusalem from the St. Petersburg Times:

“Jerusalem Restoration On High Priority List”

“JERUSALEM — One of the most dramatic restoration projects in the history of cities is forging ahead in the ancient walled city of Jerusalem. The reconstruction of the Jewish quarter of the Old city, lost to the Jews in the 1948 war after centuries of occupancy, is one of the high priority projects of the Israeli government.”

It’s interesting that from the day the above article was published in 1969 (May 9) to Israel’s Independence Day in 2019 (May 9) is exactly 50 years. (Israelis observe their Independence Day according to the Hebrew calendar date. Modern-day Israel was born on the Hebrew calendar day Iyyar 5, corresponding to May 9 in 2019.)

4). Based on the genealogies listed in Genesis, D. Petavius determined that Adam was created in 3,983 BC.

5). The Holocaust (1938-45) is a type of Jacob’s Trouble, or Tribulation: The first major actions against the Jews (Krystallnacht, decrees banning business and property ownership, and ordinances banning attendance at public schools) began in Germany in 1938. In 1939 Germany invaded Poland (considered to be the start of World War II) and began opening forced labor camps and ghettos to segregate and confine Jews. Major killing operations began in 1941 and peaked between 1942 and 1945 when World War II ended. Amazingly, Heinrich Himmler received approval to begin the “Final Solution” on the 9th of Av in 1941. The 9th of Av is a day of mourning for the Jews and on which day BOTH Holy Jewish Temples were destroyed IN ONE DAY. For more info, check out my post  2018 UPDATE : The 9th of AV – History or Prophecy?. Interestingly, from the end of the Holocaust on May 9, 1945 (V-Day) to the anniversary of Israel’s rebirth in 2019 (Iyyar 5) is exactly 888 months.

6). The biblical year ends Nisan 1 (April 6-7) in 2019. Counting from Israel’s May 14, 1948 birthday, the 70th year ends May 14 (Gregorian) or May 9-10 (Hebrew) in 2019.

7). The numbers 7 and 10 symbolize perfection and completion in Scripture. The number 70, a combination of these two perfect numbers, represents an intensification of the themes, thus denoting ultimate perfection and completion.

8). 7 x 70 (490) denotes an ultimate end, and redemption, or forgiveness of sin:

• A total of 70 bulls are sacrificed during the seven-day Feast of Tabernacles (70 x 7), which will be fulfilled at the end of the seven-year tribulation, marking the end of the 70th week (7 X 70).
• In both Daniel and Matthew, “seventy sevens,” or 490, is the number linked to the ultimate forgiveness of sin (Daniel 9:24-27; Matthew 18:21-22).

While we DON’T know the exact day of Christ’s Return at the Rapture, we are told to be watchful. Knowing there is nothing today standing in the way of the Rapture occurring at any time, we should all be comforted in our accepting of Jesus and His death and resurrection for us! If you are comforted by this, then please, do as we are all told to do and that is to “…therefore comfort one another with these words.”

May God Bless you!

**Originally published by Season of Return Ministries on 2/11/19 – reposted with permission.

Revelation 3:14-16

Yes, we have all been to such a church but hopefully we recognized it for what it is! It is the last “church”, the church of the false prophet.

In the Book of Revelation John is instructed by Jesus to “Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter:” (Revelation 1:19). Very clearly John was told to write down everything he had seen in the past, everything he currently saw, and finally, what he is shown through Divine Inspiration which will happen in the future. He then goes on in Revelation Chapters 2 & 3 and is told to write individual, specific letters to the seven churches which he earlier had personally established in Asia Minor. He is told to tell them both the good and the bad aspects of their Christian ministry, what they were doing which was good and what they were doing that did not find favor in the eyes of the Lord. When you put his comments into chronological context, it becomes very clear the strengths and weaknesses of each church. As opposed to what some may preach, the Bible is clear. Not only was he talking to them in those days but was also prophesying what they would be like during their existence throughout history.

Each of these seven churches incredibly have gone through very distinct stages or periods of time. Combined those stages clearly have a sequential, chronological aspect to their timeline which closely matches the entire history of the Christian church up until today. Below is a brief summary of the name of the church, their identifying history and the approximate years of their existence as profiled by most Biblical scholars:

• Ephesus – Apostolic Church Started in approx. 100 A.D. Rev: 2:1-6
• Smyrna – Persecuted Church 100 A.D. – 316 A.D. Rev: 2:8-10
• Pergamos – World Church 316 A.D. – 800 A.D. Rev. 2:12-16
• Thyatira – Medieval Church 800 A.D. – 1517 A.D. Rev. 2:18-28
• Sardis – Rise of State Church 1517 A.D. – 1750 A.D. Rev. 3:1-5
• Philadelphia – Missionary Church 1750 A.D. – 1900 A.D. Rev. 3:7-12
• Laodicea – Apostate Church 1900 A.D. – ??? Rev. 3:14-21

In order to validate the claim that John was speaking to these churches in both the present and future tense, each of these descriptions of the good and bad of the seven churches ends with the statement “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.”

While each of these 7 churches existed in 95 A.D. when John was instructed to write the Book of Revelation, they each had their own individual characteristics which John either complimented them on or warned them about. By combining what they were like at the time and then witnessing the following history of the Church Age, it is very easy to put them into the timeline as very distinct periods of what the Church has gone through over the past 2,000 years. The only church which Jesus appeared to be pleased with was the Church of the Philadelphians (no, not in Pennsylvania). This was the church that did extraordinary missionary work and helped to spread the Gospel throughout the world. Unfortunately, it is followed by the Laodicean Church which overwhelmingly and predominantly makes up the Christian Church today. More importantly, it is the only church Jesus had nothing good to say about! When you compare what He said to the Laodicean Church, “…He will vomit them out of his mouth” and compare that to the preceding 6th church, the Church of Philadelphia, where He said:

“Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I will also keep thee (Rapture) from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them (Tribulation) that dwell upon the earth.”

Revelation 3:10

Incredibly, while John wrote to the churches and admonished them for not fulfilling their purpose in some ways, only the Laodicean church, the last church was told Jesus would “vomit” them out of His mouth! To the others He said:

• Ephesus – “Nevertheless, I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.” – Revelation 2:4
• Smyrna – “Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days; be thou faithful un to death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” – Revelation 2:10
• Pergamos – “Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.” – Revelation 2:16
• Thyatira – “But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak: I will put upon you none other burden.” – Revelation 2:24
• Sardis – “Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.” Revelation 3:2
• Philadelphia – “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.” – Revelation 3:10
• Laodicean – “So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue (vomit) thee out of my mouth.” – Revelation 3:16

Do you see and feel the difference In Jesus’s comments regarding the LAST church versus all the others? All the others were still told to repent and to strengthen their faith. Only the Laodicean church was basically told they were found to be incapable of future salvation. They are doomed! While I was writing this I recognized the difference between the Laodicean Church and the Church of Philadelphia, something I had never seen before. Jesus DID NOT compliment but only condemned the Laodicean church! But the one world religion advocated by the false prophet and the anti-christ is alive and growing today, based on so many of the false, non-Biblical teachings prevalent in so many churches.

One thing I need to make very clear. I will not single out specific denominations for condemnation. There are many, many Christian Believers who are very strong in their Faith attending churches today. Rather, my intent is to ensure we are all aware of the deception and lies being spread today in so many churches, oftentimes without the knowledge of the church attendees. Also, as we are all told in Proverbs 9:8-9, “Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee. Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.” My intent here is not to try to convince the unbeliever about the Truth of God’s Holy Word but rather to ensure His Followers are told what their churches may be teaching and how it may conflict directly with what the Bible says. As we are told by Jesus Himself:

“For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Let not your prophets and your diviners, that be in the midst of you, deceive you, neither hearken to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed. For they prophesy falsely unto you in my name: I HAVE NOT SENT THEM (capitals mine), saith the Lord.”

Jeremiah 29:8-9

I know these are serious allegations and I do not take them lightly! But, over the past, nearly ten years writing this blog I have had many people comment on some of the things I have discussed and dispute what the Bible clearly teaches. They do not take the Bible, the Holy Word of God, to be 100% accurate, but instead inject church teachings that may be in direct conflict to what the Bible says. Yes, I know the argument, “The Bible was written by man and is therefore open to error.” Sorry, but an all-powerful God does not allow His Authors to make mistakes that distort His Word! We may not fully understand what they have said but if God told them what to write, I will always take His Word over someone later interpreting what they think He meant or who were led by Satan to deceive many.

The Holy Bible is the ONLY Word God has given to us for our instruction and He uses the Holy Spirit to clarify and teach us according to what is in His Holy Word. With that said, to the true Believer nothing in the Holy Bible can be dismissed as not coming directly from God Himself!

So, what are some of the Satanic teachings prevalent in so many mainstream Christian churches today that detract from His Word and which ultimately forwards the agenda of the great deceiver, Satan? What are some of the deceptive, non-Biblical lies being taught in so many churches today?

Replacement Theology

I first wrote about Replacement Theology (Replacement Theology is a LIE and God NEVER LIES!) in early 2018 and was absolutely amazed at the response from some of my Christian friends. Basically, Replacement Theology is the belief that since the Jews did not accept Jesus as their Messiah at His First Coming, the Promise God made to the Jews through the Abrahamic Covenant became null and void and all the Blessings Promised to the Jews have now been instead “transferred” to the Christian church. In essence, they are saying God broke His Promise to Abraham when He said:

“As for me, behold, my covenant with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. Neither shall thy name any more be Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. And I will make thee exceedingly fruitful, and will make nations of thee, and kings will come out of thee. I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an EVERLASTING COVENANT (capitals mine), to be a God unto thee and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the seed after thee. the land (Israel) wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an EVERLASTING (capitals mine) possession; and I will be their God.”

Genesis 17:4-8

It doesn’t get any clearer than this! God Promised Abraham and his descendants the Land of Israel in an “EVERLASTING COVENANT!” For Him to break this Promise would mean God lied to Abraham. Please remember, God and Abraham DID NOT agree on this Covenant. God alone Promised the Covenant to Abraham! It was God’s Promise to Abraham with no need of an agreement from Abraham. To say otherwise is a direct lie! Yes, He did disperse the Jews throughout the world when they rejected Jesus BUT, as prophesied in a number of places in the Bible, He also brought them back to their God Promised land in these Last Days. Believe it or not, MANY IF NOT MOST mainstream churches today teach this Satanic lie! Remember, the Bible is the Holy Word of God. Trust in it and ask your pastor/priest if your church teaches Replacement Theology.

Rapture

One of my most written about Biblical subjects regarding the prophesied Last Days concerns the Rapture of Christ’s Believers BEFORE God unleashes His Wrath on this world for its lack of acceptance of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice and the resulting rampant sin. Just a couple of those articles for your review are The Rapture – UPDATED and What kind of people will be left behind AFTER the Rapture? By far one of the most repeated lies mentioned about these posts is that the Rapture, they claim, is only a recent addition to established Biblical prophesy, “invented” by John Nelson Darby in 1830 A.D. Their contention is since the word “rapture” does not occur in the Bible (by the way, neither do the words grandfather, Trinity, etc.) it simply must not exist. If they were to study the Latin Vulgate (translated from Greek to Latin by Jerome in 382 A.D.) and other earlier writings, they would see the words “rapio” (which in the Latin Vulgate means to seize or snatch) and “harpazo”, (Old Testament translated by the Septuagint into Greek from Aramaic between 285 -247 B.C. is a word meaning seize, pluck take away). Interestingly, both of these words are found in the ancient Bible and even Jesus’s Disciples in their time believed He would Return for them BEFORE God’s Wrath was unleashed. Darby in 1830 brought the meaning forth as evidence relatively unknown until that time since the Rapture would have been considered a “mystery” since its timing and purpose was not yet required. Did you know Darby was also one of the very first to predict God, as Promised, would also bring the Jews to their ancient Land of Israel IN THE LAST DAYS? They never mention that!

“Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep (die), but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”

1 Corinthians 15:51-52

Perhaps even more convincing…

“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them IN THE CLOUDS TO MEET THE LORD IN THE AIR (capitals mine): and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

Finally, we also have a direct Promise from Jesus Himself in Revelation 3:10, “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation (Tribulation), which shall come upon the whole world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.” In these three verses we are told without a doubt Jesus will come for His Believers BEFORE God’s Wrath is unleashed on this world. He did it for Noah and his family BEFORE the Flood and he did it for Lot and his wife BEFORE the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. We have His Promise He will come and meet us in the clouds at the Rapture BEFORE the Tribulation begins. Remember, the Bible is the Holy Word of God. Trust in it and ask your pastor/priest if your church teaches whether the Rapture will or will not happen.

Pre, Mid or Post Tribulation Rapture

One of the arguments some people have is whether the Rapture will occur before, during or at the end of the final 7 year Tribulation period. Pre means before; Mid means during the middle (perhaps coinciding with the anti-christ’s Abomination of Desolation); and Post means it will occur at the end of the Tribulation when Jesus Returns at Armageddon. When I wrote When will the Rapture Occur – Pre, Mid or Post Tribulation my intent was to show the many, many differences between these three time frames as outlined in the Bible. For example, as quoted above, we are told we will meet Jesus in the clouds at the Rapture. Because this happens before the start of the Tribulation and we know a large number of people remaining on the earth after the Rapture will be evangelized and saved during the 7 year Tribulation period, if Jesus Raptures His Saints at His Second Coming, what Believers will then remain still on the earth when He comes? In all the responses I have received on this somewhat controversial issue, NOT ONE person has ever given me Biblical proof of their belief or disputed the Scriptures I quote. To me it would be similar to Noah and his family enduring part or all of the flood or Lot and his wife enduring a few of the fire and brimstones that destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.

Again, take Revelation 3:10 into context and there is no other answer! “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation (Tribulation), which shall come upon the whole world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.” I find it amazing that after John wrote the Letters to the 7 churches and then Jesus said the above, John goes through a sort of Rapture in Revelation 4:1 and the word church is not ever mentioned again until Revelation 22:16, AFTER the trials and tribulations of The Tribulation period. Remember, the Bible is the Holy Word of God. Trust in it and ask your pastor/priest if your church teaches when the Rapture will happen?

Amillennialism

As I recently mentioned in my article, Amillennialism – Do you Believe in God’s Holy Word or a few church’s False Teachings? Amillennialism is the belief taught by many “Christian” churches that even though the Bible clearly states Jesus will Return to the earth and establish His 1,000 year Millennial Reign of Peace and Righteousness out of Jerusalem, they either teach Jesus has already Returned or he never will come to earth.

You will be totally shocked that some very mainstream churches teach that since His Resurrection He NOW Reigns from Heaven! Can you believe it? They teach this world is now under Jesus’s Reign of Peace and Righteousness! That is absurd! They either do not watch the news or are promoting the evil deception and lies of Satan. Personally, I know what the answer to that question is because the Bible has told us!

“And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgement was given unto them: and I saw souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast (anti-christ), neither his image, neither had received his mark (the Mark of the Beast) upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.”

Revelation 20:4

We are told those who had lived and died AFTER the implementation of the Mark of the Beast will reign WITH Jesus for 1,000 years (aka the Millennium). Satan wants us to walk away from what the Bible teaches so we are more prone to be influenced by his evil ways and not by the Commandments of our Lord and Savior. Remember, the Bible is the Holy Word of God. Trust in it and ask your pastor/priest if your church teaches Amillennialism?

Christ Touching Earth at His Second Coming

As I said above, a common lie taught by many is whether Jesus touches earth at His Second Coming. When He Returns at Armageddon the Bible not only tells us He will set foot on the Mount of Olives just outside Jerusalem but His touching the earth will cause a seismic earthquake that will split the Mount of Olives in two:

“Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.”

Zechariah 14:3-4

Jesus WILL RETURN and He will step down upon the earth. Remember, the Bible is the Holy Word of God. Trust in it and ask your pastor/priest if your church teaches Jesus will physically Return to earth and step on the Mount of Olives.

War of Gog and Magog vs. War of Armageddon

There are substantial differences between these two wars and yet many combine them and make them one. To see those differences, you may want to review my previous posts The War of Gog and Magog; Why would Russia, Turkey and Iran Invade Israel TODAY?; and 200 Million Soldiers from the East are NOT going on Vacation to Israel! Basically, the War of Gog and Magog is comprised of 6 nations led by Gog attacking Israel and being defeated by God in one day. It then takes 7 months to bury the dead and 7 years to burn their implements of war. A 200 million man army from the east is never mentioned. At Armageddon ALL the armies of the world will be led by the anti-christ/Satan and Jesus will defeat them. This will usher in His 1,000 Millennium Reign of Peace and Righteousness on this earth where His Believers will rule WITH Him.

While I cannot prove my belief that the War of Gog and Magog mathematically MUST precede Jesus’s Return because while the Bible says it will take 7 years to burn the implements of war, it also says the Jews will be told to get out of Judea at the Abomination of Desolation (3 1/2 years into the Tribulation). We know this occurs midway through the Tribulation so it appears a minimum of 10 1/2 years must mathematically pass between the War of Gog and Magog and Jesus’s Triumphant Return. Of course, seeing this prophecy come true right before our very eyes will cause many to believe in the Truth of Jesus’s ultimate Sacrifice for our sins. It may also then open the door for someone to establish a final peace agreement in the Middle East for what we know is the major cornerstone of the coming anti-christ. Major differences and yet, many, many churches today teach they are the same war. We only know about these coming wars because the Bible has prophesied about them. Remember, the Bible is the Holy Word of God. Trust in it and ask your pastor/priest if your church teaches they are the same war or two distinct wars.

Preterism

The most ridiculous and offensive teaching of many churches today are lumped together in what is known as Preterism. In essence, Preterism believes ALL prophesies were completed by 70 A.D. with the destruction by the Romans of the 2nd Jewish Holy Temple in Jerusalem. It is interesting they take this stance even though we know the Book of Revelation was not even written until 95 A.D., 25 years later and many, many of the prophesies mentioned therein HAVE NOT been fulfilled (a few examples – Rapture, Tribulation, War of Gog and Magog, Mark of the Beast, anti-christ, false prophet, one world government, and army of 200 million from the east … you want me to go on?). Most offensive is their belief that Jesus Ascended into Heaven and He NOW reigns over the earth in “Peace and Righteousness”. Are you kidding me? The world is more evil today than it has ever been and they are trying to tell us Satan is under Jesus’s control? Of course, this is yet another one of Satan’s lies and deceptions. Remember, the Bible is the Holy Word of God. Trust in it and ask your pastor/priest if your church teaches Jesus today reigns in peace and righteousness from Heaven and Satan is today under His Control. Better yet, ask your pastor/priest if they absolutely agree with what John wrote at the very end of the Bible in the Book of Revelation:

“For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.”

Revelation 22:18-19

It is so comforting, knowing the lies and deceptions of Satan prevalent in so many churches today can easily be debunked with just the Holy Word of God! Not only do we have His Word, but we have the greatest Teacher in history, the Holy Spirit of God. When you put these two together, repent of your sins, and accept the eternal gift of salvation offered to us by Jesus Christ, we can easily and quickly know we are destined to spend eternity with Him in Heaven. Like you, I am sometimes confused by what churches, pastors or priests teach. I am NEVER confused by what the Lord tell us in His Holy Word, the Bible. If you are comforted also by this and want to tell others, you should because we are all told by Jesus to “…therefore comfort one another with these words.” What words? His Word only!

May God Bless you in your journey to find comfort in the Lord!

Exodus 18:19-23

In just a few days, the rest of us in the United States who have not yet voted will be voting for our next members of Congress, for Governors and state and local officials. The Scripture above clearly tells Moses to place men (and women) that “…fear God” in positions who ultimately will vote and rule the way God would want them to judge. Please remember this. God is ultimately in control! And He will reward us or punish us on the direction we take based on His clearly outlined Biblical principles. Please PRAY, vote and vote WITH God!!!

May God Bless you as we attempt to do what God has told us to do.

2 Peter 3:3-4

In writing about Biblical prophecy, one of the most common responses I receive is “How come if we have always had earthquakes, wars, famines, pestilences, etc. can you claim we are NOW in the Last Days simply because those things are still happening?” An excellent question and I believe Jesus gives you an even better answer than I could!

“And Jesus answered and said unto them. Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise and deceive many. And because iniquity (sin) shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.”

Matthew 24:4-14

Jesus Himself said we have always had “…wars and rumors of war”. He then goes on to say those are not the End. What He does say is a whole bunch of other things will also be happening. These things have also been happening since the Fall of Man in the Garden of Eden. What we haven’t had however is the “convergence” or coming together of these events. Most definitions of convergence center around the notion of various things all coming together, at a particular time, resulting in a combined and powerful outcome.

For example, let’s assume you drive to work daily on a freeway. But if work hour traffic, or an accident, bad weather, road construction, police activity, nighttime or some other event is there, traffic typically slows down. But put all these events converging together at the exact same time as an accident during rush hour traffic in bad weather at night with police blocking a road that is under construction and you won’t be moving at all! You will be stopped! This is a convergence of various events all coming together at the exact same time and it will change dramatically you getting to work on time. But what if you had been told before you left to take a different “route”? There IS a different way!

In the Scripture above, Jesus clearly describes on the Mount of Olives, after being asked by a few of His disciples when the End would come, He told them about various events they would see. Wars. Rumors of wars. Nation against nation. Kingdom against kingdom. Famines. Pestilences. Earthquakes in various places. Persecution. False prophets. Increasing sinfulness, etc., etc. etc. For the past 2,000 years ALL of these events have occurred. Just not necessarily all at the same time, especially with increasing frequency and strength!

However, the preaching of the Gospel throughout the entire world. “…AND THEN SHALL THE END COME” (capitals mine) is perhaps the most significant event because it clearly signals the LAST thing to happen is the preaching of the Gospel to the entire world. Guess what? The preaching of His Word to the whole world has now happened! In other words, people have seen all of these things individually but it won’t be until ALL these things happen together at the same time becoming rampant with increasing intensity and frequency that the End will then be coming soon.

“For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail (labor) upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren are not in darkness (unaware of His prophecies), that that day should overtake you as a thief.”

1 Thessalonians 5:2-4

When a woman goes into labor prior to the birth of her child, the birth pains are minimal and far apart. As she gets closer, the pain becomes more intense and closer together. At the end, near the birth of the baby, the pain is most intense, and the frequency of contractions are much closer together meaning both have converged together at the same time. When this happens, the end is near! The baby is about to be born! It doesn’t happen 3 months later. So, when we see all the various things prophesied happening at the same time with increasing occurrence and intensity, you can be sure His Return is not far off!

Now it would take an entire book (or more) to explain all the things He said would happen with increasing intensity and frequency before the End. Of course, we have the Bible which does that. I am taking the liberty of also highlighting many of these current events with a few past articles I have written where I pinpointed how today things like major earthquakes are not only happening more frequently but are more destructive and more powerful than ever. That partial list is below:

Jesus’s Prophecies – Jesus’s BEST Prophecies? The Olivet Discourse!
Wars and rumors of wars – Jesus DID say we would have “…wars and rumors of wars”?
Earthquakes – Jesus DID say we would have “…earthquakes”
Famines & Pestilences – Jesus DID say we would have “…famines & pestilences.”
Deception – Jesus DID say Satan would attempt to deceive us!
Persecution – Christian Persecution – Yet Another Biblical Sign of the End Times!
Preaching of the Gospel to the World – Has the Gospel been Preached YET to the Whole World?

Of course, as I mentioned earlier regarding driving to work at night, in bad weather, in a traffic jam, or on a road under construction, etc. THERE IS A DIFFERENT WAY! While there is the Waze app for your iPhone which can direct you around traffic jams, there is also what the Bible says. It calls for you to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. Accept the Gift of His Sacrifice for your sins and repent of those sins and you will be Raptured from this world before all these things converge during the final 7 year Tribulation period. Please remember the Promise Jesus made to us in Revelation 3:10-11:

“Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation (Tribulation), which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. Behold, I come quickly (in the twinkling of an eye at the Rapture): hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.”

In my 50+ years of studying Biblical prophecy and watching the news I have never seen the beginnings of the “birth pains” or convergence of all those things prophesied to happen like I have seen in just the past few years. The anti-Semitic and Christian persecutions, even here in the U.S.; the VERY SOON coming war of Gog and Magog (Ezekiel 38 & 39); the increase in earthquakes, diseases, famines, bad weather (tornadoes and hurricanes); the increasingly favored view of globalism and socialism (one world government); the hatred of man against man (think of all the riots going on in Hong Kong, Germany, Iran, Paris, Iraq, Moscow, Great Britain, Albania, Venezuela, etc.), along with the rampant and perhaps never before seen sinfulness of the world can only lead a sane person (or Believer in Jesus) to believe something is getting ready to happen TODAY! And it is!

But we as Believers have nothing to fear as we have been Promised by Jesus of our eternal salvation by simply accepting His Promise. Knowing this and especially witnessing these things happening in front of my very eyes does not scare me a bit! It in fact comforts me to know ahead of time by reading the Bible what is God’s Ultimate Plan for His Creation as the prophecies of the Bible tell us. Remember as Jesus said, His Word would be preached in all the world. We can all help do this in fulfillment of His Prophecy. If you are also comforted by this article, please help me by sharing, liking and/or forwarding this to your friends, to do what we are all instructed by Jesus to do and that is to “…therefore comfort one another with these words.” Not my words. His Holy Word!!!

May God Bless you as we look up and watch, for our Redemption draweth near!