ETERNAL LIFE OR ETERNAL DEATH YOU CHOOSE

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If God exists and He created all things, it brings incredible responsibility upon the life of every man, woman, and child. Every individual under the sun has the responsibility to not only acknowledge their Creator but to give Him thanks for this magnificent universe. Moreover, they have an obligation to order their life around their Creator’s desires rather than their own—and this is the point where the bristling starts to happen. If God exists and He is the Creator of all things, this needs to inform the whole of one’s life. One must not only acknowledge Him as Creator and give Him thanks but we must live according to His rules. Every aspect of our lives must come under total surrender to the One who is the Author of life—and the one who rejects God surely does so on the basis of their desire to reject His authority.

It is all good and fine if there is a Creator who doesn’t impose His will upon the masses of His creation. However, the Creator has already judged the whole world on one previous occasion with a worldwide flood with only eight survivors. Moreover, His Word warns us that He intends to eventually destroy this fallen world with fire but beforehand there is Jesus’ Millennial Kingdom. He will rule and reign on this earth with resurrected and transformed believers for one thousand years. Check out, http://www.millennialkingdom.net

Atheists and agnostics for that matter stand on borrowed ground. They eat and drink borrowed food. They breathe in borrowed air and ultimately—live on borrowed time. They can no more diminish God’s glory and authority than if they were to try and blot out the light of the sun by standing before it. This is why many tend to go the route of dismissal of God’s existence to conceal their hatred of God, yet in the end, it will prove just as fruitless as an open hatred of God.

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me… I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:1,6

Remember our Creator has gone to exceptional lengths to make Himself and the condition of the Cosmos (spiritual and physical) known to mankind and to enable us to get back into a right relationship with Him. Can we ask any more of God than He sends His Son to pay the price for our rebellion against Him and then to send the Holy Spirit to indwell the believer’s spirit to enable us to live the Christian life?

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23

“If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but He sent me. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me.” John 8:42-45

At the end of all days, every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess, that Jesus Christ is Lord. There is no hope for the one who dies under the consuming wrath of God, but just as there remains no hope for those who do not believe in Christ prior to their death, there will be no lingering skepticism. There will be no doubt. There will be no unbelief. All will believe and will either go away to eternal death or eternal life. Which do you choose?

CHRIS PRATT, LIKE ALL OF US, NEEDS TO BE CONCERNED HE DOES NOT GRIEVE THE HOLY SPIRIT

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Actor Chris Pratt is turning heads with recent comments he made about religion and public perception, proclaiming in a new Men’s Health interview, “I’m not a religious person.”

He speculated that some of the anti-religious animosity he has struggled with emerged after a 2018 speech at the MTV Movie & TV Awards during which he openly discussed God and encouraged young people to cling to Him.

Chris Pratt arrives at the premiere of “Thor: Love and Thunder,” Thursday, June 23, 2022, at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles

“God is real. God loves you, God wants the best for you,” Pratt said during his speech while accepting the Generation Award. “Believe that; I do.”

The actor reflected on that moment in his interview with Men’s Health, wondering if he actually touched anyone. He also reportedly now understands why people responded so negatively.

“Maybe it was hubris for me to stand up on the stage and say the things that I said. I’m not sure I touched anybody,” he said. “Religion has been oppressive as [expletive] for a long time.”

Pratt continued, “I didn’t know that I would kind of become the face of religion when really I’m not a religious person.” “I think there’s a distinction between being religious — adhering to the customs created by man, oftentimes appropriating the awe reserved for who I believe is a very real God — and using it to control people, to take money from people, to abuse children, to steal land, to justify hatred. Whatever it is,” Pratt told Men’s Health. “The evil that’s in the heart of every single man has glommed (grabbed) onto the back of religion and come along for the ride.”

It should be noted Pratt has often discussed his faith, telling Esquire in 2014 about how he first encountered Jesus. Here’s what he said at the time:

“In Maui, about four weeks before I was discovered to go to California, I was hanging with my buddy. I wasn’t quite old enough to drink, so we got somebody to go in and buy us some alcohol. This guy came by and was like, ‘What are you doing tonight?’ I was like, ‘Oh, I dunno. I was just gonna wait out here, my friends are gonna buy me a bottle of Carlo Rossi and a sixer of Milwaukee’s Best Ice. So he’s like, ‘Will you fornicate tonight?’ I was like, ‘I hope so.’ ‘And drugs and drinking?’ It’s like, ‘Most likely, yeah. Probably all three of those things. I mean, at least two of them, possibly all three.’ He was like, ‘I stopped because Jesus told me to stop and talk to you. He said to tell you you’re destined for great things.’ My friends came out, and I was like, ‘Hey, I’m gonna go with this guy.’ I gave my soul to Jesus within, like, two days. I was stuffing envelopes for his organization, Jews for Jesus. I’m not even sure, at that age—I was nineteen years old—I knew what Jewish was.”

One of the more personal issues Pratt spoke on was claims from some critics he was somehow insulting his first wife, Anna Faris, last fall when he took to Instagram to compliment his new wife, Katherine Schwarzenegger.

For context, in November 2021, Pratt shared an Instagram photo of Schwarzenegger lovingly gazing at him and showered praise upon her in the text.

What most reasonable people would view as a comical, loving ode to his wife was dubbed by a Salon writer as a “bizarre early birthday post.” The writer went on to explain how “many viewed this as an ableist (fostering discrimination against disabled people) slight toward his first wife, actor Anna Faris, and the son they share, who was born premature and is disabled.”

These claims, which were bizarre at the time, have hurt Pratt. “I’m like, that is [expletive] up. My son’s gonna read that one day. He’s nine. And it’s etched in digital stone,” he told Men’s Health. “It really [expletive] bothered me, dude. I cried about it. I was like, I hate that these blessings in my life are — to the people close to me — a real burden.”

It appears from this and other interviews that Chris Pratt is struggling with giving up his life totally to God. “I’ve been broke-broke, dude,” he says. “And I think early on in my career it was so important to me. It’s like, Don’t forget where you came from. Don’t forget who you are. And part of me is struggling with who I am maybe not being who I was.”

“For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” Romans 8:13-17

All of us struggle with the flesh but in this Scripture, Paul makes it clear that we need to be led by the Holy Spirit. Jesus made it possible for our Heavenly Father to send the Holy Spirit to indwell a believer’s Spirit to be his counsellor, comforter, and teacher. Chris Pratt, like all of us, needs to be concerned that he does not grieve the Holy Spirit or quench His work in his life.

TO FEAR GOD IS THE BEGINNING OF WISDOM

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Approaching worship with the idea that our hearts are in good enough shape to do so worthily would seem more than a bit audacious, but that is what much of both mainline Protestant and evangelical worship does. Contrast that attitude with one of the historic prayers of the Book of Common Prayer, commonly called the Prayer of Humble Access.

We do not presume to come to this thy Table, O merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in thy manifold and great mercies. We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under thy Table. But thou art the same Lord, whose property is always to have mercy: Grant us, therefore, gracious Lord, so to eat the flesh of thy dear Son Jesus Christ, and to drink his blood, that our sinful bodies may be made clean by his body, and our souls washed through his most precious blood, and that we may evermore dwell in him, and he in us. Amen.

“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” Psalms 51:17

So if worship is formative, guess what actually does matter. The form is inextricable from the substance of the liturgy.

The church cannot look like an entertainment show and retain any integrity whatsoever.

When we tailor our forms in accordance with what we think will resonate with people instead of what frames the liturgy with beauty and dignity, we are crowning people, lords of their own hearts.

That’s why the rule of prayer, not the rule of pop culture, should govern our worship.

None of us have hearts that are right with God, save the intermediation of Jesus Christ. We cannot worship, on our own, at our own initiative, with thoroughly pure motives and hearts that are in the right position. That’s why liturgy is a big deal in the first place. By praying right and true things steeped in Holy Scripture, by receiving the Word rightly preached, and by consuming the gifts of bread and wine, we are formed more into Christ’s likeness.

What is required seems to be approaching worship as we do the gospel. We must be ready to admit that we are helpless and that our hearts are in desperate need of redemption and renewal. We bring nothing to Christ. We have nothing of value to offer. Our works are utterly useless. This little bit of Romans 4 should both haunt us and overwhelm us with joy:

“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.” Romans 4:7-8

THE “KEY” TO EVANGELISM IS GOD’S POWER

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“My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.” 1 Corinthians 2:4-5

Paul was incredibly well-educated and well-versed in the Scripture of his day. He would have had a doctorate and could have been a seminary professor if he so chose. If anyone could have pulled off being wise and persuasive, it would have been Paul. Yet Paul himself said that his message and teaching did not rely on wise and persuasive words but on a demonstration of the Spirit’s power.

A demonstration of the Spirit’s power. That was Paul’s key to evangelism. With no Holy Spirit, there’s no option of demonstrating the Spirit’s power. This leaves us with wise and persuasive words and we know they won’t convert anyone.

How do we begin to demonstrate the Spirit’s power in our life, and how does that lead to effective sharing of the gospel?

“For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you because our gospel came to you not only in word but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction.” 1 Thessalonians 1:4-5

“These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” John 14:25-26

The fruit of the Spirit must be evident in your life: love, joy, peace, patience, faithfulness, gentleness, goodness, kindness, self-control. This will allow you to show supernatural grace: forgiveness, even to your enemies.

The gifts of the Spirit must flow as the Holy Spirit leads: words of knowledge, words of wisdom, prophecy, faith, healing, miracles, discerning of spirits, different kinds of tongues, and interpretation of tongues.

“Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” John 14:12-13

Jesus was speaking to his disciples from the heart, in the knowledge that the cross awaited. Contextually, he is talking about his miracles, urging his disciples to believe in him as the Son of God because of the works he has done in their sight. Caught up in the Spirit, he prophesies that those who believe in him, including believers down through the ages, will perform the same, and even greater miracles. In the power and effectiveness of his children, Father God will be glorified. What a glorious promise!

Torben Sondergaad’s Last Reformation ministry demonstrates the truth of Jesus and Paul’s words. Check it out http://www.lastreformation .com. We must be walking in the power of the Holy Spirit if we are to accomplish anything for God’s Kingdom.

For further excellent articles like this one check out Duncan Edward Pile on the Patheos website.

REMINDER OF JESUS SOON COMING RETURN

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In an emotional address before the United Nations (U.N.) Security Council this week, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said the U.N. world body was worth less than “a hill of beans” for its inability to act decisively in deterring Russian atrocities in his nation. The U.N. charter commits itself to maintain international peace and security but again has shown utter incapability to preserve world order. Russia sits as a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council and has since the organization was founded in 1945.

Outside the United Nations Building in New York City stands a famous statue of a man with a hammer beating a sword into a plowshare. The name of the statue is “Let Us Beat Swords Into Plowshares.” It’s a symbol of peace. The concept is taken from the book of Isaiah which speaks of a time to come when Jesus Christ returns to earth to establish the Kingdom of God. Nations shall go to Jerusalem to learn the ways of God. It says,

“He shall judge between the nations, and rebuke many people; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore” Isaiah 2:4

This should be a reminder to all world leaders that Jesus Christ is coming back to earth to establish His Millennial Kingdom. Jesus will rule and reign on this earth with resurrected Saints for one thousand years. Satan is bound in the Abyss for that time but at the end of the thousand years, he is released and sadly is still able to deceive a multitude of people.

“And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea.” Revelation 20:7

The Bible is replete with fulfilled Biblical prophecies both about Jesus first coming to earth and many more about His soon coming return to earth. To my mind, these Biblical prophecies should be enough to convince any reasoning skeptic.

DO YOU GRIEVE THE HOLY SPIRIT AND QUENCH HIS WORK IN YOUR LIFE?

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The Holy Spirit is the least known member of the Trinity. Many Christians know much about God the Father and God the Son but many do not know anything about God the Holy Spirit. Some denominations do not even acknowledge that the Holy Spirit is God.

The three persons of the Trinity

Jesus made it possible for our Heavenly Father to send the Holy Spirit to indwell each believer’s spirit so they can live the Christian life. The Holy Spirit produces the fruit of the Spirit (9) in believers’ lives: love, joy, peace, patience, faithfulness, goodness, gentleness, kindness, and self-control. He also provides the gifts of the Spirit (9) to enable ministry, words of knowledge, words of wisdom, prophecy, faith, healings, miracles, discerning of spirits, different kinds of tongues, and interpretation of tongues. These are all provided by the Holy Spirit under His direction as needed.

“You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact, the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him.“ Romans 8:9

According to Barna research in 2021: “The study shows, in general, that while a majority of America’s self-identified Christians, including many who identify as evangelicals, believe that God is all-powerful, all-knowing and is the Creator of the universe, more than half reject a number of biblical teachings and principles, including the existence of the Holy Spirit.”

Lack of knowledge of who the Holy Spirit is has led to lots of blasphemy against Him. Even some who believe in Him are not aware of His personality. Some use inanimate pronouns to describe Him because they do not know that He is a person (John 16:7). Many grieve Him because they do not know that He has feelings (Ephesians 4:30). Many quench His work in their lives (1 Thessalonians 5:19). Many things have been said about the Holy Spirit that are sacrilegious, offensive, and profane by those who are supposed to revere and worship Him.

The Holy Spirit is the executive arm of the Trinity. He was involved in the creation of the world as He moved upon the face of the waters in Genesis 1. He was the one who wrote the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16).  He was responsible for the miraculous birth of Jesus (Luke 1:35). All miracles which Jesus did were done by the power of the Holy Spirit (Mathew 12:28). Jesus was able to go to the Cross to be crucified for the salvation of humanity by the leading of the Holy Spirit (Hebrew 9:14). Jesus would have remained in the grave if not for the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:11). After Jesus commissioned the Apostles and the other disciples, they had no motivation for preaching the Gospel until the Holy Spirit enabled them on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2). There is no way we would have come to know Jesus if not for the conviction power of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:3). The Holy Spirit is powerful in more than one way.

Read what Jesus said about speaking against Him.

“I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come” (Mathew 12:31-32 ).

This warning of Christ is frightening and should be carefully and strictly adhered to. Eternal sin is an offense that no one can sweep under the carpet no matter how gracious we think God is.

Jesus made the above statement when He observed that the Jews were saying that He was casting out demons with the power of demons. What this means is that denying the works of the Holy Spirit and attributing them to some other powers is a blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. When “Powerful men of God” abuse their office, they are getting dangerously close to blasphemy. Prophecy is one of the vocal gifts of the Holy Spirit, and abusing the gift of prophecy and saying what the Holy Spirit did not say is a blasphemy against Him.

Even back in Jesus’ day, blasphemers would be executed for blasphemy:

“But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer. Again, the high priest asked him, ‘Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?’ ‘I am,’ said Jesus. ‘And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.’ The high priest tore his clothes. ‘Why do we need any more witnesses?’ he asked. ‘You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?’ They all condemned him as worthy of death” (Mark 14:61-64).

It is important that we take heed to the warning of Christ not to say a word against the Holy Spirit because this sin is unforgivable here on earth and in the afterlife. If blasphemy against the Holy Spirit cannot be forgiven, what will be the fate of those who are ignorantly engrossed in this sin?

Christians should avoid reckless talks against the Holy Spirit. Those who deny His existence are guilty of the sin of apostasy. Those who fake miracles, prophecies, and testimonies are guilty of blasphemy. We should not be too familiar with God to the extent of taking His words for granted. Hiding this warning of Christ in our hearts and exercising caution is a sure way of escaping this unpardonable sin.

GOD WILL TURN GRIEF INTO JOY

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Moffatt translates Romans 8:22, “The entire creation sighs and throbs in pain.” There’s a radical difference between death pangs, which anticipate an ending and look backward, and birth pangs, which anticipate a beginning and look forward. The old, fallen, cursed Earth, convulsing and groaning in the final pains of childbearing, will birth a New Earth.

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away,” Revelation 21:1

Prior to His return, Jesus tells us we will weep and lament as the world rejoices.

Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy… So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.” John 16:20

God doesn’t only promise to replace our grief with joy, but to turn it into joy.

During the time of the Antichrist, we will experience great tribulation but Jesus will cut the time short for believers and will rapture His Saints before the wrath of God is poured out on an unrepentant world with the Trumpet and Bowl judgements.

“For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be cut short.“ Matthew 24:21-22

TRULY AN END TIMES SIGN

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This metaverse provides “immortality”…

Popular metaverse Somnium Space just made an interesting announcement, called the “live forever” mode. The idea is that Somnium Space will enable users to interact with their loved ones in its metaverse after they pass away.

Artificial intelligence (AI) technology has advanced to the point where we can train an AI to be a virtual representation of anyone. It’s possible to do this by training an AI with information about an individual from the past.

Pictures, videos, voice recordings, writing samples, and social media posts – we can use all of them to train the AI to “embody” an individual within a metaverse. A digital avatar can be created that looks, talks, and moves just like a real person.

We are creating an Open, Social, Virtual Reality world. A world with its own economy and its own currency. A VR world with its own Marketplace, Games, Social experiences, and Virtual Land ownership

Somnium’s CEO Artur Sychov said the goal here is to produce an AI that’s so lifelike that family members would not discern a difference between the AI and their loved one for at least 10 minutes. This could allow people to regularly interact inside of this metaverse with loved ones who have passed on.

In a fallen world that rejects the offer of eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord, it is understandable that people would want to act as if their loved ones had not died. This world is all they have and they will seek any and all possible ways to hang on to life.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:13

PRO ABORTION DEMONSTRATORS

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Senator James Lankford states the truth about the obvious: “Do you find it odd that in federal law we protect an eagle egg acknowledging that’s an eagle inside that egg, and we protect a turtle egg saying we acknowledge that’s a turtle inside that egg, but we allow the destruction of children?”

Trump’s greatest achievement: the conservative-dominated Supreme Court on Friday overturned the landmark 1973 “Roe v. Wade” decision enshrining a woman’s right to an abortion.

Abortion rights activists in Portland, Oregon protest after the US Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade, overturning the right to abortion.

As a result, abortion rights defenders fanned out across America Saturday (local time) for the second day of protest against the Supreme Court’s thunderbolt decision. After protests went late into the night, several hundreds of people thronged the streets outside the fenced-off Supreme Court again Saturday, in hot summer weather, carrying signs that read “War on women, who’s next?” and “No uterus, No opinion,” and “Is it too late to abort Amey Coney Barrett“, What happened yesterday is indescribable and disgusting,” said Mia Stagner, 19, a political science major in college. “Being forced to be a mother is not something any woman should have to do.”

Twin demonstrations were also getting underway in Los Angeles — one headed to city hall and the other to the federal courthouse — with dozens of smaller rallies planned from coast to coast.

President Joe Biden — who has likewise voiced concerns the court might not stop at abortion — spoke out again Saturday against the court’s “shocking decision.”

“I know how painful and devastating the decision is for so many Americans,” said the president, who has urged Congress to restore abortion protections as federal law, and vowed the issue would be on the ballot in November’s midterm elections.

The fact that abortion is an abomination to our Creator is of no consequence to the President and now the majority of Americans. Persecution of Christians who hold to all of God’s values will only increase as a result. The persecution already being leveled against the five Supreme Court judges that voted to overturn Roe v Wade is evidence enough. What is happening is exactly what Jesus told us would happen in the “end times” prior to His return.

QUALITIES OF A GOOD LEADER

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Learning what it means to be a leader who models the way of Jesus is a life-long process. The main characteristics I see in leaders of integrity are:

* First and foremost, they understand the magnitude of the gift Jesus made possible for our Heavenly Father to send to enable them to live the Christian life. He sent the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, to indwell our spirit to be our counsellor, comforter, and teacher. He produces the fruit of the Spirit in our lives and provides the gifts of the Spirit for ministry. We do not grieve Him or quench His work in our lives. We obey Him and let Him guide our every step.

* They are in the Scriptures daily searching for the many prophecies of Jesus’ second coming so they are prepared for what is coming next. Jesus said, “See I have told you beforehand” Matthew 24:25

* They are building a Kingdom, not an empire so give as the Holy Spirit leads.

*They train up disciples knowing that God has given us all different talents and has different tasks for us to complete. Remember the parable of the talents some got three, some got five but those that are obedient get the same reward.

* They see the talents that each one has and encourage them and develop them wherever possible.

* They share opportunities, stages, and platforms.

* They are quick to know and own their failures. They repent daily.

* They are bold and confident in Christ, the only hero.

* They are expectant for the future.

We live knowing that Jesus is returning soon to rule and reign with us (glorified Saints) on this earth. See http://www.millennialkingdom.net. We need to prepare for His return knowing the “end times” prophecies that tell us of escalating tribulation and apostasy.

“For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be cut short. Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand” Matthew 24:21-22