INSTITUTIONAL CHURCHES COMPROMISE WITH THE WORLD

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Over the last few decades in the West, and particularly in America, we have seen the destruction of the institution of marriage, the removal of God’s Word in most areas of public life, particularly schools, and the embracing of Critical Race Theory. Moreover, most pulpits are silent about governmental abuse, the LGBTQ agenda, and the blatant murdering of millions of babies. This is an indictment against the nations and the church – our silence speaks volumes. Are God’s people watchmen or cowards?

The pulpit regulates the spiritual condition of God’s people which affects the nation. A lukewarm, sex-saturated culture (and church) simply reflects the lack of conviction in the pulpit as well as the pew.

Sadly, many pastors under the direction of their institutions are exchanging truth for passivity, boldness for cowardliness, and conviction for comfort…they are not aflame with righteousness. They are motivational speakers rather than preachers of righteousness and females taking male roles of leadership in the church.

Arlington Street Anglican Church
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Westboro Baptist Church

Pastors (Christian leaders) must take responsibility for the spiritual health of today’s church, and the nation. We don’t need more marketing plans, demographic studies, or giving campaigns; we need churches as outlined in the Book of Acts filled with the Spirit of God. Disciples making more disciples of Christ.

The Institutional churches and the prosperity gospel have emasculated the church. It will be the church of Laodicea:

“‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.” Revelation 3:15-18

This is the church that is “Left Behind” to experience the wrath of God with the Trumpet and Bowl judgements. As I have explained previously, each of the seven churches of Revelation 2 and 3 represent the church in each of the seven years prior to Jesus return (70th week of the 70 Weeks Prophecy given to Daniel by Gabriel – Daniel 9:24-27). The church of Laodicea is the last church that will live through the seventh year when the wrath of God is poured out on an unrepentant world. The previous church, the church of Philadelphia is the church that is raptured.

“‘I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name… Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth. I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown.” Revelation 3:10-11

Which church will you belong to the church of Philadelphia or the church of Laodicea?

GODLESSNESS IN THE LAST DAYS

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“But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power.” 2 Timothy 3:1-5

“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” Matthew 24:9-13

These two verses show us we cannot claim Jesus did not tell us that Christians will face persecution in the last days as God refines His church before the Rapture. It shows the Pretribulation position held by much of charismatic church in the USA and Australia is untenable. The church will go through a refining process with the tribulation and even great tribulation but Jesus tells us that we will kept from the wrath of God that is poured out on the world with the Trumpet and Bowl judgements.

“Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.” Romans 5:9

“Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth.” Revelation 3:10

It is at the sixth seal that heralds the coming wrath of God

“Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?” Revelation 6:15-17

The trumpet blast at the seventh seal is when the Rapture of the Saints on earth takes place and it is then John sees the Saints in heaven in their glorified bodies.

“After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” Revelation 7:9-10

Hold steady by keeping close to Jesus, by following the leading of the Spirit and by keeping short accounts with the Lord.  Confess sin quickly and be restored from all unrighteousness. Pray and seek guidance so that we can walk on the Highway of Holiness prepared for the ransomed, doing the things He has prepared beforehand for us to walk in – all for His glory. 

THE WORD OF LIFE GIVES ETERNAL LIFE

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“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.“ 1 John 1 :1-4

What an amazing scripture. Let us unpack it. First, John tells us that Jesus was “from the beginning“. Jesus is eternal. Second, Jesus is the “word of life“. What does this mean? John tells us in the following scripture.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” John 1:1

Third, John then testifies that “the eternal life which was with the Father was made manifest to us” Jesus became one of us that He might redeem us. Fourth, John says, “what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you” Why? So that we might also come into “fellowship with our (Heavenly) Father and His Son Jesus Christ”. Fifth, then and only then will “our joy be complete“.

The Fourth truth is one we must all take seriously “what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you” We are called to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ to others, and if we do “our joy will be made complete.”

Who did you share the Good News of Jesus Christ with today? Even in Lock Down which we have in Sydney, Australia right now. I still have the phone, Skype and Zoom. May the Holy Spirit guide your every step this day. May God even send an Angel to minister to some of you this day.

THE GREATEST CURE OF ALL

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God has used Nick Vujicic to bring the Gospel message to millions. Listen to this powerful message from Nick, you will be inspired and encouraged. Share this video with others, it will probably be the most important thing you can do today.

Nick is right, the greatest cure of all is Jesus Christ. Connect with Nick Vujicic. He wants to help you with your next steps in your journey with Jesus! He shares here, a message of encouragement especially to those who are still asking the biggest spiritual questions and wondering, “Who are we? Why are we here?” Being born without arms and legs has definitely forced Nick to consider the bigger questions of life. And maybe you’ve seen him on YouTube. Nick just wants the world to know that God is real and hope is real.

In this video Nick poses important questions: ” Maybe right now your crisis has to do with your family, relationships, maybe your job. And as a society facing uncertain times, we kind of get stopped in our tracks. We put our confidence in what we normally accept as normal–that we have a job, that we go to school, that we have people in our life. What happens when we put confidence in things or people and they’re taken away? Where do we get our strength from, and where do we find our hope? Jesus is the greatest cure of all.

WORLD REJECTS GOD’S VALUES

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Päivi Räsänen, a Christian politician is facing six years in prison for sharing her biblical beliefs on sexuality and marriage. Finnish Bishop-elect Juhana Pohjola, who distributed a pamphlet written by Räsänen is facing a similar sentence.

“The actions of the Finnish State in prosecuting Christians for holding to the clear teaching of the very words of Jesus regarding marriage and sex (Matthew 19:4-6) are egregious (extraordinary in a bad way),” says the statement issued by the International Lutheran Council and joined by the bishops and presidents of dozens of Lutheran church bodies worldwide.

Finland, Päivi Räsänen
Finnish Member of Parliament, Päivi Räsänen

Päivi Räsänen, a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, could face up to six years in prison after being charged with three counts of ethnic agitation related to statements she made expressing her beliefs about human sexuality and marriage.

A longstanding member of the Finnish Parliament, Räsänen publicly voiced her opinion on marriage in a 2004 booklet on sexual ethics, describing marriage as between one man and one woman. She also expressed her views on a 2019 radio show and tweeted church leadership on the matter.

Pohjola, the bishop-elect of the Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland, has also been charged with one count of ethnic agitation for publishing Räsänen’s booklet.

“… The accused clearly affirm the divinely given dignity, value, and human rights of all, including all who identify with the LGBTQ community,” says the letter, titled “A Protest and Call for Free Religious Speech in Finland.”

“We Lutherans make this strong confession along with Drs. Pohjola and Räsänen,” it continues. “The vast majority of Christians in all nations, including Catholics and Eastern Orthodox, share these convictions. Would the Finnish Prosecutor General condemn us all? Moreover, shall the Finnish State risk governmental sanctions from other states based on the abuse of foundational human rights?”

Prosecutors determined that Räsänen’s previous statements disparage and discriminate against LGBT individuals and foment intolerance and defamation. The mother of five maintains that her expressions are “legal and should not be censored.”

“I cannot accept that voicing my religious beliefs could mean imprisonment,” said Räsänen in a statement previously issued by ADF International, which is representing her. “I do not consider myself guilty of threatening, slandering or insulting anyone. My statements were all based on the Bible’s teachings on marriage and sexuality.”

What we see playing out here in Finland and most countries in the west including my own country Australia is prophesied to happen in the “last days” before Jesus returns to this earth to rule and reign from the nation, Israel, that God established for His purposes nearly 2000 years ago. Most of the O.T. prophets from Moses onward prophesied that their Messiah will rule over the nations. The Millennial reign of Jesus on this earth will fulfill these prophecies and the Abrahamic covenant. It completes the unfinished business God had with Israel and is a transitional period prior to the destruction of this earth, the second resurrection and the White Throne Judgement.

I say a transitional period because we know that Satan is bound for most of Jesus Millennial reign on this earth and yet we are told that Jesus and the resurrected Saints need to rule with a “rod of iron”. (Rev. 2:27, 12:5, 19:15)

“Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.” Revelation 20:1-3

Also, when Satan is released he is still able to raise an enormous army to wage a war against Jesus and the Saints.

“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. And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulphur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” Revelation 20:7-10

God is revealing to us the state of the human heart, Even though Satan is bound and Jesus and the glorified Saints are ruling and reigning on this earth, people will still reject God’s values and rebel against His authority over them just as Satan and one third of the angels did at the beginning of creation. Read what God had to say about people living on earth prior to God’s first judgement of the human race. Moreover, Jesus said that prior to the the wrath of God being poured out again they would be just like the people of Noah’s day.

“The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” Genesis 6:5

BEING LIGHTS IN THE WORLD

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More tough Scriptures. It is amazing how you look at things very differently when you realise the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity lives within you and that you can grieve Him and quench His work in your life. Moreover, you come to realise that things in your life work out so much better when you get in step with Him.

“Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world... ” Philippians 2:14-15

“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus…” Philippians 2:3-5

The reality is you now have a different vision: a way to see things that are unseen. To see this world through our Heavenly Father’s eyes. It means finding hope in the hopeless, blessings in the brokenness and even good in the bad.

What a way to live, living eternally now, knowing God and His Word and knowing how the story ends: life with all three persons of the Trinity on a new earth and heaven.

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away… And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” Revelation 21:1, 3-4

Just to keep things in perspective, Scripture clearly tells us that the Millennial reign of Jesus on this earth with the glorified saints precedes the White Throne judgement and the new heaven and new earth. Sadly, for those that survive the coming wrath of God and those born to the survivors, pain, suffering and death is still a reality but with Jesus and the saints present on earth and Satan bound (1000 years) their effects certainly the first two, will be less intense.

ISRAEL IS CENTRAL IN END TIMES PROPHECIES

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When speaking of Israel’s time of suffering in the “latter days” (Deuteronomy 31:29) Moses specifically mentioned in Deut. 32:20 and 32:25 that God would hide His face from Israel during this time, and give them over to the power of the sword:

Then He said, “I will hide My face from them, I will see what their end shall be; for they are a perverse generation, sons in whom is no faithfulness”. Deuteronomy 32:20

It is certainly no coincidence that this is exactly what Ezekiel says will take place as a result of Gog’s invasion of Israel.

“I hid My face from them; so I gave them into the hand of their adversaries, and all of them fell by the sword” Ezekiel 39:23

Ezekiel 38:10-13 and 39:10 also mention that as a result of Gog’s invasion, Israel will be “plundered” by her enemies,

The hostility against this small nation that God established for His purposes is escalating at an incredible pace as the following events indicate. Biblical “end times” prophecies are being fulfilled in our day. It is difficult to understand why so much of the church can’t see it.

Freshly inaugurated Iranian president Dr. Ebrahim Raisi, [infamously known as the Butcher of Tehran] hosted the leaders of various terror groups, including Hamas, Hezbollah and Palestinian Islamic Jihad during his first day in office Friday, assuring Iran’s continued support for groups seeking the destruction of Israel.

Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh, a guest of honour at the event, was singled out for praise by Raisi. According to state-owned Iranian news agency Fars, Raisi reassured Haniyeh that Iran is committed to supporting the terror group.

Hassan Nasrallah, secretary-general of Hezbollah, on Saturday warned that the Israeli army would be destroyed in any future war with the Lebanon-based terrorist organization, Hezbollah’s Al-Manar news agency reported.

“Palestine has been and always will be the number one issue of the Muslim world,” Raisi said. “We’ve never had and will never have any doubt about this policy.”

It must be remembered what Haid Ghaemi, the executive director of the New-York based Centre for Human Rights in Iran, told AFP News Agency that “Raisi is a pillar of a system that jails, tortures, and kills people for daring to criticize state policies,” .

‘Victory for Palestine is near,’ Iran’s new president tells terror chiefs
New Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi hosts Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh (Twitter/IRAN GOV/Screenshot)

Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, after his 12 years at the helm has been replaced by a precarious coalition that lacks coherence and leadership. Whereas Netanyahu was at all times focused on the dangers of a nuclear Iran, the new government appears hardly concerned about this threat. 

President Trump toasted the Iran nuke deal, and in the absence of those accords, Iran has been madly spinning centrifuges and taking steps toward becoming a nuclear nation. As well, the Biden administration appears to be influenced by the anti-Israel & pro-Iran philosophy of the former Obama regime
When we couple this with the exit of all U.S. and allied NATO forces from Afghanistan, as well as the withdrawal of American forces in the entire Mediterranean area, things are looking rather precarious for the nation of Israel.
In the news this week, Israeli Jets Struck Inside Syria for the second time this week
Things are all of a sudden looking very bad for the Jewish state, and if they were attacked right now, they could not expect any help from their powerful Western allies. Seldom has their position looked so lonely.
All of this and we have not even talked about the unprecedented global rise of anti-Semitism, which is breaking world records each year. It is incredible how quickly everything has changed!

Remember the saying; “Nature abhors a vacuum?” Well, when we connect all of the above factors, a massive hiatus has suddenly appeared in the Middle East that makes the State of Israel extremely vulnerable. Sadly, it is only going to get worse exactly as the Bible prophesies.

THE RISE AND TRIUMPH OF MODERN SELF

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I am a fan of Professor Carl Trueman and have and will continue to use him to expose where our western society is headed. Carl Trueman is professor of biblical and religious studies at Grove City College in Grove City, Pennsylvania. He has written more than a dozen books, including Histories and Fallacies: Problems Faced in the Writing of History, Luther on the Christian Life, The Creedal Imperative, Cultural Amnesia, Expressive Individualism, The Road to Sexual Revolution and his latest book The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self.

In this interview, John Anderson former Deputy Prime Minister of Australia and Professor Trueman, discuss his latest book The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self. It deals with self in an age of culture wars, including the societal shift of the perception of happiness and gratification, the technological revolution, and the sexual revolution and its ties to authoritarianism.

TOPICS COVERED IN THIS VIDEO:

00:16 Introducing Professor Carl Trueman 1:00 How does history give us a unique understanding of where we currently are as a society? 3:41 How do today’s trends have similarities to the Reformation? 6:42 Abolition of the private sphere in the technological revolution 8:38 What is the modern self? 11:08 The morality of capitalism and the right to be happy 12:43 The old and new atheism 14:36 The danger of great ideas and fascism 16:35 What is anticulture? 25:00 Social Darwinism 26:18 Cultural Marxism and the sexual revolution 30:42 How is modern society Freudian? 33:29 Gratification and discipline in the modern age 35:42 Victimhood and the modern dissatisfaction phenomenon 37:16 The transgenderism movement and authoritarianism 41:21 The ideological affirmation model 47:00 Freedom of speech is under attack 52:50 Cancel culture led by the elites 54:20 What can we do as individuals amid a divided society? 58:50 How can Christianity shed light on our culture for a return to decent humanity? 1:03:30 Are things going well for progressives?

If you enjoyed this video of John Anderson interviewing Carl Trueman then you might want to subscribe to his channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtnY. as he interviews the world’s foremost thought leaders about today’s pressing social, cultural and political issues. John believes proper, robust dialogue is necessary if we are to maintain our social strength and cohesion. As he puts it; “You cannot get good public policy out of a bad public debate.”

END OF DAYS MESSAGE FROM JONATHAN CAHN

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This is more a podcast than a video but in it Jonathan reveals how the Bible consistently, right from the early books of Moses, outlines the events that will unfold in the last days, the end of days before Jesus returns to rule and reign on this earth during the Millennium.. He then shows us how the godless events, the vulgar culture, the great falling away in the church, but also a great falling away from the natural to the unnatural, that are unfolding in our time are prophesied in God’s Word. Jesus has also revealed to Christians that He will purify His church before He comes again.

“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” Matthew 24:9-14

MAKING DISCIPLES FOR CHRIST

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The Bible defines in the book of Acts, what the Christian life should be as a disciple of Jesus Christ — healing the sick, cleansing the lepers, raising the dead, casting out demons, and making disciples of all nations, baptising them to Jesus Christ, and teaching them to observe all things that Jesus commanded.

Sadly, this does not describe the Christian life for most of us in the West. The church needs to come back to the beginnings of the church that we read about in the Book of Acts. We have to return to God’s intention and see how the Holy Spirit moves as we step out in faith to share the Gospel and grow His Kingdom.

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Torben Sondergaad of the Last reformation explains what he believes has occurred with the church in the West and what needs to happen now.

“It was never God’s intention for these revealed truths to result in independent church denominations that, after a while, quench the fire of revival. God did not intend to create separate churches and denominations with their own disconnected ‘little’ truths, while ignoring the other parts and, thus, hindering their members from gaining the whole truth. We believe that it is a reformation that will restore the Church back to what we read in Acts: a simple disciple-life led by the Holy Spirit, where the kingdom of God comes near in homes, on the streets, in shops — yes, all places where people are,” says Torben.

“He says the Church is not the building; the Church is you and me. “God does not live in a temple built of stone. He lives in us — Christians, His disciples. Jesus wants to be part of our everyday life in a practical, direct relationship with Him, without intermediaries.

“I have so many testimonies of people who have been sitting in a Church for 20 or 40 years and have never led anybody to Christ, never cast out demons, healed the sick or experienced the supernatural life, and don’t have testimonies like we read about in the book of Acts.

“The book of Acts should be the normal Christian life — being led by the Holy Spirit and used by God to build His Church, whereas most Christian churchgoers do not lead a life as described in the book of Acts,” says Torben.”

He contends that although Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever, we should ask ourselves if the Holy Spirit is living through us in the same way He lived through the followers of Christ in the book of Acts.