HOW DID JESUS TEACH US TO WATCH FOR HIS RETURN?

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Jesus’ top END-TIME command to WATCH is being ignored, and according to Jesus, it will lead to the Great Apostasy. Pastors are afraid to teach what it really means, so vast numbers of our churches are clueless. Many have already compromised with the world and are already apostate churches: gay marriage, homosexual pastors, and transgenderism.

How many churches are preaching the need to watch for Jesus’ return and to watch for the right things. How many times did Jesus say we need to watch and how do we watch? At least following Jesus’ command to be a good disciple is a good start but it is not what Jesus is saying, here. Watching for the signs Jesus has given us is so that, we know what is coming and can act accordingly. God has given us much information on the time before He returns, particularly on the Antichrist so He wants us to watch for the events so we will be prepared and can warn others.

There were 300-plus prophecies of Jesus first coming and the religious leaders of the day, the Pharisees and Sadducees totally missed it. There are 2000 prophecies of Jesus’ second coming and the religious leaders of our day are totally missing it.

Watch this Nelson Walters video to find out what the command is, and how to obey it.

SATAN’S END TIMES STRATEGY

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This is the fifth and final post on knowing our enemy: the first was entitled SATAN – PRINCE OF THIS WORLD: WHO HE WAS AND NOW IS (26/05/2024). The second was WHEN DID SATAN REBEL AGAINST GOD? (27/05/2024) The third was ANCIENT SUMERIANS RECORDED THE DIVIDE OF HEAVEN AND EARTH IN ACCORD WITH THE BIBLE (03/06/2024). The fourth post was KNOWING HOW YOUR REAL ENEMY OPERATES (07/06/2024). If you have not read these I suggest you do. It is important we know our enemy.

God has revealed all we need to know in His Word, the Bible. Much is given about Satan’s last desperate efforts to maintain control of the Earth before Jesus returns to defeat him and his Antichrist in the battle of Armageddon. This post is about Satan’s end-times strategy. Doug Hamp’s latest book, Corrupting the Image, Vol. 3, Singularity, Superhumans and the Second Coming of Jesus brings our understanding of events in the days of the Beast leading up to the return of Jesus into focus. Doug carefully lays out a theological roadmap for understanding the heavenly and earthly battles yet to take place in the future.

 Mike Spaulding is pastor of Calvary Chapel of Lima and he hosts the Soaring Eagle Radio show. He sums up the end times scenario playing out in our time. “While the modern American church leads the way into global apostasy, Satan, the enemy of God, of His creation, and of His people, is gaining strength and assembling his forces for the coming great conflict. Satan is staging his assets for a blitzkrieg of shock and awe evil that will overwhelm the earth. UFO disclosure, Artificial Intelligence, genetic engineering, transhumanism, and the mad rush toward singularity are not disparate endeavours but are all part of the devil’s strategy of casting a dragnet to ensnare all of humanity in a great deception of faux hope and faux salvation“. This is part of Mike’s Foreword for Doug’s latest book.

Are you living your life knowing Jesus’ return is near and that God’s wrath is going to be poured out on an unrepentant world? God gives us a great deal of information about the Trumpet and Bowl judgements so we need to warn our unsaved family and friends of what is coming (Revelation 8-9 and 16).

PROPHESIED APOSTATE END TIMES CHURCH

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UMC drops decades-old ban on ordaining LGBT clergy without debate

The United Methodist General Conference has voted to remove a decades-old ban on ordaining pastors in romantic same-sex relationships after thousands of conservative congregations left the denomination in recent years. 

Bishop Karen Oliveto (in blue jacket) and her wife, Robin Ridenour (front, center), join in embracing delegates and visitors at the 2024 United Methodist General Conference in Charlotte, N.C. after the conference voted to remove the denomination’s ban on the ordination of clergy who are “self-avowed practicing homosexuals” — a prohibition that dates to 1984

At the UMC General Conference Wednesday, delegates approved without debate a measure removing the language from the Book of Discipline as part of a broader consent calendar, passing it by a final tally of 692 to 51.

Since 1984, the UMC Book of Discipline has prohibited the ordination of “self-avowed practicing homosexuals,” with many progressives in the mainline Protestant denomination openly refusing to enforce or follow the restriction.  

Applause from General Conference attendees was heard after the vote, with retired Bishop Hope Morgan Ward, a longtime proponent of removing the language, offering a prayer.

“You every day are great God, and every day You are working for good in the world. Stir up in us a desire to serve You, to live peacefully with our neighbors and all creation, and devote this day to your service,” Ward said, as quoted by UM News.

Over the past several years, the UMC has experienced intense debate over whether to change various rules in its Book of Discipline regarding LGBT individuals, which included barring the ordination of noncelibate homosexuals, prohibiting clergy from performing same-sex unions and barring church bodies from funding LGBT advocacy groups.

Although efforts to change the rules at the General Conference have failed in past years, many theological liberal leaders within the UMC have ignored the rules and allowed individuals who were in same-sex relationships to be ordained or even promoted to bishop.

For example, Karen Oliveto was elected bishop in 2016 by the UMC Western Jurisdiction despite being in a same-sex marriage. Although her election was deemed invalid by the United Methodist Judicial Council, the denomination’s highest court, in 2017, she remains a bishop to the present day.

Oliveto gave a sermon at General Conference on Monday, asking those gathered if they were “willing to meet and serve Jesus in the queer clergy person who has been faithful to God’s call even when the Church has tried to deny that call?”

At a 2019 special session of the General Conference, delegates approved a temporary measure that created a disaffiliation process for congregations that wanted to leave the UMC due to the debate over sexuality, with more than 7,500 churches doing so by the end of 2023.

On Tuesday, as part of another consent calendar, delegates voted 667-54 to remove the Book of Discipline’s ban on funding LGBT advocacy groups and mandatory punishments for clergy who blessed same-sex unions.

Article by Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor, The Christian Post, Wednesday, May 01, 2024

PROPHESIED END TIMES APOSTATE CHURCH

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Parachurch head leaves Church of England because it ‘no longer affirms biblical orthodoxy’

Rico Tice, a well-known Evangelical leader and former Church of England clergyman, has left the denomination in reaction to what he perceives as its growing departure from biblical values, especially concerning same-sex marriage and repentance.

Tice, best known for co-writing the evangelism course Christianity Explored and co-founder of Christianity Explored Ministries, cited the denomination’s recent decision to allow priests to bless same-sex couples and its lack of substantive response to concerns laid out by him and five other leaders of CofE-connected parachurch organizations last October.

In an interview with Evangelicals Now, Tice, the former senior minister at All Souls, Langham Place in London, explained that he now worships at the International Presbyterian Church (IPC) in Ealing, London.

“Last October, I was one of six Evangelical leaders of parachurch organizations with connections to the Church of England who wrote to [Archbishop of Canterbury] Justin Welby and all the bishops explaining our deep ‘heaviness of heart, soul and mind’ about the church’s onward trajectory toward affirming same-sex marriage, specifically the new Prayers of Love and Faith,” he said.

“We called upon the archbishop to resist the influence of cultural values when they are in opposition to those of the Bible. We did this because it was harming our ability to work with orthodox people from other denominations — how could they trust us? We received no substantive response from him, and that was a key moment in my decision to leave.”

CofE’s “Prayers of Love and Faith” are new guidelines enacted last December that allow priests to bless same-sex couples but don’t require them to do so, a measure opposed by many Evangelicals within the Church of England amid a growing divide within the Anglican community regarding same-sex marriage and biblical orthodoxy.

Tice said the move to the International Presbyterian Church in Ealing, London, was motivated by a desire to maintain alignment with his values. He has had a longstanding relationship with the church’s minister, Paul Levy. He said the congregation’s emphasis on eldership, Reformed theology and the Westminster Confession appealed to him. Tice still retains his permission to preach, which allows him to speak in CofE congregations.

“But I think it vital that I demonstrated clear separation from a church that no longer affirms biblical orthodoxy, especially concerning preaching repentance,” he said. 

Tice’s role at the International Presbyterian Church includes evangelism and training on evangelism techniques like Christianity Explored, Hope Explored and The Word One to One. But he sees himself as an ordinary member of the congregation, attending services with his family and engaging in fellowship with other church members.

Tice expressed disappointment and sadness, describing the situation in the CofE as “utterly heartbreaking.” “In retrospect, I was naïve about our current culture in the Church of England because I never thought I would see such a clear, pervasive denial of the Christian’s need to repent of each and every sin they commit,” he said. 

What we see happening in the institutional churches confirms end-times Biblical prophecy of a great falling away, the church compromising with the world and its values. Worse is yet to come as Jesus revealed in this Scripture.

“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.“ Matthew 24:9-12

RELIGIOUS BELIEFS ‘AT ODDS’ WITH MAINSTREAM CULTURE

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An increasing share of Americans think their religious beliefs are “at odds” with “mainstream American culture.” 48% of citizens say there is either a “great deal” or “some” conflict in this area, up from just 42% in 2020, according to a Pew Research Centre Survey. The survey also found 29% of Americans believe they are religious minorities, up from 24% in 2000.

Meanwhile, most U.S. adults, 80%, said “religion’s role in American life is shrinking,” a percentage that’s the highest it has been in Pew’s research history. Just 18% expressed the belief faith is gaining influence in American society, with 49% saying religion’s influence is on the decline and that it’s a bad thing, which is unsurprising considering 57% of U.S. adults believe religion’s influence on American life is positive.

Americans’ political affiliations impacted their view of religion and public life. Republicans (51%) said it is important to have a president with the same religious beliefs they hold; just 25% of Democrats said the same. Pew found some interesting statistics regarding this year’s presidential candidates with 13% stating they believe Biden is “very religious” and 4% expressing the same about Trump. Source: Faithwire

Sadly, the majority of the people in the survey who claim to be religious are not born-again Christians who hold a Biblical worldview. Already, most of the denominational/institutional churches have compromised with the world on big issues such as gay marriage and homosexuality. These churches will be among those who thought they were part of God’s church but will be left behind to face the wrath of God. In Revelation 3 each of the seven churches represents the church in each of the seven years before Jesus returns first to rapture His church – the church of Philadelphia. The church of Laodicea is the church that is left behind to face the wrath of God but note they still have the opportunity to repent and be saved.

To the Church in 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. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ Revelation 3:15-22

GOD WILL BE WITH YOU IN THE COMING TRIBULATION

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In a society increasingly pushing liberal agendas, it’s no surprise to see an accompanying escalation in disdain for biblical truth. With the rise of LGBT ideology alone, basic biology is under attack, marriage is mocked, and those who proclaim what Scripture says about homosexuality are labeled as hateful bigots.

 A survey conducted by the Survey Center on American Life released last week found that fifty-four percent of Gen Z adults who left their formative religion are women; forty-six percent are men.”

According to the results, the primary factors that tied into this increase of women leaving the church were a rise in self-proclaimed feminists and self-identified liberals. Participants (65%) in a previous poll by the same group felt “churches do not treat men and women equally,” the authors of the survey results noted. They added that many women in this current climate find “professional ambition and concern with personal success and growth” outweighs their desire to grow in areas of religion or familial concerns, describing the latter categories as “lower priorities.”

What we see unfolding is exactly what the Bible predicted would happen before Jesus returns to restore righteousness. Jesus told us that tribulation will be intense so we should not be surprised. God is in control and He wants us to play our role whatever that might be. Christians can be sure by the Holy Spirit indwelling our spirit that He will be with us in the situation just as Jesus was in the furnace with Shadrach, Meshak, and Abednego. He did not take them out of the furnace, He was in there with them.

“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

We need to get ready to rule and reign with Jesus in His coming Millennial Kingdom.

“The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron…” Revelation 2:26-27

“And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron.” Revelation 19:14-15

BIBLICAL PROPHESIED LAST DAYS APOSTASY

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Wheaton College (1860) (like so many other supposed Christian institutions) has compromised God’s Word in Genesis for a long time. This college also became soft on the LGBTQ issue and other social issues and now is being impacted (not surprisingly) by the woke culture.

Nearly 10 years ago, Ken Ham of Answers in Genesis wrote this in an article about Wheaton College (a college that has produced a science textbook teaching evolution and millions of years as fact): when a Christian institution compromises God’s Word in Genesis, this will eventually put it on a slippery slide of unbelief with the rest of Scripture and Christian doctrine.

Wheaton College was often called the ‘Harvard of Christian Schools’ due to its academic rigor being relatively comparable to the Ivy League titan. Its graduates of note range from Billy Graham to Dan Coates, former Director of National Intelligence and U.S. senator.

But now, the school in the leafy suburb west of Chicago has begun to mimic Harvard’s wokeness. Banning biblical words, teaching critical race theory, and psychologizing gender identity issues. This may not seem extreme in modern academia. But for a school that houses the works of Rev. Graham, C.S. Lewis, and J.R.R. Tolkien, it is adrift from its orthodox, Christian moorings. What happens to these institutions happens to most of the students who attend them as they are indoctrinated in compromise on God’s Word and increasingly in woke philosophy.

What has happened at Wheaton College demonstrates the importance of the ministries: Answers in Genesis, http://www.answersingenesis.org, and Creation Ministries International, http://www.creation.com.

MAKING HEAVEN ON EARTH IS OUR BUSINESS

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The founder of the Salvation Army, William Booth made this mission statement: “MAKING HEAVEN ON EARTH IS OUR BUSINESS”.

“When we consider that the only prayer Jesus taught us to pray includes up-front “Your Kingdom come, your will be done on Earth as it is done in heaven” Matthew 6:8-10, Booth got it right, and look what he achieved. Making disciples who were totally committed to praying and doing as Jesus commanded.

Sadly, now, like most institutions the Salvation Army has watered down God’s command and has compromised with the world. What is the lead statement on their website?

At the Salvos, we believe in good.

What does good mean to The Salvation Army? “Good is a unique word — a simple yet profound term that takes on different faces and meanings for all of us.

For the Salvos, it is more than a word – it’s a belief. It is helping someone at their point of need, walking alongside a community through and after a crisis, and lending a kind and caring space for someone feeling isolated. And a whole lot more.

At the Salvos, we believe in good for everyone. It is this belief that drives us to find new ways and places where we can make a difference. From times of personal crisis to moments of national grief, we are at work each day, providing support, safety, community, and opportunity.”

God does not get a mention up front and this mission statement is not Booth’s mission statement: MAKING HEAVEN ON EARTH IS OUR BUSINESS but the Mission Statement does get to God.

Why good?

“The meaning of good has been diluted over the years. But at the Salvos, we’ve always believed in the power of good. It reflects our belief in our good God and our calling to share the goodness of God with others. Through our decades of work, we know people can find themselves in hardship anywhere, at any time — be it homelessness or housing stress, drug or alcohol addiction, family and domestic violence, unemployment, financial stress, natural disaster, or another crisis.“

Sydney, Australia church spokesman Major Bruce Harmer says the Salvos offer services to all who are in need, regardless of sexual orientation. “The Salvation Army has worked for many years with gay and lesbian people through their treatment centres and welfare agencies, we have employees who are gay and members of our church who are gay,” he said. “So it’s easy to take one phrase and run with it, but in reality, the Salvation Army is not homophobic.“

In the end times, Jesus told us there would be a great falling away in the church, apostasy, and the love of many will grow cold. Christians need to be prepared for the coming tribulation and be totally committed to God’s agenda for their lives.

“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day (The Day of the Lord) shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;” 2 Thessalonians 2:3

“Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and you 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 shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” Matthew 24:9-12

Biblical prophecy gives us a picture of the church which God raptures to heaven before pouring out His wrath upon an unrepentant world.

To the Church in Philadelphia (Philadelphus the “love for a brother” What remains of the faithful Church will be bound in brotherly love by the persecution of earth-shaking proportions.

“‘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 to what you have, so that no one may seize your crown.” Revelation 3:8,10-11

Biblical prophecy also gives us a picture of the church that will be left behind to face the coming judgement.

To the Church in Laodicea (Laodicea is a combination of two Greek words (LAO, meaning “God’s people”; and DIKE, meaning “justice or judgment”) Judgement of God’s people

“‘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. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.” Revelation 3:15-19

PROPHESIED END TIMES APOSTASY BY CHURCHES

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C.S. Lewis once observed, “Where men are forbidden to honor a king they honor millionaires, athletes, or film stars instead — even famous prostitutes or gangsters. For spiritual nature, like bodily nature, will be served — deny it food and it will gobble poison.” Just so, as God has been denied the honor He is due in the public square — as prayer and worship have been forced out of the classroom, suppressed in parliament buildings and legislative chambers, and muffled in film, literature, and art — men have decided to bestow that honor upon themselves.

Morality is not determined by the individual, by convenience, by democratic consensus, but by God.

Those entrusted with preaching and teaching His word have a grave responsibility to speak the Truth, to uphold moral clarity in a world gone mad. As long as Christian leaders remain silent, as long as they produce nothing more than ambiguities and reluctant compromises, more and more souls will turn away from God and listen to the serpent’s hollow pledge.

In 2020, the United Methodist Church announced a proposal to split the denomination over “fundamental differences,” predominantly relating to same-sex marriages. So far, nearly 8,000 individual churches have filed to leave the United Methodist Church over its progressive policies. The Presbyterian Church USA allowed the ordination of openly gay men and women in 2011 and, in 2014, approved same-sex marriages. The Episcopal Church (and Anglican Church) allowed blessings for same-sex unions in 2012. They quickly followed by permitting same-sex marriages in 2015. Of course, these moves are more than merely ambiguous and outright contradict the biblical definition of marriage. Moreover, the Pope has recently sanctified the blessing of same-sex couples, a further compromise with the world that confirms Biblical end-times prophecy of apostasy and falling away. (check out my last two posts on Apostate Pope). In the following two Scriptures, we have the apostle Paul and Jesus warning of a falling away from faith before Jesus second coming first to rescue the Saints before pouring out His wrath upon an unrepentant world.

“Now brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to him, we ask you not to be shaken in mind, or be troubled, either by spirit, or by word, or by letter as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means: for that day will not come, unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition” 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3

“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

Since Western civilization rests on the back of Christianity, a lack of moral clarity from Christian leaders inevitably leads to a lack of moral clarity in Western civilization. Without that moral clarity, Western nations become uprooted from objective morality, as defined by God, and increasingly turn inward upon themselves, giving rise to the dangerous phenomenon of consent-based and consensus-based morality.

APOSTATE POPE – PROOF OF END TIMES PROPHECY PART2

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Pope Francis chose Monsignor Victor Manuel Fernández, the archbishop of La Plata, Argentina, as the prefect, or chief, of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith in July 2023. He is an old friend Of Pope Francis and is responsible for the recent statement by the Pope on the blessing of same-sex couples. It has now been revealed that in 1998 he wrote the book Mystical Passion – Spirituality and Sensuality which is almost pornographic. He conflates sexual pleasure with mysticism. As the following video reveals Catholics are now horrified by the doctrinal changes he is now making through Pope Francis.