JESUS SOON RETURN TO PLANET EARTH

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How many of you have really “meditated on”, “come to grips with”, “got your ahead around” the FACT Jesus is returning to this earth soon to liberate His chosen nation, and to rule and reign with His resurrected saints on this cursed earth for 1000 years. Moreover, He needs to rule with a rod of iron. People will still be born, people still need to come to know Jesus as their Lord and Saviour and people will still die. The curse of death has not been lifted off this planet. It is destined for destruction by fire at the end of the Millennium. John describes its destiny and what will occur at that time in Revelation 20 and 21.

“Then I saw a great white throne and Him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:11-15
The New Heaven and the New Earth
​ Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 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 21:1-4

It is important to acknowledge that many of the early Church Fathers believed that the earth was less than 6,000 years old and that they read the Genesis creation account both literally and symbolically. To check this out read the article Creationism and Millennialism among the Church Fathers by Andrew Sibley on www,creation.com.

It is clear from a close reading of the Church Fathers that the widely held belief of the church in the first few centuries after Christ was that the creation occurred less than 6,000 years prior to their time of writing; at least it seems to have been the majority opinion among the church leaders. This belief was also tied in with an understanding of the timing of the Second Coming of Christ and His millennial reign; a pressing question for the early church. The millennial scheme symbolically linked six days of creation with 6,000 years of Earth history, with the final millennium reign seen as foreshadowed by the seventh day of rest in the creation account. This undermines claims that such belief is a recent phenomenon, or is not in tune with traditional Christian theology.

Influence for the symbolic linkage between the six days of creation and the six thousand years until the millennial reign of rest may have been passed down directly from the Apostles, especially John, the author of Revelation. Irenaeus, who lived during the 2nd century ad, claims to have received the teaching from Papias and Polycarp, who received it directly from John. Influence may also have derived from Peter’s writing, wherein the Apostle was responding to questions about the return of Christ. Peter wrote that for God “a day is like a thousand years” (2 Peter 3:8) and that the Christians should be patient regarding the question of Christ’s return.

Most of the Church Fathers of the first three centuries relied upon the LXX to determine the age of the earth and the Second Advent. Initially, Christians believed that Christ would return sometime around AD 500. However, later acceptance of the Septuagint Masoretic Text, with its shorter time frame for creation of around 4000 BC, extended the second coming to AD 2000. 

So, the gradual acceptance of the Hebrew MT by Christians, from which Bishop Ussher derived a date for the age of the earth of 4004 BC, gave fresh ‘legs’ to millennial thinking among Christians in more recent times, with Christ expected to return sometime around AD 2000.

JUDAEO-CHRISTIAN FOUNDATIONS FOR RULE OF LAW AND DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTIONS

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The Bible has been historically recognized as the most important book for the development of both the rule of law and democratic institutions in the Western world. However, we have seen over these last decades a deep erosion of individual rights, with the growth of state power over the life and liberty of individuals. The Judeo-Christian foundations of the rule of law in the West: a legacy of liberty and resistance against tyranny have been incessantly eroded since the acceptance of evolutionary belief, which was working its insidious influence even before Charles Darwin published his Origin of Species in 1859.6 His writings replaced, in the minds of those who accepted his ideas, the fundamental and unique concept of divine creation as revealed in Genesis. Creation as outlined in Scripture was exchanged for ideas of undirected processes of evolution, involving death of the unfit through millions of years of struggle and violence—the very antithesis of the “very good” origins revealed in Scripture. Evolution prepared the seedbed for the fruit that was to eventually grow within culture—abortions are intentional deaths (murder) and the average annual death toll of unborn babies, astonishingly, now exceeds 56 million. The abandonment of biblically based principles is almost complete. We now live in a post-Christian culture. The good news is that the Bible reveals the events unfolding are exactly what Jesus said will happen prior to His return to earth to rule and reign from Jerusalem.

LAST DAYS GOG/MAGOG WAR

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Are we seeing the stage being set for the “last days” war of Gog (Leader/Prince/King) of the land of Magog (uttermost parts, north of Israel, Russia) outlined in Ezekiel 38 & 39? Gog forms an alliance with Persia (Iran) Ezekiel 38:5 and ” it shall come to pass in the latter days, that I will bring you against my land (Israel)” Ezekiel 38:16.  The other countries in the alliance to come against Israel are Sudan, Libya, Turkey and some of the -stan (Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, Pakistan etc) countries (all Muslim).

Iran marks anniversary of Islamic Revolution with missiles, burning of flags

Iran celebrated the 39th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in 2019 by stressing its hatred towards the US and Israel.

 Millions took to the streets across Iran to mark the 39th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution in a show of violent force.

Listen to Joel Rosenberg present how he got involved in prophecy writing and specifically on Ezekiel 38 & 39. I am convinced that this call by God to write on Ezekiel 38 & 39 at this time in history is authentic and further proof we are in the “end times”. You will need 1 hour 15 minutes but I hope you will be challenged to look at these prophetic Scriptures more closely.

Do I espouse everything that Joel Rosenberg teaches? No, I don’t, especially a Pretribulation Rapture. I believe a Prewrath Rapture (at the end of the sixth seal) best fits Scripture. Moreover, I believe the Gog/Magog war is the final war at the end of the 70th week of Daniel. It takes place when Jesus comes back with the saints for the battle of Armageddon. Jesus then begins His Millennial reign from a restored Jerusalem. Joel believes the Gog/Magog war will take place before the seven years of tribulation (70th week of Daniel). Also, I expect the Antichrist to be Mahdi, the Messiah figure expected by all Muslims. However, one possibility promoted by Chris White is a false Jewish Messiah.  It won’t go away, so I am still asking the Holy Spirit to give clarification. All in His good timing. Joel still believes he will be European, even a Roman. Let me know what you think the Holy Spirit is revealing to you as you study these prophetic Scriptures.

PREWRATH RAPTURE

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Prewrath interpreters such as myself locate the resurrection just before the day of the Lord’s wrath is poured out beginning with the breaking of the seventh seal. The six seals depict the wrath of Satan being vented on Christians and Jews by the Antichrist and his followers. It is a time of great tribulation then the rapture and resurrection take place after which the wrath of God with the trumpet and bowl judgements. This is consistent with Matthew 24 and Paul’s Thessalonian teaching.

“Let no one deceive you in any way; for the day of the Lord will not come unless [ean mē] the apostasy comes first [prōton] and the lawless one is revealed, the one destined for destruction.” (2 Thessalonians 2:3)

The rapture and the resurrection will happen at the cutting short of the Beast’s great tribulation and before the day of the Lord’s wrath.

IT IS AT THE SEVENTH SEAL THAT JOHN SEES THE FOLLOWING

“After these things I looked, and here was an enormous crowd that no one could count, made up of persons from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb dressed in long white robes, and with palm branches in their hands. They w ere shouting out in a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God, who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And all the angels stood there in a circle around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they threw themselves down with their faces to the ground before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen! Praise and glory, and wisdom and thanksgiving, and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!” Then one of the elders asked me, “These dressed in long white robes—who are they and where have they come from?” So I said to him, “My lord, you know the answer.” Then he said to me, “These are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb! For this reason they are before the throne of God, and they serve him day and night in his temple, and the one seated on the throne will shelter them.They will never go hungry or be thirsty again, and the sun will not beat down on them, nor any burning heat,because the Lamb in the middle of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” (Revelation 7:9–17)

TRIBULATION PRECEDES THE RAPTURE WHICH PRECEDES THE WRATH OF GOD

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Social justice activist Shaun King unleashed a barrage of comments on social media claiming that statues of Jesus Christ are “a form of white supremacy” and should be torn down.  King is the co-founder of Real Justice PAC and supports the Black Lives Matter movement by sharing his views on injustice through social media.  His remarks come in the wake of a surge of protests and activism that have been taking place over racial injustice and equality.  Across a number of countries protesters have vandalized and torn down statues that represent history.  In a series of tweets, King declared that “public statues of the white European they claim is Jesus should also come down.  They are a form of white supremacy.  Always have been.”

He continued, “All murals and stained glass windows of white Jesus, and his European mother, and their white friends should also come down.  They are a gross form of white supremacy.  Created as tools of oppression.  Racist propaganda.  They should all come down.”  The activist alleged that the “white Jesus is a lie” and “a tool of white supremacy created and advanced to help white people use the faith as a tool of oppression.” 

Many of my previous posts have quoted Scriptures that clearly demonstrate the Bible prophesied this coming escalating persecution of Christians. Bible prophecies also address the apostasy, the falling away of churches that don’t uphold the inerrancy of God’s Word. This we also see happening as churches approve gay marriage and homosexuality. The good news is that these events signal the soon return of Jesus to rule and reign on this earth. Man’s time to rule on this earth, as well as Satan’s time of dominion, is coming to an end. Although, the Bible reveals that Satan gets an another opportunity to deceive mankind at the end of Jesus Millennial reign.

“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 sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” Revelation 20:7-10

Jesus tells us that Christians will experience great tribulation during the last seven years prior to His return, but they will not experience the wrath of God that is poured out on unbelievers. The wrath of God follows the opening of the seven seals around the Scroll containing the trumpet and bowl judgements.

“When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. 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 6:12-17

The next event John sees in Revelation 7 is the saints in heaven. The Rapture of the saints has occurred at the seventh seal. The censer that held the prayers of the saints is offered up one last time and then the censer is filled with fire from the altar and thrown to earth to initiate the the first trumpet judgement.

“And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake. Revelation 8:3-5

“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!” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honour and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.” Revelation 7:9-12

GREATEST BIBLE PROPHECY EVER

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Seems like an outrageous claim, but it is hard to discount the case made by Nelson Walters, a friend and a man I greatly admire. I am confident you will agree this is another great video from Nelson. It’s on an amazing prophecy which reveals that we are living in Biblical end times with Jesus return less than 100 years distant. Nelson mentions the early church father, Barnabus, but I would include Justin Martyr, Irenaeus and Lactantius. They all held to the sexta-septamillennial construct which is that the days of creation are prophetically one thousand years (with the Lord one day is as a thousand years). Hence, six thousand years of earths history is followed by the Millennial Reign of Jesus Christ. At the end of which will be the destruction of this earth, the second resurrection and the White Throne Judgement. The new heaven and new earth will then herald the start of the eighth thousand year of man’s history and eternity with our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

This Scripture from 2 Peter is such an important “end times” pointer.

“That you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior, knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” For this they wilfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgement and perdition of ungodly men.
But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” 2 Peter 3:2-8

 

DO YOU BELIEVE JESUS WILL RETURN IN YOUR LIFETIME?

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THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT A MAJORITY OF EVANGELICAL BLACK PASTORS IN THE USA DO

Most pastors serving at evangelical and historically black churches see some current events lining up with what Jesus said would happen shortly before His second coming, according to a new poll on Christian eschatology from LifeWay Research.

Over half believe Christ will return during their lifetimes. These sentiments were expressed in January before the prospect of a global pandemic became known.”

On Tuesday, the Southern Baptist polling research firm released results from from a phone survey, conducted between Jan. 24 and Feb. 11, of 1,000 senior pastors, ministers or priests who were randomly called from a list of evangelical and historically black churches in the United States.

90% of pastors see at least some current events “matching those Jesus said would occur shortly before He returns to Earth.”

56% of pastors either strongly or somewhat agreed with the statement: “I expect Jesus to return in my lifetime.”

24% said they were “not sure,” while 20 % either strongly or somewhat disagreed with the statement

97% of pastors said they believe Christ will return to Earth again.

The respondent pastors were asked to identify from a list whether they see certain “types of current events” as the “birth pains” that Jesus referred to when He was asked by His disciples when he would return. 

79% of pastors surveyed agreed that one birth pain of Christ’s return is “traditional morals becoming less accepted.”

75 percent of pastors said that “the number of people abandoning their Christian faith” is a birth pain.

81 percent agreed that “the love of many believers growing cold” is also a birth pain of Christ’s return.

78 percent of pastors said “wars and national conflicts” are also a birth pain

76 percent agreed that “earthquakes and other natural disasters” are indicators of the second coming. 

70 percent of pastors surveyed said that “famines” are another birth pain

The fear that the historic locust infestation taking place in East Africa right now could cause severe hunger and potential famine due to the destruction of crops is a good indicator this prophesied event is underway.

63 percent of pastors surveyed said that “worldwide anti-Semitism” is another indicator that Christ’s return might be near. 

83% of pastors surveyed agreed that the “rise of false prophets and false teachings” is a birth pain.

69% percent of pastors surveyed somewhat agreed that the “modern rebirth of the State of Israel and the re-gathering of millions of Jewish people show Christ’s return is closer.” Sadly, 27% indicated they either strongly or somewhat disagreed with that statement. 

Eighty-six percent of pastors surveyed said they attended Bible college or seminary. 

60 % of pastors surveyed said they believe the ideas of “premillennialism” best describe their views on the millennium described in Revelation 20, where it is said that Christ shall reign “a thousand years following His second coming.”

21% said that they believe more in the idea of “amillennialism” — the view that the “millennium is a symbolic way of describing the period between Christ’s ascension and second coming where Christ is reigning spiritually.”

9% said their beliefs align more with the theory of “postmillennialism,” which is the belief that the “the millennium is not a literal 1,000 years, but an era in which the world will gradually grow more Christian and just ending with Christ’s second coming.”

73% believe “Christ will return and reign in Jerusalem in fulfilment of God’s prophecies to King David.”

60% of pastors surveyed said they believe that teaching on Revelation and Old Testament prophecies is “important.” Meanwhile, 89 percent said that communicating the “urgency of Christ’s return” is also important. 

“For too long many pastors have shied away from teaching on birth pains and events leading up to the second coming,” bestselling evangelical author Joel Rosenberg said in a statement. “But the current pandemic demonstrates the need for solid, non-sensational preaching done in a biblical manner.”

The LifeWay survey was sponsored by Chosen People Ministries, Alliance for the Peace of Jerusalem, Rich and Judy Hastings and the Hendricks Center at Dallas Theological Seminary. The research has a margin of error of 3.2 percentage points. 

IS THIS THE BEGINNING OF BIRTH PANGS?

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Maybe so, if it is, then it is exciting, because that means Jesus’s return may even be in my lifetime! But it is also sober because much of the church is utterly unprepared, ignorant, and distracted. Two relevant scriptures are:

“He said, ‘Watch out that you are not misled. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them! And when you hear of wars and rebellions, do not be afraid. For these things must happen first, but the end will not come at once. Then he said to them, ‘Nation will rise up in arms against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, and famines and plagues [loimoi]* in various places, and there will be terrifying sights and great signs from heaven.’” (Luke 21:8–11)

“You will hear of wars and rumours of wars. Make sure that you are not alarmed, for this must happen, but the end is still to come. For nation will rise up in arms against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these things are the beginning of birth pains.” (Matthew 24:6–8)

The following thoughts from Dr Alan Kurshner of Eschatos Ministries are worth considering:

“The recent locust storm causing some famine in Africa may meet Jesus prediction but it may suggest a broader geographical famine. If the recent global virus is identified with “plagues” (loimoi), it might qualify, but I think the biblical statement indicates an exponentially more devastating plague. There certainly is a spike of earthquakes but not frequent “great earthquakes.” If these are all part of the beginning of “the beginning of the birth pangs,” then we should expect two more events: a spate of wars and a spate of false christs emerging.

Until then, I don’t believe we are experiencing “the beginning of birth pangs”. Keep in mind that the beginning of birth-pang events will not unfold piecemeal but rather will be a cluster of these events that will occur at the same time, which only makes sense of Jesus’s admonition: “Make sure that you are not alarmed, for this must happen, but the end is still to come.” In addition, I am inclined to believe the beginning of birth pangs (which I identify as the first three seals) will occur during the first half of the seventieth week of Daniel after the Beast will confirm a covenant for seven years (Dan 9:27). However, I have never been dogmatic on this, since the beginning of birth pangs may begin before the seven year period.”

In the meantime, as saints of the Most High, we live with holy expectation of our Lord’s return. This should inspire us to make sure that we daily seek God’s will and wisdom in all things. To be about our Father’s business to warn the lost that they need to repent of their sins. To recognise they have rejected their Creator, our Heavenly Father and the sacrifice of His son, Jesus, so they may have eternal life.

“Remember, I have told you ahead of time” (Matt 24:25).

JESUS SECOND COMING

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There is arguably more about the glorious return of Jesus in our Bibles than there is about His earthly ministry from 27-30 AD. Moreover, many people are surprised to learn that the Bible is made up of roughly 27% prophecy, the large majority of which have not yet been fulfilled.

For this reason, it is not even possible to understand large portions of Scripture until we begin to seriously engage with the topics related to eschatology. If we claim to be Bible-loving believers, we should view Biblical prophecies, even if they are about still future events, as a critical part of the message God wants to communicate to us today. Even more important the second coming of Jesus is a central part of the Gospel message. It is not complete unless it includes the triumphant end of the story with Jesus ruling and reigning this earth in Jerusalem.. The more we understand Bible prophecy the more equipped we are to effectively share the Gospel with others. Good Biblical eschatology should always deepen our faith in Jesus, fortify our resolve to obey Him, and create a greater longing in our hearts for His kingdom.

ROAD MAP TO THE END TIMES

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Nelson Walters presents undeniable proof of a Road Map provided by Jesus to His disciples in the Olivet Discourse covered by Matthew, Mark and Luke and then confirmed in Revelation 6.

Make sure you share this information as widely as possible and sign up for Nelson’s other “end times” videos. You will be convinced as I am that we are in the “last days”, We need to start preparing for Jesus return by living with an eternal focus.