WAKE UP CALL FOR THE CHURCH- HOW WILL IT RESPOND?

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According to recent Lifeway Research, many pastors are apparently having an “aha” moment due to the tide of our times. They are at last seeing current events today as things the Bible forecast for the end-of-days. The big question is; how will this affect what they preach and how they do church?

Let’s be optimistic. When real church resumes, the pulpits will boldly announce that we are in the last days and Jesus is coming soon. Get your houses in order!

Numerous biblical texts speak of disturbances in the creation. These disturbances have quite a range: earthquakes wars, famines and plagues or pestilence explicitly in Luke 21.

Three out of four pastors in the survey have noted that world and church events have meaning today. They include the rise in apostasy, the love of believers growing cold, the decline in traditional morals, national conflicts, natural disasters, famines, and even the rise in anti-Semitism. So is a new day in the church approaching thanks to some kind of a wake-up call?

Almost 25 years ago, the church-growth movement said teaching any kind of eschatology would not grow the church. Pastors were encouraged to keep quiet about the soon return of the Lord. Pastor Rick Warren even said in his Purpose Driven Life book that teaching Bible prophecy would distract you from your purpose and make you unfit for the Kingdom of God. Pastors listened to him!

In the information produced by Lifeway Research, Joel Rosenberg states, “For too long, many pastors have shied away from teaching on birth pangs and events leading up to the Second Coming of the Lord, but the current pandemic demonstrates the need for solid, non-sensational preaching done in a biblical manner.”

Almost 70% of those surveyed believe the modern re-birth of Israel and the re-gathering of millions of Jewish people were fulfilment’s of prophecies in the Bible. That’s great news but that was 72 years ago. Why haven’t you been preaching that, pastors? More than that, 40% of the pastors surveyed believe that the establishment of the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem two years ago was a sign of the last days! This is great sermon material! It could get a church fired up! But most pulpits I hear about are still silent on the topic.

REASONS WHY JESUS IS COMING BACK SOON

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ABORTION LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH IN 2019 AT 42 MILLION

Abortion was the leading cause of death worldwide last year, with termination procedures accounting for some 42 million losses of life.  The latest figure was highlighted by renowned stats website “Worldometers” which keeps a tally of many different world statistics in a live format.  The specific abortion number is based on the most recent figures published by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

This abomination is just one of the reasons why God could decide it is time for His Son to return and rule with a rod of iron. His Word reveals that lawlessness will abound in the “last days”. Jesus said the “end times” will be just like the days of Noah when mankind was so wicked that God destroyed all but eight people with a worldwide flood. Many other prophetic “end times” signs are coming to pass, the big one was the reestablishment of Israel as a nation in 1948. God has miraculously preserved it despite repeated attempts by its hostile neighbours to annihilate Israel from the map. Jesus also said pestilences, plagues, famines, and so called natural disasters will be more evident in the “end times” and it is hard not to see the evidence of those events unfolding across the world.

Are you living with an end times focus now? Are you preparing for the coming persecution of Christians that hold to the word of God and His values? Are you ready for Jesus return when He will rule and reign on this earth for 1000 years?

GOD IS ABLE TO STOP THIS PANDEMIC

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The Living God can stop this pandemic in a second.  Know, He is allowing it to test us all, in every nation.  

Is God’s sovereignty ever acknowledged or mentioned in the media (except when He is mocked), in press briefings, in any statement by government leaders? Sadly, not.

In the USA and Australia, we have men in Trump and Morrison who declare they are Christians and will join prayer groups to pray. However, both nations have legislated abortion and gay marriage which has brought them under God’s judgement. Unless these abominations are repented of and changed we can only expect further judgements. Based on God’s end times prophecies, pestilences, famines, earthquakes and other so called natural disasters escalate, so I would venture to say nations don’t repent and only Jesus return to rule and reign with a rod of iron will put things right.

As I said at the start of this blog, God could end this Pandemic in an instant and history reveals He has done it in the past. There have been leaders of nations particularly of the USA and the UK that have had great faith for the Living God to provide miracles and God has always delivered, provided they gave Him the honour.

In 1777, a year after the Declaration of Independence was signed, the signers met again in Philadelphia, a city that was about to be overrun by the British.  The war was not going well; the untrained army was losing battles; John Adams and the other signers could all be captured and hung for treason. One local doctor asked John Adams: “Sir, given these circumstances, how ever can we defeat the British given their skill and their size? John Adams replied: ” We will defeat the enemy if we fear God and repent of our sins.” These two key spiritual strategies outlined in 2 Chronicles 7:14:  publicly honouring Christ and repenting of sins, personally and as a people, opened the heavens for the Lord to make the battle His.

The Southern Campaign of the American Revolution: About the Southern Campaign of the American Revolution

The Southern Campaign and the American Revolution

“if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)  

Another occasion John Adams called on the Lord was when he sought to avoid war with France in 1798 and 1799. President Adams called for national days of “Public Fasting, Humiliation, and Prayer.”  Adams noted: ” ..the safety and prosperity of nations ultimately and essentially depend on the protection and blessing of Almighty God, and the national acknowledgement of this truth is…an indispensable duty which the people owe to Him….this duty, at all times incumbent, is so especially in seasons of difficulty and of danger….” 

Church it is time to wake up and realise we are living in the “end times” prophesied in Scripture. Sadly, we know there is a great falling away in the church as it has already compromised with the world and its values. It’s time for the remnant to be courageous and be the light in this darkening world. We have a job to do, to preach the good news of Christ thereby providing hope where there is none.

  

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.

https://youtu.be/OZbPcY7pClM

JESUS SAYS, CHRISTIANS WILL EXPERIENCE END TIMES TRIBULATION

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Jesus tells us what the signs will be of His coming and the end of the age in the Olivet Discourse – Matthew 24:3–14.

“Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”

“And you will hear of wars and rumours of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” Matthew 24:3-14

Jesus links the great tribulation, persecution of God’s people with the abomination of desolation in verse 15 – “Therefore [οὖν, oun] when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand)”  and its ensuing ramifications of the great tribulation, the only possible referent of the great tribulation that is linked with the inference of oun in the previous immediate context would be found in v. 9 : “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake.” The martyrdom realised in this verse is coupled with all the other trials that Jesus mentions.

It has perplexed interpreters why the end of the age is mentioned in v. 14 before the abomination of desolation event. Now they should know why, because of that short three-letter conjunction oun that is so significant!

The events portrayed in Matt 24:9–14 do not occur throughout church history. Rather, they are a variety of trials that Christians will experience during Antichrist’s great tribulation.

This naturally is followed by Jesus’s return to Rapture His saints. Note it is after the tribulation: 

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” Matthew 24:29-31

TURKEY, IRAN & RUSSIA IN DARK ALLIANCE?

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As the Turkish military pushes deeper into northeast Syria forcing thousands to flee for their lives, U.S. Pastor Andrew Brunson reveals a chilling prophetic dream he had while he was falsely imprisoned in Turkey.

Andrew Brunson (YouTube)

Brunson said, “my goal is about declaring who Jesus is and not getting involved in politics, but this is the dream God gave me, and I think it’s relevant to what’s happening now.”

While sitting in a Turkish prison cell in December 2016, Brunson said he dreamed of an evil pact brewing in the Middle East.

“In the dream, Turkey, Iran and Russia began to move together in a very dark alliance,” he explained.

Brunson woke up from the dream drenched in sweat and barely able to speak. At the time, Turkey (Sunni) and Iran (Shia) had been enemies for years so he knew something drastic was about to happen.

Turkey’s dependence upon both the west and Russia demonstrates the tightrope Turkey is walking at the present time. It is interesting to consider this scenario in the light of Erdogan’s plans to reestablish Turkey’s dominance/leadership of Islam, to reestablish an Ottoman Empire if you will,

The recent downing of the Russian SU-24 by a Turkish F-16 on Nov. 24, 2015 that violated Turkish airspace for more than 17 seconds resulted in Russia taking unilateral steps to cut its ties with Turkey in revenge for the downing of the jet.

Hence, NATO deterrence and its nuclear umbrella is still indispensable for Turkey in the face of an ever-aggressive Russia, which is geographically closer to Turkey than many other Western countries. Thus, Turkey must apply conciliatory methods to alleviate and eliminate ongoing problems with its traditional Western allies, increasing Turkey’s indispensability to both the West and Russia. Thus, Turkey must continue implementing a multi-vector and balancing foreign policy between the clashing blocs. To achieve this, Turkish policymakers must refrain from depending on Russia, while attempting to reduce the country’s economic, military and industrial dependence on the West.

Biblical prophecy, Daniel 8, tells us that eventually the Goat (Turkey/Sunni) will eventually defeat the Ram (Iran/Shia). The Ram’s attempt to establish its dominance of Islam is short lived. We can assume the West will not countenance Turkey reestablishing a revived Ottoman Empire because biblical prophecy tells us the region is broken up into four (four horns) out of which emerges the Antichrist (little horn).

We are moving ever closer to the last seven years before Jesus second coming (Daniel’s 70th week} when the Antichrist bursts onto the scene as depicted in the opening of the first seal of Revelation and the rider (Antichrist) of the white horse “went out conquering and to conquer.” Revelation 6:2

COMING FINAL GREAT JUDGEMENT OF GOD

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Scripture tells us of three great judgements.  First, the flood in the days of Noah. What happened?  All the world’s population, except Noah and family, had the wrong agenda. Even though there was the sign of a 20,000 tons displacement boat built on dry land and Noah preaching for over 100 years, the population stuck to its wrong agenda – ‘their every thought was only evil continually.’ All but 8 people perished.

Noah’s Flood – extent of fossils buried (rapid burial) all over the world and fossil fuel evidence enough.

Image result for Johan Huiber Noah's Ark
Johan Huiber’s life size replica of Noah’s Ark

The second mighty judgement affects us all. It was the judgement of our sin which was put onto Jesus our Saviour. When Jesus came He was rejected by His own. Why? Because the leaders of Israel at the time had the wrong agenda. Did they know Jesus was the Messiah? – they knew that He performed miracles only the Messiah could do – healing leprosy and casting out demons, raising the dead.  Also, the timing of the coming of Jesus as Messiah was well known  – it was precisely specified in the prophecy of 70 weeks in the book of Daniel. The Magi, as the spiritual descendants of Daniel, knew full well – and they were watching. They recognised the sign.  Regrettably, the religious leaders of Israel, at the time, had their own agenda  – it did not include a Messiah that would upset their leadership and their religious rituals.

What about the third judgement that is prophesied in Scripture at His second coming. There are more prophecies about Jesus second coming than His first.

Are we so fixed on our well being, our business, even ministry that we have lost sight of Jesus’s specific instruction to watch for His return? Are we so concerned with our own agenda, that we have lost sight of the Messiah Himself and His imminent return. Are we in a church that trusts in the inerrant word of God, recognises that we are in the “end times”, and is challenging the church to complete the Great Commission and prepare for the coming tribulation?
Jesus said: ‘Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief and you will not know what hour I will come upon you.’ Revelation 3:3.  The counter to that is that if you will watch, then you will know – ‘But you brethren  are not in darkness so that this Day should overtake you as a thief.’ 1 Thessalonian 5: 4

Are our priorities right? Jesus first and foremost above everything? Are we in a church that understands the times (Bereans), looking forward to His return?  Or are our plans, our desires,  like the famous singer, Frank Sinatra – ‘I did it my way’ – I had or have my own agenda!

The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come Lord Jesus.’  This is the right, the best, the pre-eminent agenda for today!

This post is based on an article written by Peter Mitchell of International Christian Chamber of Commerce, England – Got the Wrong Agenda?

DECEPTION ON TIMING OF RAPTURE

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What two events must take place prior to the rapture? Are there risks in blindly following the teaching of prominent Bible teachers?

What is wrong with a PreTribulation Rapture from a Scriptural standpoint? Nelson does a good job of explaining the relevant Scriptures, particularly 2 Thessalonians 2:3.

https://youtu.be/mBioFNB_vMc

UNDERSTANDING GOD’S PROMISES TO ISRAEL

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›Israel is God’s vehicle to bring salvation to all the world. It is central to His redemptive purposes.

›God created Israel to be His “Kingdom” on earth. Nine times, He described the Land of Israel as His “Land”—“the place He has chosen as the dwelling place for His Name.”

›Israel’s rebirth in 1948 after almost 1900 years was a miracle, a miracle which Jesus prophesied in the Olivet Discourse (parable of the fig tree) as the first major sign prior to His return.

My temple will stand in Israel for all time, and I will live among My people and be their God. Every nation on earth will know that My temple is in Israel and that I have chosen the Israelites to be My people.” Ezekiel 37:24-28