These statistics are from three different Research organisations.
Less than half of Americans, including just 63% of churchgoing Christians, believe Jesus existed before His virgin birth in Bethlehem, a new study from Lifeway research shows.
A recent survey by Probe Research found that nearly 70% of so-called evangelical Christians disagreewiththe biblical position that Jesus is the only way to God. Also, the percentage of Born Again Christians with a Biblical Worldview has been cut in half over the last decade
Another study from Arizona Christian University published earlier this year, showed that among an estimated 176 million American adults who identify as Christian, just 6% or 15 million of them actually hold a biblical worldview.
The live reenactment of Jesus’ nativity scene held outside the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C. on Thursday Dec. 2, 2021. | Christian Post
The Lifeway study, conducted Sept. 3-14 through an online survey of a national pre-recruited panel of 1,005 Americans, shows that only 2 in 5 or 41% of American adults, in general, believe Jesus existed before His Bethlehem birth. Some 32% disagree with the idea that Christ existed before His Bethlehem birth, while 28% say they’re not sure.
Researchers also found that even among Christians who attend church four times a month or more, only 63% agree that Jesus existed before His Bethlehem birth even though many Scriptures from the Bible support that position.
“Prophecies such as those in Isaiah 9 reflect that the Messiah would be the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace. While these titles reflect the Trinity, some Americans do not connect the Jesus born in Bethlehem with the Messiah who already existed as God now coming in the flesh,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research.
The religiously unaffiliated were the least likely among respondents in the survey to believe Jesus existed before Bethlehem, with fewer than 15% of them supporting the notion.
And yet in John 6:62 for example, Jesus asks His many disciples at the time: “Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?
The Scripture further highlights how difficult it was for many of them to embrace the idea of His divinity and pre-existence when it notes in John 6:66 that: “From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
In a 2016 presentation in New York City, the American Bible Society explained that despite the Bible being the most printed and sold book in the world over the last five decades, less than half of practicing Christians in the U.S. spend serious time engaging with their Bible and the rest of the country is even worse.
At the time, Samuel Harrell, director of Project Ignition at the American Bible Society, presented evidence gathered from a six-year assessment of the state of the Bible conducted by the Barna Group which showed that just 18% of the American population 18 years and older read the Bible. Among practicing Christians, only 37% were found to engage with their Bible.
The good news is that Jesus told us that this would happen just prior to His return and that before God pours out His wrath on unrepentant sinners Christians will be taken to Heaven.
“Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye 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. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.” Matthew 24:9-14
“For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.“1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
Robin Schumacher is an accomplished software executive and Christian apologist who has written many articles, authored and contributed to several Christian books, appeared on nationally syndicated radio programs, and presented at apologetic events. He holds a BS in Business, a Master’s in Christian apologetics, and a Ph.D. in New Testament. His testimony of how God used Bible prophecy to get Him into the kingdom of God confirmed my own belief in its importance in making new disciples of Christ.
God used the teaching of Bible prophecy to bring me to Himself. As an engineering student in college, I was blown away by the statistical impossibilities of the Old Testament predictions of Christ’s first coming happening by chance, with God opening my eyes to the fact that “No prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God” (2Peter 1:21).
My jaw dropped even further when I became educated to the fact that just 20 percent of the Old Testament prophets spoke about His first coming, but 80 percent speak to His second coming. Moreover, there are 1,500 passages in the Old Testament that refer to Christ’s second coming, and one out of every 25 verses in the New Testament refer to Jesus’ return.
The study of Bible prophecy and the second coming became a special area of joy and study for me, and I woke up every day praying, “Maranatha” (1 Cor. 16:22; “O Lord come”). Chances are, as a Christian, you do the same.
Scripture testifies to the fact that, as believers, we should be “looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus” (Titus 2:13) and “awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 1:7).
The Bible tells us we ought to join with John in saying, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus” (Rev. 22:20) because “our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil. 3:20) and “in the future, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me but also to all who have loved His appearing” (2 Tim. 4:8).
The intensity of this desire is made especially strong when we observe the upside-down world in which we now live.
Today our society vilifies law enforcement and celebrates lawbreakers, imprisons the innocent and releases criminals, murders babies in the womb and lets killers go free, feigns respect for women while letting biological males into their bathrooms, disrespects strong work ethics, and coddles the lazy, shirks responsibility and embraces victim mentalities, preaches justice while committing injustice through mob-driven tactics, prioritizes gender-neutral toy aisles over stopping rampant business theft, decries racism with its mouth while promoting it through its actions, steals from others in the name of “equity,” censors truth while promoting lies, and cancels anyone with an opposing view.
Our culture is summed up well by Paul’s simple statement, “whose glory is in their shame” (Phil. 3:19).
Given all this, how could any believer not pray every hour for Christ to come back?
What signs dramatically point to the end of this age and the soon return of Jesus Christ? Find out with guest Pablo Frascini and Nathan Jones of the Lamb & Lion Ministries evangelism team as they provide their Prophetic Perspectives.
This is just an 8 minute video that focuses on the key elements of what we see unfolding in the world today that lines up with “end times” Bible prophecy. God is raising up people and ministries that believe God’s Word is inerrant and that the many Bible prophecies of Jesus return to this earth to rule and reign for 1000 years are being fulfilled now.
Fulfilled Biblical prophecies are proof the Bible is God’s Word that reveals not only the true history of His world but it reveals how He will end the story.
There are more prophecies about Jesus second coming to this earth to rule and reign for one thousand years than there were for His first coming to earth and there were more than three hundred of those that were all fulfilled to the letter.
That’s why biblical prophecy is so important. Each prophetic verse in the Bible is another brick in the tower of HOPE that God wants to build in our minds and hearts.
“For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” Romans 15:4
Biblical prophecy never leads us down dark pathways. It leads us past chaos and tribulation to Christ Himself, who is over all victorious. Those without Christ will feel ill at ease when reading God’s plans for the future. But those who walk with the Lord should rejoice whenever our mind learns something more about the “glory which shall be revealed”
“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.” Romans 8:18-21
The writers of the Bible viewed the End Times as the opening curtain for the return of Christ, and they anticipated the scene.
Peter told us we should be “looking forward to these things”.
“Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace… take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.” 2 Peter 3:14,17-18
And Jesus said,
“Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near”Luke 21:28
“They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.” Revelation 20:4-6
Biblical hope is sure, certain, and inexorable—promised by the decrees of God, guaranteed by the resurrection of Christ, and confirmed by the indwelling Holy Spirit.
When Jesus was asked by His disciples about the end times and His return to this earth:
“Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?Matthew 24:3
The following two paragraphs are just a sample of the detail Jesus gave them in His response entitled the Olivet Discourse.
“And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumours of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains. “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 24:4-14
Jesus does not paint a “rosy/joyous” picture to attract followers. Why would anyone want to follow Him when this is their fate? It should challenge the sceptic as to Jesus authenticity. In addition, what Jesus prophesied is in fact unfolding in our time. Fulfilled Biblical prophecy proves the Bibles authenticity.
This idea that Jesus’ second coming is imminent is found throughout Scripture. The following scripture tells us not only to wait for Jesus second coming but also that He will deliver us from the wrath to come.
“and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrathto come.” 1 Thessalonians 1:10
This scripture reinforces that Jesus is coming again to deliver us from a time of affliction.
“and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels.” 2 Thessalonians 1:7
The following two scriptures address the purpose of His first coming and the blessed hope we have for His second coming. The second scripture also covers His promise to deliver Israel from its enemies.
“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ,” Titus 2:11-13
“so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.” Hebrews 9:28
Expecting Jesus to return should make us watchful, diligent in our faith, and eager to live holy lives in preparation to rule and reign with Jesus in His Millennial Kingdom.
“For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth. And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name.” Isaiah 62:1-2 The name of the city from that day shall be, The Lord is there.” Ezekiel 48:35
“Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.” Revelation 20:6
You need to start thinking about the role Jesus will assign to you during His Millennial reign on this earth. Remember, Jesus and the Saints will rule with a rod of iron. Satan is bound for most of the Millennium but God has revealed that he will be released at the end and he is able to assemble an enormous army from people who have been born during the Millennium to come against Jesus and the Saints. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” Jeremiah 17:9
“And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.” Revelation 20:7-9
Expecting Jesus to return should make us watchful, diligent in our faith, and eager to live holy lives. We are not to get caught up in trying to guess the “day and hour” of these events. As Jesus Himself told us,
“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is.” Mark 13:32-33
Even so, Jesus said that the signs of His return would give us a general idea and should cause us to remain watchful:
“Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see all these things, know that it is near — at the doors!” Matthew 24:32-33
This is not all that Jesus had to say about the timing of His return. In Luke 21:35, He warned that His return would “come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth”. In Matthew 24:43, Jesus explains that he will come “as a thief in the night”. But note that these are warnings are given to people who have made this world their home and refused a heavenly citizenship. For believers, it’s a different story entirely:
“But you brethren, are not in darkness, so that the Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.” 1 Thessalonians 5:4-6
For the same reason, God promises a special blessing for those who read, hear and keep the words of the book of Revelation. This blessing is not offered for any other book in the Bible:
“Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.” Revelation 1:3
Joseph Lamb (1925-2013) was a pastor in the Chinese underground church. He faced severe persecution from the communist authorities and spent more than twenty years in prison. But the fruit of his ministry was incredible. Along with the efforts of many like him, there are now some 80 million believers in China. Consider what Lamb said about the second coming of Christ and the impact it has had on the growth of the Chinese church:
A demolished underground church in China
In the West, the church is not talking about Jesus return, it is too concerned with survival and compromise with the world and its values.
In China, the imminent return of Christ is the message the thought-police in China most want to censor. In fact, in many areas the police are registering modems and even fax machines in order to keep the end-times message of Christ’s return from being circulated.
You see, Chinese Christians believe passionately that Christ is coming again, not just someday — but ‘in this generation.’ The dragon knows he must stop this Apostolic message of hope. If somehow he can stop these New Testament-style Bible studies, he knows he will cripple Church growth in China…to the dragon [Satan]. the ‘most dangerous’ message on the Internet is the ‘Second Advent of Christ.’
In America, where pastors have the freedom to preach anything they please, thousands of churches never hear the message of the Second Coming. Not because they are forbidden by government, but because they were tricked by seminary professors into thinking it is ‘confusing’ or ‘not relevant for today’.
Satan uses different tactics in different cultures — anything that will produce silence on the Blessed Hope of Christ’s soon return. Why? Because there is no more spiritually motivating teaching in the entire Bible.
The saints will overcome. Not a word that Jesus spoke will go unfulfilled. God will honour every promise that He made both to Israel (Jeremiah 31:35-37) and to the church (Ephesians 1:22-23). Jesus will return in glory, and He will reign victoriously on the earth. The price that He paid on the cross will be celebrated by all nations, and the redeemed will sit at His feet for eternity. Maranatha!
Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads,because your redemption draws near. ~ Luke 21:28
“And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!” ~ Mark 13:37
The church of Jesus Christ is a community of redeemed sinners bound to their Lord and to one another in the bond of love known as the covenant of grace. God gives Himself to them with the Holy Spirit to be their God and takes them as His people.
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” John 14:26
The covenant promise to the Jews was spelled out in Leviticus. “And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people.” Leviticus 26:12
Likewise, Christians belong to their covenant Lord: “None of us lives to himself and none of us dies to himself…whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s” (Romans 14:7–8). This also means that Christians are bound to one another and must think of themselves as part of a community.
Paul expresses this truth using the language of the body in Ephesians 4:25: “We are members of one another.” We are therefore to take our covenant brothers and sisters into account in all aspects of our Christian living. The covenant community is no place for rugged individualists. We must constantly be asking, “How will this affect other believers?”
If we love our covenant brothers and sisters, we will seek what is best for them, especially their growth in grace. This can be done in a positive way by exhortation and mutual encouragement. The writer to the Hebrews, after speaking of the blessings of the new covenant that are provided by the blood of Jesus, has this stirring call for God’s people:
“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:24–25)
What Day is drawing near? The Day of the Lord
“For the day of the Lord is near upon all the nations. As you have done, it shall be done to you; your deeds shall return on your own head.” Obadiah 1:15
Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord! Why would you have the day of the Lord?Is not the day of the Lord darkness, and not light, and gloom with no brightness in it?” Amos 5:19-20
“Alas for the day! For the day of the Lord is near, and as destruction from the Almighty it comes.” Joel 1:15
“The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.”Joel 2:31
“The great day of the Lord is near, near and hastening fast; the sound of the day of the Lord is bitter; the mighty man cries aloud there. A day of wrath is that day, a day of distress and anguish, a day of ruin and devastation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of trumpet blast and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the lofty battlements.”Zephaniah 1:14
Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them on the day of the wrath of the Lord.” Zephaniah 1:18
“For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings.” Malachi 4:1
“And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, beforethe day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Acts 2: 19-21
“Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labour pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.” 1 Thessalonian 5:1-3
“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.” 2 Peter 3:10
All of the above Scriptures reveal that the awesome Day of the Lord is a time of intense judgement for unbelievers. However, Paul also tells us the good news about the awesome Day of the Lord: “Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me onthat day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.” 2 Timothy 4:8
We do not like to think about God’s judgement but Scripture is clear the time is coming when God pours out His wrath upon an unrepentant world
This is an another revealing video from Nelson Walters. I met Nelson many years ago now in the USA at an End Times Conference and for over a year he was a member of the Board for a ministry that I started several years ago. It was premature but its time is fast approaching. Sadly, I have jumped the gun on a number of occasions with projects God has given me particularly when I owned and managed Christian Press and Care & Share Products. Timing is so important and we need to get it right. Much like Abraham and Sarah, I have birthed Ishmaels not Isaacs. God is good and He has always given me a second chance as He will you if you mess things up. Back to Nelson, he is always willing to listen and work with others that believe they have been called to alert the church to Jesus Second Coming and all that God has revealed will unfold at that time. You will note in his videos he will always tell you when what he is saying is conjecture or his opinion and not supported by Biblical evidence.
SUMMARY
Will Jesus set foot on earth before the Battle of Armageddon? It is not what is commonly taught. So, what does God’s Word say? Perhaps because what we currently call the Second Coming is not a single event! Could Jesus arrive an entire year earlier to take His church to heaven but also to take part in pouring out His wrath upon an unrepentant world. Is this what Scripture calls the acceptable year of the Lord? In this video Nelson examine four proofs that categorically prove Jesus is on earth prior to mounting his White Horse and leaving Heaven to fight Armageddon. What is the meaning of Jesus’ robe dipped in blood and how is it related to this concept? How are the Days of Noah involved? And does Satan know about Armageddon prior to Jesus riding the white horse? Does the Bible teach a second Exodus? Nelson does a great job of taking us to the relevant Scriptures that provide the answers we need.
Just when we thought it couldn’t get crazier… The most egregious example of speculative excess in the art world… $18,000 for ‘air and spirit’… Signing up to get nothing in the financial realm… Ignorance is not a valid excuse… We’re living in the ‘Age of the Emperor’.
For the past year and a half, collectors have been paying outrageous prices for some truly weird works… first, a banana duct-taped to a wall sold for $120,000 in Miami back in December 2019. Then, this past March, an artist known as “Beeple” sold a non-fungible token (“NFT”) of his work – a digital-only collage of 5,000 images – for $69 million at auction. The latest example occurred last month in Milan, Italy… Auction house Art-Rite sold a piece of work by Italian artist Salvatore Garau titled Io sono (Italian for “I am“) for $18,000. With Beeple’s NFT going for $69 million, how does a mere $18,000 sale qualify as egregious excess? The answer is simple… because Io sono doesn’t actually exist. It’s “invisible art.” It’s not there. The buyer got a whole lot of nothing for his $18,000. Instead, Garau issued a certificate of authenticity to the buyer (like the banana-and-duct-tape piece). The artist – and his piece of paper “verifying” it – said Io sono is a sculpture that consists of a 25-square-foot space and that light and climate control are optional.
You can’t sell a certificate of authenticity for something that doesn’t exist without concocting a fantastic story… Garau put together a great one. As he told one Spanish news outlet… You don’t see it, but it exists. It is made of air and spirit.
THE FINANCIAL WORLD – Information from Stansberry Research Digest – Largest USA independent financial research organisation.
Art is the flag of culture. And its excesses are frequently preceded by those in the financial realm, given as it is to stoke the fires of greed.
‘Nothing’ has been on sale in the financial markets for much of the past decade…
The most obvious example is negative-yielding sovereign debt. According to Bloomberg, $13.3 trillion of this debt is circulating around the world these days. Roughly $10 trillion of the total is the sovereign debt of countries like Japan, Germany, Switzerland, and France. (Nearly all the rest is corporate debt.) This is supposed to be the second-safest debt in the world, behind only the debt of the U.S. government. When you buy a bond trading at a negative yield, it means you’re guaranteed to get less in principal and interest at maturity than you paid for it in the first place. In other words, you’re guaranteed to lose money. You’re signing up to get nothing.
Bonds are supposed to be the “smart money”… It’s where savvy investors go to get a much safer return than the stock market. And for a $13 trillion swath of the bond market, that supposedly safer return is a little less than zero today… Nothing. Nada. Zip.
The Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association’s 2020 Fact Book puts the value of the global bond market at $105.9 trillion. So negative-yielding debt – a guarantee to receive a little less than nothing for putting capital at risk – accounts for 12.5% of a massive global market.
And it’s not just bonds, either. The rational expectation for stocks is a negative average return over the next 10 to 12 years. That’s according to the work of often quoted economist John Hussman, Hussman’s return model suggests the S&P 500 is currently priced to return a 7% loss per year, on average, for the next decade. However, reality is that the market doesn’t simply tick down 7% each year for a decade. It falls 50% or more in a great washout that generally lasts somewhere between six months and two years.
Moreover, many would suggest that a great washout is about to occur or put another way the financial bubble is about to burst. In a Bloomberg interview, GMO’s Jeremy Grantham talked about his asset-management firm’s study of 330 bubbles across all asset classes. As Grantham succinctly put it… the last 12 months have been a classic finale to an 11-year bull market. And he cited plenty of data to make his point during the interview, ultimately concluding… The great bubbles by scale and significance… all accelerated late in the game and had psychological measures that could not be missed by ordinary investors. (Economists are a different matter.)
The data, like today, is always clear, just uncommercial and inconvenient for the investment industry and often psychologically impossible to see for many individuals. In other words, all of us “ordinary investors” ought to be like the child in “The Emperor’s New Clothes” who innocently blurts out that the emperor is naked. That emboldened others to say so… eventually making it impossible for the emperor himself to avoid admitting the truth.
We can all see the truth. Our only remaining task is to acknowledge it and act accordingly. But the great herd of investors just can’t do it. The herd is like the courtiers and other sycophantic hangers-on around the emperor. They’re all scared of his ire and eager to gain his favour , prompting them to proclaim the surpassing beauty of his non-existent clothes.
They’re too vested in continuing the charade to notice that doing so is an unsustainable state of affairs.
The greatest charade perhaps of all is in the cryptocurrency called Dogecoin. Dogecoin was created as a joke to make fun of cryptocurrencies being worthless, and not only has it taken off, but it’s such a success that second-level joke cryptocurrencies making fun of Dogecoin have gone to multibillion-dollar valuations. An unabashed ode to the culture of nothingness has wound up with a massive valuation… Dogecoin’s market cap peaked on May 7 at $88 billion and still sits above $32 billion today. Its value has crashed over the past six weeks. But even so, that’s still a whole lotta nothin’.
There’s no fraud going on in these instances at all. Folks are saying, “Hey, sign me up. I want nothing and I’ll pay real money for it!” Nothing is the new something.
Any sane person can see that this cannot end well. In fact, it will get so crazy that the world will be crying out for a Saviour, the scene is set for the entry of the Antichrist on to the world scene. His appearance is the most significant prophesied “end times” sign. As I have said many times before there are far more prophecies about Jesus second coming than there were of His first coming. Are you aware of these prophecies? Are you prepared for what is ahead? For Christians it is a time of intense persecution. We are already seeing the “end times” prophesied falling away in the church from the truth of God’s Word and His moral values. Wake up church, God is purifying His church. Sadly, much of the church is like the church at Laodicea which will be left behind to face God’s wrath.
“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.” Revelation 3:15-17
It is the Church at Philadelphia that represents the church that is raptured prior to God’s wrath being poured out with the Trumpet and Bowl Judgements.
“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
The Rapture of the Saints prior to God’s wrath being poured out on an unrepentant world with the Trumpet and Bowl Judgements
The number of Americans espousing no religious beliefs at all has been increasing rapidly over the years. A new survey shows that trend continuing, claiming a mere 6% hold to a truly “biblical worldview.”
GeorgeBarna, Senior Research Fellow, Center for Biblical Worldview Family Research Councilsaid at the time, “with 94% of Americans essentially rejecting the biblical worldview as their preferred way to think and live, placing first in a race in which few people cross the finish line is hardly a victory.”
He went on to explain that simply “knowing a few Bible verses, attending church services, and praying won’t get the job done.”
“Our studies show that Americans are neither deep nor sophisticated thinkers,” Barna argued. “Most people seem more interested in living a life of comfort and convenience than one of logical consistency and wisdom. Our children will continue to suffer the consequences of following in the unfortunate footsteps of their parents and elders. People who are willing to fight for a more reasonable way of thinking and acting can make a difference, but it will be slow progress.”
Family Research Council, President Tony Perkins said this week he hopes the new Center for Biblical Worldview can help give believers a firm foundation so that they can engage the culture by being rooted in God’s Word.
“Every Christian can and should obtain a biblical worldview,” he said, “which is only achieved when a person believes that the Bible is true, authoritative, and then taught how it is applicable to every area of life, which enables them to live out those beliefs.”
The Bible which the world has now largely rejected is where we find both a true history of the world as well as the prophesied future of the world. Satan, the Prince of this World has convinced the world that God is not needed, the world has evolved from simple life forms to more complex life by natural selection and mutation despite the absurdity of such a worldview.
The same Bible reveals what it will be like in the last days before Jesus returns to rule and reign on this earth for 1000 years. It will be like the days of Noah when lawlessness abounded and God judged the world with a worldwide flood.
“you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” 2 Peter 3:2-4
Here is the promise of His coming to rule and reign with a rod of iron!
“Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. 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. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.” Revelation 19:11-16
LIVING ETERNAL NOW 