Jesus Christ--Soon2Come: 3/27/11

Friday, April 1, 2011

Today's Prophetic Headlines

Thursday, March 31, 2011

Following the Instruction Manual

But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. Use hospitality one to another without grudging. As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

1 Peter 4:7-10

Not only do we often forget the positive message of prophecy, but we also sometimes forget to follow the instructions given in prophecy. Although this letter of Peter applies to all of the church age, look at the special timing involved in the first sentence. He said, "But the end of all things is at hand.” To paraphrase—“Jesus is coming soon so pay attention and follow my directions!” Since we understand that the coming of our savior is soon, we had better follow the subsequent steps to make sure we are ready.

Step One—Be on your toes! That makes sense. If the coming of Messiah is imminent, then I want a holy life in Him that will honor Him and not be found following “my own heart”. Why did I mention the heart thing? Well, I hear it all the time from people who are clearly not given over to Christ in all that they do. It can be seen by the choices they make and the words that they say. Jesus Christ and their relationship with Him are not the top priority. They excuse their often tainted lifestyle with that phrase. God does know the human heart! He says it is desperately wicked and who of us can know it? He wants us to have a new, undivided heart that is eagerly serving Him and waiting on His return. How is your heart? Let the Holy Ghost check it out for you since we have the awful tendency to justify ourselves at God’s expense.

Step Two—Pray! I wonder if that is prophetic too? It seems that most people in Christian circles do everything else but pray. Jesus is coming back but we are too busy putting our hands out for more blessings and spending less time on prayer and intercession for a lost world heading for judgment. Name any great revival and I will name the men or women that prayed for it in advance. There is a lot of busyness in the house of God. We shout and sing and preach and play and eat and take trips and….. Do we pray? Can it be said of your church that it is first of all a house of prayer?

Step Three—Cover one another! I heard it said recently that we have two choices in this matter. We can cover one another, or we can kill one another. God said to cover one another with love. There are too many killing with gossip, slander, unforgiveness, bitterness and the quieter “Christian sins”. We may not drink, cheat on our husbands or wives, do drugs, but we will sure kill each other with outright hatred and fleshliness while thinking nothing about the need to repent. God wants love above all things—read the instruction manual above again if you are not sure! You know, that unconditional love that God requires and has towards His children. God’s love always seeks the best and watches our backs. That is the type of love that patterns God’s love for you when he overlooks your faults and lifts and encourages you to keep on going because the finish line is just ahead. Yes! That agape kind of love is what He wills.

Step Four—Use hospitality! This word “hospitality” is a strange word in the original Greek. It is philoxenos. It literally means love of strangers. Xenophobes are people who are afraid of strangers. Many Christians are apparently spiritual xenophobes. We hide from the strange and sinful in our little four walled structures called churches while those estranged from the saving grace of Christ are dying and going to Hell at a rate of thousands per hour. God forgive! Be kind to all—Christians and non-Christians—for the sake of Jesus and the precious blood He shed.

Step Five—Do something! God has given you a gift of some sort to help the church. We spend too much time on allowing the professionals to do the work that God may want us to do. Sure your pastor and other ministries directors will need to account for how they used the ministry gifts that God gave them. However, the last time I checked we all have to give an account at the judgment seat of Christ. Do something for Jesus’ sake!

Step Six—Whatever you do, do it by the power of the Holy Ghost in your life! We also spend too much time relying on the arm of the flesh to accomplish God’s purposes and then wonder why the work that we did does not stand the test of time. We are His servants and we need to do things His way.

Remember, Jesus is Soon 2 Come! Follow directions!

If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

1 Peter 4:11

The phone company is currently working on our phone lines. I am having to use a laptop in the meantime and all of the news articles that I saved are on the other computer. I will share them later or double up on them the next time.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Gates Of Pearl

And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.

Revelation 21:21

Many times while studying prophecy it is easy to notice the bad or negative message while ignoring the good. My mom used to remind me of this tendency by using the animals on the ark as an example. If asked most people will say that the animals went 2 by 2 on to the ark. This answer ignores the 7 clean animals and only focuses on the 2 by 2 unclean animals. In the same way we often hear people speak of the last days as just that--the last days. Don't we often think of the "last days" as the end of the world? It is not an end at all. When Jesus returns it will be a new beginning. All things will be made new and righteousness and holiness will be the order of the day. Longevity of life will be restored and all men, women, and children will see Christ ruling from His capital city of Jerusalem.

After the millennial reign there will be a brief evil interlude followed by the makings of a new heavens and a new earth wherein dwells purity forever. The New Jerusalem will be seen and be the abode of the saints. The city will have twelve layers in the walls and twelve gates. Each layer and each gate will be named for an Israeli tribe and an apostle respectively. Each gate will be made of a pearl. Why a pearl?

Pearls are formed when an irritant gets between the soft tissue of an oyster and its shell. As a defense mechanism the Almighty Creator programmed the creature to produce a substance called nacre that surrounds the irritating substance. In time the buildup of this material forms a protective barrier around the sand, and it is a visible reminder of the pain that once inflicted the oyster.

In the same way, those gates will be a constant reminder to the saints entering and exiting that city of Messiah Jesus' sacrificial death at the cross. The cross produced grace that surrounded the life of each believer and created something new from what once was an irritant to God's holiness. I am sure that with each step in and out of those gates by every blood washed saint will erupt with a loud shout of praise to the one and only Savior that gave us complete access to the presence of God. Let's start now as we consider the power of the cross and the grace that surrounds each one of us--HALLELUJAH!!!!!

And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

Revelation 21:5

Israel and The Middle East

Energized Muslim Brotherhood in Libya eyes a prize - CNN.com

DEBKAfile, Political Analysis, Espionage, Terrorism, Security Obama’s Libyan strategy: Recipe for a deeper, lengthier US military role

Jordan teetering on civil war, local analysts say

YouTube - What the Palestinians do not want Jews to know *****

'Abbas would give up US aid to reconcile with Hamas'

Protests Force Facebook to Pull Down Inciting ‘Intifada’ Page - Defense/Middle East - Israel News - Israel National News

Getting the Message?

Poll: Nearly 4 in 10 Americans Say Natural Disasters Sign from God - FoxNews.com

Christian Persecution

Christian in Bangladesh Goes to Prison for Evangelism

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Ever Closer

Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

2 Thessalonians 2:3-4

It seems the signs of Christ's appearing are everywhere. Not only are they the signs of His coming, but they are also the signs of the coming of the Great Tribulation and the godless world leader, the anti-Christ.

Again we are reminded of what many know already, the rebellion against God is growing every day. I don't know how it is happening, but we are in the midst of a great revival and at the same time a great falling away. Thousands are coming to Jesus on a daily basis. In some places that are closed to the gospel by Christian missionaries and where government sponsored persecution has forced the church underground, men and women are testifying of visits in dreams and visions of Christ or angels sharing the gospel to them. It is utterly amazing. At the exact same time in countries that were once on fire for Christ there is a rampant spirit of apostasy. The only dreams are those of pleasure, wealth, and fleshly desire.

Claims That Bibles Were Distributed to Alabama Elementary Students Are Inaccurate, School Superintendent Says - FoxNews.com

It is awful to see that in America where the schools are now filled with sex, drugs, and violence that the Bible is an unwelcome book. Our education system started on Bible study and the knowledge of Christ!

New Bible Changes Scripture - Fox News Video - FoxNews.com

Many others want the Bible--or maybe not. They want the flesh filled editing of scripture to support their tainted view of the Holy One!

While in lands where the Holy Ghost used to move freely, they are quickly loosing their walk with Christ.

The Irish are fast losing their religion say experts | Irish News | IrishCentral

Religion 'to become extinct' in nine nations from New Zealand to Canada | Mail Online

Is religion going extinct? - For God's Sake - The Washington Post

Others are not at all happy until they pervert the truth with lies and godless religion.

AlbertMohler.com – This Priest Faces Mecca? A Parable of Confusion

Others want to confuse John 14:6 and put any body in heaven. Of course, anyone can get there provided they come through faith in the cross of Jesus Christ.

Who's in Hell? Pastors' Criticism of Eternal Torment for Some Sparks Fierce Debate - FoxNews.com

Things seem so bleak! Well, maybe not for those informed. This is, again, the signs that show we are just years from the greatest worldwide revival in history. At the center, literally, will be the Great King Jesus Christ reigning from His holy capital Jerusalem. Hold on! It is ever closer.

Israel and the Middle East

UNHRC to vote on six anti-Israel resolutions

Syria's Assad deploys army; Clinton: US won't intervene

Bombing attempt on Egypt-Israel gas pipeline fails

MKs to Discuss Anti-Jewish Racism on the Temple Mount - Inside Israel - Israel News - Israel National News