Category Archives: End-Times

September 14, 2018 · 5:08 am

The Apostles: Men Doomed to Death (Part 4)

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A year after my salvation, I had breakfast once a week with three or four Christian men. We fellowshiped, prayed for each other, and usually one gave a short teaching.

The only teaching that I can remember from those breakfasts was given by a young man who stated, “Our heavenly Father is a good God.”

As he said the words, a revelation exploded within me: “Of course, that has to be true because my own earthly father is a great dad. So, my heavenly Father has to be a good God.”

This simple revelation has remained with me for more than thirty-three years. It has comforted me in my worst times, just knowing that God is a good God and that He absolutely loves me.

Over the years, I have been with many different groups and befriended many Christians. All have mouthed the words, “God is a good God,” but sadly, I have met very few believers who really, really believe that God is a good God.

It’s not that the believers did not love God because they did. It’s just that the believers did not have the child-like abandon of knowing that the Father loved them and was cheering for them on their good days, as well as their bad days.

Most believed that they had to perform at a certain, but undefined, high holy level so that the Father would love them. They did not see themselves as little children and God as a loving Father who absolutely loved and doted upon them, even when they made mistakes.

Some of these believers had less than perfect earthly fathers, and a few were even abused by their dads. And to be honest, this may hinder a person’s revelation of God being a good God, but at the same time, God is able to give anyone a revelation of His love and goodness. We just need to ask and keep asking until we receive this revelation.

But most (98%) of these believers, who had difficulty believing God was a good God, had Christian leaders over them who did not reflect the Father-Heart of God to them.

For if you were to have countless tutors in Christ, yet you would not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. (1 Corinthians 4: 15)

Here for this third time I am ready to come to you, and I will not be a burden to you; for I do not seek what is yours, but you; for children are not responsible to save up for their parents, but parents for their children. (2 Corinthians 12: 14)

Because the traditional church system is set up with a definite separation between the clergy and the laity, most church leaders look at church members as a means for advancing their own personal visions. After all, their personal visions came from God, right? And the laity has been the traditional money-source for hundreds of years, so why change?

The end-time apostles are willing to spend themselves for other believers.

(Continued in Part 4…but if you want to read all of the parts to date, you can go here.)

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September 12, 2018 · 9:51 am

What’re Your Plans for 300 Years From Now? (Conclusion)

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Jesus used a parable to describe the kingdom of heaven when He told about a businessman traveling to a far country. The businessman called three of his servants and gave some of his goods to do business while he was gone. To the first one, he gave five talents of silver. To the second, two talents of silver. And to the third, one talent of silver.

When the businessman returned from his travels, he called the three servants to give an accounting. The first and second servant doubled the businessman’s investment with their trading.

The businessman said to these two servants, “Well done, good and faithful servants; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you rulers over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.”

The third servant did nothing with the talent of silver given to him and returned it in full to the businessman. “You wicked and lazy servant…” said the businessman to the servant.  “Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten talents…And cast this unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Yikes!

Did Jesus cast the unprofitable servant into Hell for being lazy?

Dr. Spiros Zodhiates in his commentary, The Complete Word Study New Testament, wrote about “the outer darkness” and “weeping and gnashing of teeth”:

These terms may be applied to believers who have failed the Lord in their service…In this instance, the “outer darkness” may be a reference to a place or a position of far less rewards for the servants who proved themselves less diligent than those who used their talents to the fullest.

Kenneth Wuest wrote in his book, Greek New Testament:

This darkness is simply the darkness that is outside the King’s banqueting house.

Charles Stanley wrote in his book, Eternal Security:

The outer darkness here simply refers to being thrown outside of a building into the dark. It is not a description of hell.

Unfaithfulness and failing to run the race of faith all the way to the end of our lives will probably cost us rewards in the world to come.

And have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth.(Revelation 5:9)

Do you not know that the saints (the believers) will [one day] judge and govern the world? (1 Corinthians 6:2 Amplified Bible)

For He has not put the world to come [Millennial Kingdom], of which we speak, in subjection to angels. (Hebrews 2:5)

What are my plans for 300 years from now?

I’m assuming that Jesus will return and set up His Millenial Kingdom on earth. So, with that in mind, I want to be one of His rulers who reign in partnership with Jesus on earth. Some of us will rule over nations, some over states, some over cities, and some over smaller territories.

There could be millions of positions in His infrastructures all over the earth. My desire is to be the best I can be for His glory.

What about you?

If I would have written 100,000 words on this subject, it still wouldn’t have been enough to cover every topic on this subject.  But it was my hope to at least stir up each reader’s desire to be a faithful servant all the days of his or her life.

(Conclusion…but if you want to read all of the parts, you can go here.)

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September 8, 2018 · 7:59 am

The Apostles: Men Condemned to Death (Part 2)

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What are the Biblical requirements for being a prophet? Or an evangelist? Or a pastor? Or a teacher?

Actually, outside of being called by the Lord, there are no biblical mandates which have to be met for a believer to become any of these callings. None. Zilch. Nada. Zero.

Now, this does not mean that these callings are imparted without some degree of preparation, but that is strictly the Lord’s decision on what the preparation program will be. He’s the Boss and doesn’t confer with men or groups about His preparation plans.

For instance, when the Lord called me to preach, I didn’t rush off to confer with a pastor or  a group. But rather, I just walked in my calling and used the gifts which came with the calling.

And of course, I made mistakes – lots of them. But my mistakes did not negate the calling on my life. So, I repented often, learned about my calling, and kept on walking in it.

Then, when the Lord called me to be a teacher, I followed the same course. I walked in my calling and began teaching. Period.

Okay, all of that is fine and dandy for the callings of prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher, but what about apostles?

Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord? (1 Corinthians 9: 1)

The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with all perseverance, by signs and wonders and miracles. (2 Corinthians 12:12)

If you check Christian internet websites, you will notice a glut of people who claim to be apostles. It’s almost as if the calling is as common as pennies. They’re all over the place. So, do we just take a person’s word that he (or she) is an apostle and then submit to him? Take a look at what Jesus said:

I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false. (Revelations 2:2)

Someone’s supposed apostolic title is not enough to prove the validity of his or her calling. The true apostle must also have had a visitation with Jesus and he (or she) must have signs, wonders, and miracles which glorify the Lord.

Anything less than these biblical mandates causes the supposed apostle to fail the test.

And guess what? We believers are the ones who must check the apostles out.

(Continued in Part 3…but if you want to read all of the parts to date, you can go here.)

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September 5, 2018 · 10:14 am

What’re Your Plans for 300 Years from Now? (Part 6)

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In the Book of Revelation Chapters 2 and 3, Jesus gives seven promises to believers who overcome, with the greatest promise being:

To him who overcomes, I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. (Revelation 3:21)

Nancy and Chuck Missler wrote about being overcomers in their powerful book – Kingdom, Power & Glory: The Overcomer’s Handbook —

Okay, so why is learning about being a faithful overcomer so important? Why make such a big deal about it?

It’s important because the Bible teaches us that overcomers are the only ones who will inherit the Millennial Kingdom and possibly rule and reign with Christ. Revelation 21:7: “He that overcometh shall inherit all things and I will be his God and he shall be My Son.” Overcomers are the ones who will have various levels of responsibility in the coming kingdom.

What we are saying is that all Christians will enter the Millennial Kingdom, be “with” Christ” and have eternal life (John 14:3; John 3:16). But only the faithful overcomers – the ones who have fulfilled the conditions set down by God in His Word – will inherit and possibly rule in that kingdom.

Some of these conditions are found in Romans 8:17 and 2 Timothy 2:12, which say, if we don’t suffer with Him, we will jeopardize our being able to reign with Him. Matthew 24:45-47 says the if we are not faithful, we could endanger our being made “rulers” over His household. And finally, James 2:5 warns that if we don’t love (agapao) Him, we could forfeit our being heirs of His kingdom. In addition to these scriptures, Ephesians 5:1-5 gives us a list of other things that if we do, we will not inherit.

So, scripturally, there’s a huge difference between simply entering the Millennial Kingdom and being a “subject” there (which all believers will do) and actually inheriting that kingdom and being a “sovereign” there (which only the faithful overcomers will do). All born-again believers will enter, but only the triumphant overcoming Christians will rule and reign. The deciding factor is how we live our lives here and now.

CHARLES STANLEY (Baptist pastor, radio preacher, and author of forty-five books) in his book Eternal Security wrote: “Does our behavior matter once we are assured of our salvation? You bet it does. Are there any eternal consequences when a believer sins? Absolutely. Will eternity be the same for those who follow Christ faithfully and those who live for themselves? Not a chance. Our God is a God of justice as well as a God of grace. His offer of grace is continually extended to even the most vile sinner. But His justice moves Him to keep a careful record of those who remain faithful and those who do not. His grace moved Him to sacrifice His only Son to provide a way for our salvation. But His justice causes him to take special note o those believers who are willing to sacrifice for His Son.

(Excerpt from Chapter 1 of Kingdom, Power & Glory.

What we do 300 years from now depends on our decisions now.

(Continued in Part 7…but if you want to read all of the parts to date, you can go here.)

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July 16, 2018 · 3:39 pm

What’re Your Plans for 300 Years from Now? (Part 5)

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Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” (Genesis 1:26)

From the beginning, God’s plan was that Adam, and all of mankind after him, would rule and reign on earth. But Adam threw a wrench into God’s plans by sinning and handing over his position of earthly rulership to Satan.

Because of Adam’s sin, all of creation was placed in bondage, subjected to God’s curse. Creation’s only hope was that the sons of God would come forth and take their positions as rulers once again.

Then, in the fullness of time, God sent His Son to redeem mankind at the cross. So, after the Son of God’s death, resurrection, and ascension, there are now sons of God on the earth once again.

But something is missing. What is it?

For He has not put the world to come, of which we speak, in subjection to angels. (Hebrews 2:5)

At creation, God placed mankind under an angelic form of government. His angels were supposed to serve and minister to mankind, but because of Adam’s sin, Satan and his demonic angels became our adversaries. Now, Satan and his demonic horde sit in the governmental positions created by God as principalities, powers, rulers of darkness of this age, and spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places ruling over mankind.

Even though the church has authority to make known the wisdom of God to the demonic governing powers in the heavenly places, we haven’t really walked in that authority as yet. Hopefully, we will soon do that.

But even so, Satan’s angelic government will not be overthrown until after the great tribulation and Jesus returns to earth.

Here’s an important fact to remember: God never rescinded His words about mankind having dominion on earth. Thus, it’s still His plan for us, not under an angelic government, but under the Son of Man – Jesus Christ our Lord and King.

What must we do to prepare ourselves to rule and reign with Christ?

(Continued in Part 6…but if you want to read all of the parts to date, you can go here.)

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July 9, 2018 · 7:49 am

What’re Your Plans for 300 Years from Now? ( Part 4)

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Did the thief who died on the cross next to Jesus, and who asked to be remembered by our Lord, receive the same eternal rewards as the Apostle Paul? If your answer is “maybe” or “I don’t know,” then let’s see what we can learn from the Bible.

But without faith it is impossible to [walk with God and] please Him, for whoever comes [near] to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He rewards those who [earnestly and diligently] seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6 Amplified Bible)

Whether it was the thief on the cross or me on the bathroom floor or anyone else, salvation is a one-time act that secures our entrance into the Kingdom of God. But we are no more than little babies, standing at the starting line, when we are saved. None of us are born again in one moment and then walk straight into maturity the next. It’s a process —

But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. (Romans 6:22)

Sanctification is the life-long process between salvation and our death (or glorification). It’s a day-by-day, step-by-step journey of consecrating ourselves to our Lord Jesus Christ and being purified by the Holy Spirit.

How are we sanctified?

By prayer. By studying His Word. By grace. By faith. By the Holy Spirit. By staying faithful in trials. And more. It basically comes down to following the Apostle Paul’s words —

Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13-14)

If the Apostle Paul had to keep pressing forward in his quest of being all he could be in Christ, then shouldn’t we do the same?

I am not belittling last second or deathbed salvations because spending eternity in  heaven is far, far, far better than being tormented forever in Hell. But those of us who can choose to fight the good fight, finish the race, and keep the faith all the way to our last breaths, I believe we should go for it! Why not, right?

Why is endurance so important?

(Continued in Part 5…but if you want to read all of the parts to date, you can go here.)

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July 5, 2018 · 11:47 am

Prayers for America (7/5/2018)

 

In today’s politically correct culture, the phrase –“We are offended” – is the wrench which can be tossed into the gears of a company, a political campaign, Christian outreach, or whatever to stop its forward progress. It is the handy “get out of jail free” card for many opposition forces.

But isn’t it interesting how this phrase has appeared on the scene almost out of nowhere to be an effective tool in such a short period of time? It makes me believe that Satan is setting up American believers for a terrible surprise in the days ahead. Because Jesus said —

These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended. (John 16:1 KJ)

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.(Matthew 24:9-10 NKJ)

Think about His words, okay?

Believers are not to be offended if we are picked on, persecuted, threatened with death, hated by everyone, or even killed in these last days before His return. This is heavy stuff!

So, let’s not let the “We’re offended” crowd deter us from doing the will of God in our lives. Let’s instead use their words to strengthen our love for Jesus and gird up our loins with truth while moving forward against the kingdom of darkness.

My prayer today:

Lord, help American believers to reckon ourselves dead to sin and to not be afraid of people’s scorn or their insults. (Based on Romans 6:11 and Isaiah 53:7)

What do you think and has the Lord spoken to you today?

Join with me on Thursdays to fast and pray for America.

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July 2, 2018 · 10:36 am

What’re Your Plans for 300 Years From Now? (Part 3)

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When the Apostle John wrote the Book of Revelation, he was instructed to send special messages to seven churches in Asia: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.

Most of us know that two churches – Smyrna and Philadelphia – received no corrections while the other five did, with Laodicea receiving the harshest rebukes of all.

“I know your [Laodicean Church] works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.” (Revelation 3:15-16)

How many times have we heard these two verses spoken about the American church and its members? Probably, more than enough. It always sounds so bleak for us when the words are voiced, right?

Jesus then went on to say the Laodicean Church and its members were not only luke-warm, but were wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.

Yipes!

Jesus next gave the Laodicean Church specific instructions on what they needed to do to turn themselves around, but I’m sure most of the members were limp rags by then. How could they possibly pick themselves off the floor and attempt to make changes to please Jesus?

20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. 21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. (Revelation 3:20-21)

Wow!

Jesus offered the Laodicean Church and its members the greatest promises, as compared to the promises given to the other churches in Asia, if they would overcome their faults. They were offered intimacy and a chance to sit on Jesus throne with Him  – even the apostles James and John were not offered that position.

So, what happened to the Laodicean Church?

The Laodicean Church became the most dynamic and vibrant of all of the Asia churches. A bishop was martyred there seventy years later. An important Christian council was held there over two hundred years later. Archaeologists have discovered over twenty chapels and churches near the Laodicean Church, which took up a whole city block. The church continued into the fourth century.

The testimony of the Laodicean Church shows us what believers must do:

As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. (Revelation 3:19)

If we want to rule and reign with Jesus, we need to be zealous and repent.

(Continued in Part 4…but if you want to read all of the parts to date, you can go here.

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June 21, 2018 · 9:47 am

Prayers for America (6/21/2018)

Jesus was walking with his disciples in Caesarea Philippi, which was twenty-five miles north of Capernaum, Jesus’ hometown during this period. He tossed out a question to the twelve, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”

His disciples answered Him by saying, “Elijah, John the Baptist, Jeremiah, or one of the other prophets.”

Jesus zeroed in on their opinions. “But who do you say I am?”

Without hesitation, Peter said, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus called Peter blessed and stated that his revelation came from the Father. Then Jesus said —

And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (Matthew 16:18)

Some have taken Jesus’ words to mean the church is either to be built on Peter or upon his revelation. Actually, I believe it is both.

Thirty years later, the apostle Paul wrote:

[The household of God is] built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20)

My prayer today:

Lord, raise up churches in America built on the foundation of apostles and prophets with Jesus as the Cornerstone so these churches can withstand the end-times’ onslaught by Satan and his kingdom of darkness. (Based on Matthew 16:18 and Ephesians 2:20)

What do you think and has the Lord spoken to you today?

Join with me on Thursdays to fast and pray for America.

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June 19, 2018 · 9:33 am

Prayers for Israel (6/19/2018)

In 539 B.C., Daniel discovered that Jeremiah’s prophecy about Jerusalem being a desolation for seventy years was about to be fulfilled. What did Daniel then do?

Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. (Daniel 9:3)

Instead of running out and telling everyone about his revelation, Daniel did everything he could to bring the prophecy into its fulfillment through his prayers and fasting.

“God does nothing but in answer to prayer.” (John Wesley)

One of God’s biblical principles is that He longs to partner with believers to bring forth His unfulfilled scriptural prophecies. We pray and fast and then God provides the miraculous power to bring forth the prophecy into its manifestation here on earth.

This is the reason, we need to fast and pray for Israel and Jerusalem now because the days are ticking off God’s calendar before Jesus’ return.

Lord, raise up American believers who are willing to partner with You and Your Word so that Your end-time prophecies for Jerusalem and Israel are fulfilled according to Your plans.

What do you think and has the Lord spoken to you today?

Join with me on Tuesdays to fast and pray for Israel and Jerusalem.

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