Tag Archives: Prophecy

April 1, 2019 · 9:06 am

I Struggle With Easter!

My oldest memories of Easter include new clothes for my sister and me, maybe going to church, eating a feast at my grandma’s house with our relatives, and having a great time.

So, why do I struggle with Easter?

My birthday is February 9, but let’s say that everyone has decided to celebrate it on February 16 instead, even though everyone knows it’s really the 9th. Wouldn’t that be ridiculous?

But celebrating a birthday on the wrong date is no less ridiculous than our celebration of Easter!

First of all, Jesus did not die on a Friday. This would not have fulfilled His prophecy to Himself:

For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. (Matthew 12:40)

Jesus was most likely crucified on the Wednesday just before Passover which fell on the following day of Thursday and then a Sabbath on that Friday. In other words, two Sabbaths in that week. This would fulfill Jesus’ prophecy of three days and three nights in the grave. (Remember: The Jewish calendar records a day as beginning at nightfall, not at midnight like the Gregorian calendar.)

Okay, but why was Jesus crucified at this time?

Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. (Exodus 12:13)

For fifteen hundred years, Jewish families had selected a year-old lamb without blemish each year to celebrate the feast of Passover, which the Lord had commanded them to do. This feast was a sign and shadow of what Jesus would eventually become — the perfect Passover Lamb for all of us.

Now, we all know that Jesus is the Passover Lamb and not the Easter Lamb, right? So, why do we celebrate Easter rather than Passover?

Is it because we don’t want to break our man-made traditions? Is it because we believe Passover is too Jewish for us Christians?

For He Himself is our peace, who has made both [Jew and Gentile] one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two [Jew and Gentile], thus making peace (Ephesians 2:14-15)

If Christians ever hope to become the “one new man” in Christ, we’re going to have to get rid of some of our traditions, one of them will probably be Easter.

3 Comments

Filed under America, Christianity, Easter, Feasts, Israel, Jews, Passover, Prophecy, spiritual warfare

Tagged as , , , ,

March 29, 2019 · 9:42 am

Friday’s End Times Bible Study (Introduction)

On his second missionary journey, the Apostle Paul received a vision from the Holy Spirit to go to Macedonia (Greece, Bulgaria, part of Yugoslavia), rather than to Asia. He and Silas boarded a ship and crossed the Aegean Sea to Philippi, a major city and Roman colony.

Paul started a church in Philippi and stayed there until he cast a spirit of divination out of a slave girl. This upset the girl’s masters who profited from her fortune-telling. A riot broke out, ending up with Paul and Silas being thrown into a Roman prison and beaten.

After their release, Paul and Silas traveled to Thessalonica. There he preached in the Jewish synagogue for three consecutive Sabbaths. Some Jews were converted, along with many God-fearing Greeks and prominent women. A church was planted in the city.

Another riot forced Paul and Silas to leave Thessalonica and travel to Berea.

The above is the background for the founding of the Thessalonian Church and Paul’s two letters to them.

But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. (1 Thessalonians 5:1-2)

Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition…Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? (2 Thessalonians 2:3,5)

The Apostle Paul taught the the Thessalonians for just a few months. Now, during this same time period, Paul also labored night and day to provide for his own needs so he wouldn’t be a burden for the new church in Thessalonica.

Thus, it wasn’t like he taught every day or every night. Maybe just on the Sabbath and another evening or two during the week.

Yet, Paul’s message included meaty teachings on the end-times and the Day of Christ’s return because in his followup letters to the Thessalonians he wrote that “he didn’t have to write about times and seasons, Day of the Lord, falling away or the man of sin (Antichrist). Why? Because he had already taught them on this subject.

Okay?

If the Apostle Paul thought the end-times were important enough to take up his valuable time teaching new converts, shouldn’t we also place an emphasis on them?

Do you realize Jesus also placed an importance on end-times teaching?

So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand) (Matthew 24:15 ESV)

See you next time when we will begin digging into the end-times.

(Continue in #1)

2 Comments

Filed under America, Day of the Lord, End-Times, Kingdom of God, Prophecy

Tagged as , , ,

March 28, 2019 · 7:54 am

Prayer for Us to Watch What We Say About Trump, Obama and Other Leaders (3/28/2019)

My parents were staunch Republicans. They were not thrilled with Presidents Truman, Kennedy, and Johnson, but I can never remember them calling these presidents unkind names. They respected the office.

But today, we have Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social media outlets. Anyone can air his views to an audience, without leaving his home. All he has to do is write his viewpoint, or share one he likes from another person, and then hit the “share” button.

I have read some where President Obama was called the Antichrist and President Trump was called a racist. Neither of these are true. Period.

The sad thing is that quite a few Christians join in this madness. The Bible specifically warns us not to do this.

You shall not revile God, nor curse a ruler of your people. (Exodus 22:28)

The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment,and especially those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority. They are presumptuous, self-willed. They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries (2 Peter 2:9-10)

Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries. (Jude 8)

Christians are called to pray for our leaders, not to slander, gossip or speak evil of them. If we continue in this madness, we can expect God to judge us.

My prayer today:

Lord, send the Spirit of the fear of the Lord to convict American Christians of our words against leaders and those in authority so that our tongues are tamed and the words of our mouths are acceptable in Your sight. (Based on Isaiah 11:2, James 3:8 and Psalm 19:14)

Join with me on Thursdays to fast and pray for the Body of Christ in America.

6 Comments

Filed under America, Christianity, Fasting, Iniquity, Prayer, President Obama, President Trump, Prophecy, spiritual warfare

Tagged as , , , , ,

March 26, 2019 · 8:34 am

Prayers for a Love of the Truth in America (3/26/2019)

fullsizeoutput_ba3

In 2 Thessalonians Chapter 2, Paul answered questions about a misunderstanding the church had about the Day of the Lord and whether it had already come.

Paul replied:

Let no one in any way deceive or entrap you, for that Day will not come unless the apostasy comes first [that is, the great rebellion, the abandonment of the faith by professed Christians], and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction [the Antichrist, the one who is destined to be destroyed] (2 Thessalonians 2:3 AMP)

Okay, think about this for a moment: Jesus will not return and rapture us until after there is a great rebellion by professed Christians who then walk away from their faith.

Now, this seems hard to believe until we continue reading in Chapter 2 and learn that the lawless one (the Antichrist) will have all power, signs, lying wonders and unrighteous deception. So, those who perish and fall away will be deceived by the Antichrist.

Why?

…because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (2 Thessalonians 2:10-12)

This is not written to argue the point one way or another whether the great falling away involves born-again Christians or in-name-only believers. I’ll let God sort that out.

But it’s written to remind us to pray for our loved ones and neighbors before it is too late.

My prayer today:

Lord, send the Spirit of Truth to open up the hearts of our loved ones and our American neighbors so that they receive the love of the truth and are saved. (Based on John 16:13 and 2 Thessalonians 2:10)

Join us on Tuesdays to fast and pray for America.

2 Comments

Filed under America, Christianity, Day of the Lord, Fasting, Prayer, spiritual warfare

Tagged as , , , ,

March 25, 2019 · 8:52 am

Do Our Personal Sins Hurt Our Neighbors? (Part 5)

I was going through the worst trial of my life where nothing was going right for me. Finances, relationships and everything else were in the toilet, waiting to be flushed. It was all I could do to rise each morning and put one foot in front of the other throughout the day. Then I had a dream.

In it, I arrived in heaven. It was so beautiful and peaceful there. No fear. No worries. No enemies. Only peace. Only joy. Only love. Even the colors were alive and seemed to sing in their beauty to the Creator.

But as dreams usually do, the scene changed and I saw myself standing in front of a long line of young, dark-skinned people. The first one walked up to me and said, “I died young and did not achieve God’s destiny for my life because you failed to fulfill the calling on your life.” When he finished, he walked off.

The second person in line then stepped forward. He repeated what the first young man had said to me. Then, a third. And a fourth. And so forth.

As I stood there and looked at the endless line of young people waiting to talk with me, I couldn’t handle it anymore. I cried out to the Lord at the top of my lungs. “Lord, give me a second chance. Send me back to earth and I promise to not allow pain, agony, rejection, sin or anything else to stop me from fulfilling the calling which You have placed on my life.”

End of dream.

Yet, I can still see the long line of young people waiting to talk with me. The dream continues to work on me, even today.

For many are called (invited and summoned), but few are chosen. (Matthew 22:14 AMP)

The Lord determines the type of calling He places on our lives, but we determine whether or not we are chosen to fulfill that calling on earth by how we endure His training program.

You see, at any point in the training process, we can rebel and opt out. It’s our decision, but we need to remember that there are consequences involved with our decisions.

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

2 Comments

Filed under America, Callings, Christianity, Kingdom of God, Prayer, Prophecy, Rebellion, Sin, spiritual warfare

Tagged as , , , ,

March 21, 2019 · 11:42 am

Prayers for Prophetic Voices to Arise in America (3/21/2019)

If I asked most Christians what happened in Acts 2 of the Bible, they’d answer: “The one hundred and twenty disciples waiting in the Upper Room in Jerusalem were filled with the Holy Spirit and they all spoke in tongues.”

That’s true, but did you also know that Peter prophesied a message for us Twenty-First Century Christians?

“In the last days,” God says, “I will pour out My Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. In those days I will pour out My Spirit even on My servants—men and women alike— and they will prophesy.“ (Acts 2:17-18 NLT)

How many of our sons and daughters are prophesying? And if we consider ourselves servants of the Lord, how many of us are prophesying?

Now, if you’re thinking all of Peter’s prophetic words were fulfilled on that first Pentecost in 30 AD, then you need to look at the next part of his prophecy:

“And I will cause wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below— blood and fire and clouds of smoke. The sun will become dark, and the moon will turn blood red before that great and glorious day of the Lord arrives.” (Acts 2:18-19) 

So far, we have not seen the sun darkened and the moon turned to blood, right?

If we look at Peter’s prophecy and consider the questions I have raised, that means Peter’s prophecy has only had a limited fulfillment so far.

Thus, we need to be like the prophet Daniel and discern the times we now live in and set our faces toward the Lord God with prayer, supplication and fasting to bring the fulfillment about prophesying to the Body of Christ.

My prayer today:

Lord, we believe we are living in the last days so we ask You to pour out Your Spirit of prophecy on our sons and daughters and on every one who is Your servant. (Based on Acts 2 and Revelation 19:10)

Join with me on Thursdays to fast and pray for prophetic voices to arise in America.

8 Comments

Filed under America, Christianity, Fasting, Gifts of the Spirit, Intercession, Prayer, Prophecy, spiritual warfare

Tagged as , , ,

March 12, 2019 · 10:30 am

Prayers to Open Our Eyes About the End-Times (3/12/2019)

The main reasons we Americans do not understand the End-Times are:

  1. We do not study the Bible.
  2. We do not understand that Jesus is Jewish.

Problem #1 can be handled by asking the Lord to open our eyes as we study the Bible to understand the End-Times. My recommendation is that we begin our studies in the Book of Revelation, Matthew 24, 1 Corinthians 15:51-52, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12, 1 Timothy 4:1-5, 2 Timothy 3:1-9, 2 Peter 3:1-13, Daniel 11 and Daniel 12.

Problem #2 will take a total change of our Gentile mindsets.

We have been indoctrinated by the Americanized portraits of Jesus supposedly resembling Him, by the non-Biblical holidays of  Easter and Christmas, by our total lack of understanding about the Jewish feasts or Shabbat (Jewish Sabbath), not understanding the Bible was written by Jewish authors and more.

Why is this important?

Jesus fulfilled the spring feasts of Pesach (Passover), Chag HaMotzi (Unleavened Bread), Reshit Katzir (First Fruits), Shavu’ot (Pentecost) and also dozens of Old Covenant prophecies when He was crucified, buried, rose from the grave and ascended into heaven.

Our Lord will fulfill the fall feasts of Yom Teru’ah (Trumpets), Yom Kippur (Atonement), Sukkot (Tabernacles) and hundreds of Old Covenant prophecies when He returns.

Jesus is from the tribe of Judah, will rule and reign forever in Jerusalem as the Son of David, and we Gentile believers have been grafted into a Jewish olive tree.

My prayer today:

Lord, help us to change our mindsets so the middle wall of separation between Jews and Gentiles is broken down and that the one new man will come forth here on earth, prepared for the End-Times. (Based on Ephesians 2:14-15)

Join with me on Tuesdays to fast and pray for our eyes to be opened about the End-Times.

Leave a comment

Filed under America, Christianity, End-Times, Fasting, Gentiles, Hebraic roots, jesus, Jews, Kingdom of God, Prayer, Prophecy, spiritual warfare

Tagged as , , , , ,

March 11, 2019 · 9:20 am

With 60 Million Aborted Babies, Why Hasn’t God Removed America Yet? (Part 3)

On the first Palm Sunday, Jesus rode a donkey, heading to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover. His short journey began in the nearby town of Bethphage.

The road was crowded with disciples, Pharisees, scribes, and thousands of pilgrims from the Jewish Diaspora. Jerusalem’s normal population of 120,000 swelled to over a million people during a Passover feast because Jews from all over the Middle East returned to observe it.

As Jesus rode along, His disciples praised God, saying, “Hosanna! Blessed is the kingdom of our father David. Blessed is the King.” They sang these praises hoping Jesus would be their new King David who would return Israel to its former glory.

Jesus paused at a spot on the Mount of Olives, overlooking Jerusalem and the Temple. This was the exact spot where Jews throughout history had mourned over the Temple.

When Jesus stopped, the people probably hushed, anticipating a historic speech. All would have squeezed forward to hear Him say:

If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now, they have been hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you, and surround you and hem you on every side, and they will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation. (Luke 19:42-44)

The people had to be shocked by His words.

Their beloved King David had prophesied the death of Jerusalem and the Temple. Judaism was a non-functioning religion without the two. No more altar. No more sacrifices. No more priests. No more City of God. Where would God go? After all, He lived in the Holy of Holies.

 

For thirty-four years, after Christ’s crucifixion, Christianity had an up and down relationship with Judaism. Times of heavy persecution were followed by times of coexistence. The Roman leaders paid little attention to Christians and considered them a small offshoot of Judaism during much of this period.

Jerusalem’s Christians assembled in home churches, but Jerusalem Christianity still had a distinct Jewish flavor about it. A few modern writers even refer to Jerusalem’s brand of Christianity as “Temple Christianity,” distinguishing it from Paul’s Christianity.

But all of this peaceful coexistence changed in 64 AD when Nero began persecuting Christians. Jewish zealots openly fought Roman armies in 66 AD.

In 66 AD or 67 AD, depending on which source you read, a Christian prophesied to the Jerusalem church. In it, Christians were reminded of Jesus’ prophecy and warned about the soon coming devastation of Jerusalem by Rome. All were advised to flee the city.

The Christians in Jerusalem heeded the prophecy by 69 AD. They left their homes, their livelihoods, and their Jewish friends. They relocated to Pella (a city sixty miles northeast of Jerusalem) and other Transjordan cities.

Even though the prophecy was specifically spoken to Christians, believers certainly would have explained to their neighbors why they were leaving. They would have mentioned both prophecies, attempting to convince their Jewish neighbors to flee, too. The neighbors would have repeated the conversations to others. On and on it would have continued until the whole city knew the reason for the Christian exodus: the soon coming destruction of Jerusalem.

But the Jewish zealots were winning the war with Rome at the time. The Jews still presumed God would protect Jerusalem and His chosen people. The result was that very few Jews listened to the Christians.

The siege of Jerusalem by the Roman armies in 70 A.D., under the command of General Titus, lasted five brutal months. Thousands starved to death or died of plagues. People drank urine because of the lack of water.

The siege finally ended when unarmed Jewish citizens surrendered to the onrushing Romans. As they stood there with their arms in the air, the Romans butchered them with swords. Pregnant woman had their stomachs slashed open and babies ripped out. The babies were then smashed against walls. Hundreds of people burned to death atop the Temple’s roof as they knelt in prayer, crying out to God for mercy. Men, women, and children of all ages were slaughtered.

The destruction of Jerusalem resulted in 1.1 million people being killed during the five-month long siege. Another 95,000 Jews were taken captive as slaves by the Romans. 

(An excerpt from Planning + Preparation = Survival by Larry Nevenhoven, Amazon eBook, © 2013)

If we think God won’t remove America because there are thousands of Christians living in our nation, we had better rethink our theories. You see, God removed Jerusalem after He had first sent all of the believers out of the city.

(Continued in Part 4)

1 Comment

Filed under Abortion, America, California, Intercession, Judgment, Prophecy, spiritual warfare

Tagged as , , ,

March 10, 2019 · 10:32 am

Good News/Bad News

The good news is that the greatest revival in the history of the world is about to take place. Millions of people will give their lives to Jesus in every nation of the world. It will be a gigantic harvest of souls by the Holy Spirit under the leadership of our Lord.

The bad news is that the greatest level of persecution against Christianity in the history of the world will also take place at the same time. The persecution will be so intense that hundreds of thousands of believers will walk away from their faith. Thousands of other Christians will be beheaded, burned at the stake, shot by firing squads and killed by other methods, thus becoming martyrs for the King of Kings.

Do you think I’m wrong?

There are over one hundred and fifty chapters covering end-time prophecies in the Bible. If you haven’t done so, you can begin by reading the Book of Revelation, Matthew 24, 1 Corinthians 15:51-52, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12, 1 Timothy 4:1-5, 2 Timothy 3:1-9, 2 Peter 3:1-13, Daniel 11 and Daniel 12.

Here’s the deal: we can either ignore the Word of God and believe it’s allegorical when it refers to the end-times – or – we can believe that God knew what He was doing when He placed the end-time prophecies in the Bible and prepare ourselves ahead of time.

I choose to believe and will endeavor to prepare myself and my family. How about you?

The people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits. (Daniel 11:32)

2 Comments

Filed under America, End-Times, Kingdom of God, Persecution, Prayer, Prophecy, Revival, spiritual warfare

Tagged as , , ,

March 9, 2019 · 9:28 am

With 60 Million Babies Aborted,Why Hasn’t God Removed America Yet? (Part 2)

Many Christians who read Part 1 of this series will think that what happened to King Manasseh and Judah is irrelevant to what is happening in America right now. Why? Because Jesus and the New Covenant have changed everything for us, right?

The answer to this question is “yes” and “no.”

Let’s say that the 60 million aborted babies in America were aborted by 60 million different women and that each asked forgiveness for undergoing an abortion. Our Lord would forgive each one and thus the women would have their eternal slates wiped clean of that sin.

Let’s also say that every abortion doctor and every person involved in the abortion industry would ask forgiveness from the Lord for their sins of being involved in murdering babies. Our Lord would also forgive each one.

So, yes, Jesus and the New Covenant could make a difference in these women’s, the abortion doctors’ and other involved people’s lives.

But what about Planned Parenthood and the other abortion providers? What about the $547 million that Congress and other governmental entities gave to Planned Parenthood last year? Or the $532 million given to Planned Parenthood through private donations by corporations and individuals last year? What about the millions given to the other abortion providers? What about the $30 million given to political candidates by Planned Parenthood? What about the revenue Planned Parenthood has earned from harvesting and selling body parts? What about churches that support abortions? And so forth.

Now, this gets more involved.

Nonprofit organizations, churches, companies, corporations, and various levels of governments do not have voices before the throne of God. Yes, the individuals within these organized groups have voices and may be forgiven, but organizations as a whole do not.

Our Lord judges organizations according to the Laws of God, most of which are in the Old Covenant.

If you doubt this, read the last Book of the Bible: The Revelation of Jesus Christ. It is impossible to understand this Book and what will happen to nations and organizations unless you study the Old Covenant. The four hundred and four verses in the Book contain over eight hundred references to the Old Covenant.

(Continued in Part 3)

2 Comments

Filed under Abortion, America, Christianity, Judgment, Prophecy, spiritual warfare

Tagged as , , , ,