This Just Doesn’t Make Sense! :: By Dave Hubley

(There is a special message at the end of this article for those who might happen to read this and do not have Jesus in their life and are looking for peace and a way to better understand the present-day insanity and confusion.)

Surely you have also noticed that things just don’t make sense.

How often have we heard this phrase from politicians, commentators, “news reporters,” etc., over the past year and a half or so?

How often have we said it ourselves? Quite a lot, I expect.

But here is an observation that I think more and more of us who watch geo-political, “religious,” and other current events from a prophecy-studying perspective have been doing (even perhaps unnoticed by us).

We have almost entirely stopped saying, “this just doesn’t make sense.”

I think perhaps, in light of the view we have from our studies of the only source of Truth, it DOES make sense!

Perfect sense. Tragic, heartbreaking, and perfect sense.

And that tells us ever so much about the lateness of the hour and the state of humanity.

Logic and Truth are the first casualties of lawlessness.

Here are a few more questions we have maybe discontinued asking ourselves or perhaps statements we no longer make to ourselves:

  • What is the world coming to?
  • How can these people believe this?
  • Why are they doing this?
  • I thought we had laws against …????
  • How can these people get away with this?
  • What about the Constitution?
  • What about the rule of law?
  • That isn’t even physically or biologically possible.
  • How can they do this to these little children?

I imagine you could add to this list with little effort and probably were doing it even as you read it.

Perhaps you were thinking, “you left out this, that, or the other.” I certainly did. I left out a lot of things, some of which I can’t really stand to contemplate.

If we read the warnings expressed in God’s Word about these latter days, we see that, even though they were written approximately 2,000 years ago, they are perfectly in keeping with the times. In fact, they have become the order of the day.

“Furthermore, since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, He gave them up to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant, and boastful. They invent new forms of evil; they disobey their parents. They are senseless, faithless, heartless, merciless. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things are worthy of death, they not only continue to do these things, but also approve of those who practice them” (Romans 1:28-32).

“But understand this: In the last days terrible times will come. For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, without love of good, traitorous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. Turn away from such as these!” (2 Timothy 3:1-5).

“Most importantly, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. ‘Where is the promise of His coming?’ they will ask. ‘Ever since our fathers fell asleep, everything continues as it has from the beginning of creation.’ But they deliberately overlook the fact that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water, through which the world of that time perished in the flood. And by that same word, the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men” (2 Peter 3:1-7).

“Behold, the Lord is coming with myriads of His holy ones to execute judgment on everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of every ungodly act of wickedness and every harsh word spoken against Him by ungodly sinners” (Jude 14-15).

I would normally place emphasis on some of the characteristics above, but they ALL apply today. It is an unrelenting flood of evil. And where is it leading?

“And the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness, and men began to gnaw their tongues in anguish and curse the God of heaven for their pains and sores; yet they did not repent of their deeds” (Revelation 16:10-11). Emphasis added by me.

I added emphasis above as men, by and large, are not repenting of their deeds now, and they will not even under the Bowl judgments. Incredible.

The verse from Revelation Chapter 16 takes place late in the 70th week of Daniel (Great Tribulation) during the most severe of the judgments (Bowl Judgements), and “yet they did not repent of their deeds.”

It is impactful when we see these last days warnings all in a nice, condensed package. So easy to read and so terrible in its sadness.

Given this, are these lists of human depravities and conduct in these current days leading up to the pouring out of God’s Wrath a mystery?

And are we not seeing all these characteristics playing out every single day in one place or another… or almost everywhere?

Do we not sometimes read of these things and then see them occurring in reality, and we are almost tempted to think they are an understatement?

And this is what we do see. How much do we not see? Perhaps we should thank the Lord for these small blessings, as I’m not sure how much we could stand. But He knows, and He will strengthen us through the Holy Spirit.

At the same time, it is also heartening when we see how far our God is willing to go to try and save people even when they hate Him.

He literally moves heaven and earth.

I believe many will be rescued after the Rapture of the church, during the time of Jacob’s Trouble/Tribulation/Daniels 70th Week, and it is a Praise to the Glory of God.

“Then one of the elders addressed me: ‘These in white robes,’ he asked, ‘who are they, and where have they come from?’ “Sir,” I answered, “you know.” So he replied, ‘These are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb'” (Rev 7:13-14).

These, I believe, are in addition to all the Martyrs over all the ages who died in the Lord and who have been patiently waiting for the Day of the Lord.

The Fifth Seal: The Martyrs

“And when the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony they had upheld. And they cried out in a loud voice, ‘How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You avenge our blood and judge those who dwell upon the earth?’ Then each of them was given a white robe and told to rest a little while longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers, were killed, just as they had been killed” (Revelation 6:9-11).

It is another Praise to the Glory of our God that even in the midst of all these judgments, He provides the Gospel message to the lost yet again.

“Then I saw another angel flying overhead, with the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation and tribe and tongue and people. And he said in a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come. Worship the One who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and the springs of waters'” (Revelation 14:6).

I don’t mention the salvation of souls during the Post-Rapture period to people who I witness to for a couple of reasons.

  • I don’t want to give them any excuse to feel they can afford to “wait and see.” Like it is some event they can breeze through similar to purchasing fire insurance, or like they can wait and see if maybe Dave was right after all. And what then?
  • I don’t think they can even begin to comprehend the horror of that time. If they end up in that period, they will at least have heard the Gospel and know Who to turn to – if their hearts are not too hardened to permit them to repent and call upon the Lord.

I pray that they don’t fall under the judgment of 2 Thessalonians. I pray that there is a chance that, in their heart, they will not meet these terrible conditions but still will be willing to receive the Truth, even if it costs them their lives to stand up for Him.

“The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, 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 2:9-12).

Perhaps you may have a different opinion. That is your call. I don’t write these articles to convince anyone to come to my viewpoint. I write them to try to be a help to those who may have questions or are uncertain of what to do.

Whatever I may write, it should always be measured against the plumb-line of God’s Inerrant Truth.

I always try to keep these verses in the front of my memory when I study prophecy.

“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). Emphasis added by me.

“This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:3-4). Emphasis joyfully added by me.

We are certainly in a time when things “don’t make sense” in terms of the world most of us grew up in, but things always make sense in the solid foundation of God’s Word.

“The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever” (Isaiah 40:8).

Truth is reality from God’s Perspective. It’s as simple as that.

For anyone who may read this article and has not trusted in Jesus Christ and therefore has no hope or peace in your life:

You can have hope. You can have the peace that Jesus has promised to all who have made Him their Lord and Savior. The peace that passes understanding.

It requires that you come before God on His terms.

And, what are His terms according to His Word?

  • Genuine repentance (turning to God instead of continuing to reject or ignore Him).
  • Confession of sins (that you are a sinner and acknowledge that to God).
  • That you understand that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).
  • To acknowledge to God that you are unable to pay that debt.
  • Belief that Jesus Christ paid your death sentence for you on the cross.
  • To believe that Jesus is the Way, the only Way, that God has established by which humans may be saved from the consequences of their sin and rebellion.

God has made it absolutely clear that there is no one who comes before Him, under His terms, that will be refused.

  • No one: no race, no color, no country of origin, regardless of any previous belief system: no one.
  • No matter what your past sins have been, God can and WILL forgive you because He says He will.
  • Salvation is available to everyone without any exceptions.

If you put all your trust for salvation in Jesus, and Him only, you can follow that prayer up by simply saying, “Thank you, Father God, for hearing my prayer and saving me,” because we can trust Him to keep His Word. He always has. He always will.

“Truly, Truly, I say to you that he who hears My words and believes the One who sent Me has eternal life and will not be condemned. He has crossed from death to life” (John 5:24).

There are no answers and there is no hope in the world by governments, organizations, politics, or politicians. There are only lies and deception. But you can have the Truth and the peace you seek.

The answers are in the Word of God—The Bible. If you ask God with all your heart, He will hear you.

“And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).

Pro Salvator Vigilans

To contact me: canoeman96@gmail.com

Wrong End-Times Prophecy View in Churches :: By Jonathan Brentner

The church is the body of Christ with Jesus as its Head; it does not operate as a kingdom in this present world. And it’s most certainly not the restored kingdom of Israel.

As redeemed saints, God has transferred us from Satan’s domain to His invisible kingdom (Colossians 1:13-14). This is true; we now belong to the kingdom of God. However, on earth, the church functions as a body of believers with Jesus as our Chief Shepherd.

The Lord never intended for His church to operate as a kingdom in this world with an aristocracy ruling over it.

All the abuses of the Catholic Church that led to the Reformation stemmed both directly and indirectly from the errant belief that the church was a kingdom, the heir of the promises made to Israel in the Old Testament. While Reformers still rejected the restoration of Israel, their views of Scripture later caused Bible students to return to a biblical view of Jesus’ future reign, one that includes the restoration of a kingdom to Israel.

Why do I bring this up now?

It’s because the portrayal of the church as the kingdom replacement for Israel has reemerged and gained immense popularity during the past two decades.

Kingdom Now Theology

It’s likely the fastest growing view of end-times prophecy in the church today. This movement, often referred to as the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR), teaches that the church will eventually gain control of the world and bring in a time of unprecedented peace, security, and prosperity during which time the church, not Jesus, will rule over the earth. As for the Lord, He will return after the reign of the church.

This group goes by other names such as Dominion Theology, Third Wave, Latter Rain, and Charismatic Renewal.

The NAR bases its teachings upon new revelation they claim has come through newly appointed apostles and prophets. These recent spokespersons of the church tell us that, as inheritors of the kingdom promises that the Lord made to Israel, the church will prevail against the evils of this current world. They believe the church will gain control of all the structures necessary to rule over the earth.

The teachings of this group not only question the sufficiency of God’s Word, but they also directly contradict what Scripture tells us about the church as well as the last days of human history. The Bible tells us that there will be a time of great tribulation on the earth before Jesus’ Second Coming and subsequent rule over the nations. It’s Jesus who defeats the kingdom of Satan and sets up His earthly rule on the throne of David. New Testament saints will reign with Jesus, not instead of Him.

Click here to see my previous article recounting the many dangers of NAR theology.

The Church is God’s Kingdom

Many pastors and teachers see the church as Israel’s replacement but do not go so far as to say that it will rule over the earth as do the NAR folks. This is the old amillennial view that denies a literal understanding of Revelation 20:1-10, which describes a thousand-year reign of Jesus in-between the Tribulation and eternal state. Most of those in this camp believe that we are now in the millennium while others identify the eternal state as the reign of Christ promised in the Old Testament.

Like the NAR proponents, they believe that the church has replaced Israel in God’s economy, albeit in a spiritual sense. This is replacement theology; it falsely claims that the church replaced the descendants of Jacob because they rejected their Messiah.

The song Amen (Simple Gospel) by Kari Jobe sums up the thinking of both groups that see the church as the kingdom of Israel. The following words appear later in the song:

The church will arise
With power and love
Our cities will know
The glory of God
The future is bright
There’s nothing to fear
Revival is now
The Kingdom is here

Even though these words proclaim NAR theology, one will find a similar sentiment in other churches that see themselves as the inheritors of the kingdom promises the Lord made to Israel. Churches of both types include Amen (Simple Gospel) in their worship services.

The Dangers of Regarding the Church as a Kingdom

I see three dangers with emphasizing that the church as a kingdom rather than the body of Christ.

  1. An Unawareness that We Live in the Last Days

Pastors that deny the prophetic significance of the miraculous reemergence of Israel typically reject all teaching that says we live in the last days of human history as we know it. They don’t see any implications in world events that point to the rapidly approaching seven-year tribulation and the fulfillment of events described in the book of Revelation.

Why is this so harmful to the body of Christ?

At a time when believers should increasingly let go of the things of this world in anticipation of Jesus’ imminent appearing, the message of many churches is that there’s no rush to prepare for meeting Jesus in the air. Some deny any belief in a Rapture.

There’s also an apparent unawareness of the perils that abound around us and no awareness of God’s impending judgment on this lawless world.

In Pete Garcia’s excellent blog post, Everything, Everywhere, All At Once, he lists “nineteen existential threats to both our nation [America] and the world.” They are eye-opening to be sure.

Most churches, however, behave as though all is well with the world and these threats do not exist. Entering them is like leaving a burning building and walking into Disney World.

Why are pastors so quiet about the dangers of pending food shortages and the drumbeats of war that grow louder all the time? Do they somehow see the church as a bubble that’s immune to these things?

Jesus may come today, but it’s also possible that believers could face many and varied threats to their wellbeing and livelihood in the coming months or even in 2023.

My bottom line is this: such unawareness of the perilous times in which we live leaves believers unprepared to deal with the real world that becomes more lawless and threatening each day.

  1. The Leadership See Themselves as Authoritative Rulers Rather than Servants

The mentality of overseeing a kingdom is totally different than that of shepherding a group of believers in which all are equal members of the body of Christ.

In a kingdom, rulers reign with authoritarian power. However, Jesus made it clear that this was not to happen among His followers.

“But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant…” (Matthew 20:25-26).

A kingdom has rulers. The Lord intended for servant-leaders to shepherd His church “with humility toward one another” (1 Peter 5:5). I know that I struggled with pride years ago as a young pastor; I know the temptation.

Should the elders of a church view themselves as those “exercising authority” over a kingdom, the functioning of body life that Paul describes in Romans 12:3-8 would go out the window. That’s why the body imagery of the church is so vital to the health of a local body of believers; it lends importance to all the members of the body, not just to those with visible gifts that everyone recognizes.

Do I think that many pastors today “lord it over” those God has called them to serve? I really do not know, but this has been my experience during the past five years as I have interreacted with many of them and felt their disdain for me.

  1. It Takes the Focus Away from Jesus

Teachings that exalt the church often make it, rather than Jesus, our safe refuge for the perilous times in which we live. I cannot explain how this would work on a street level because I have never heard anyone explain how the church as an organization could rise up “with power” to protect its members.

Sometimes, chapter breaks occur at a most unfortunate time. Such is the case with Philippians 4 as the first verse of this chapter reveals the significance of the truths Paul wrote about in 3:20-21. It’s our hope in Jesus’ imminent appearing, aka the Rapture, that enables us to “stand firm” in the Lord and not surrender ground to those that oppose us and what we believe.

3:20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 3:21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself. 4:1 Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved” (Philippians 3:20–4:1).

It’s Jesus and our hope in His imminent return that enables us to remain firm in our faith during the perilous times in which we live. The New Testament presents a clear connection between the Rapture and encouragement to remain faithful in our walk with Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:50-58; 1 John 3:1-3; Romans 8:23-25; and of course, Philippians 3:20-4:1).

This becomes all the more important as the shadows of the seven-year Tribulation grow increasingly foreboding by the day. Believers need to hear about their “blessed hope” (Titus 2:13) rather than how they can have their best life now.

This is why I wrote The Triumph of the Redeemed. I feel a heavy burden for those who attend churches where our “blessed hope” in Jesus’ soon appearing is either ignored, misrepresented, ridiculed, or outright denied. My desire for writing this book was to explain the biblical basis for our joyous hope and direct the attention of the saints to the many glories ahead for us, beginning with Rapture and our receipt of immortal and imperishable bodies.

The preaching in churches that are watching and waiting for Jesus’ appearing stand worlds apart from pastors that see the church as the new Israel and somehow a safe haven for the saints. In the latter, there’s no recognition of the perilous times in which we live and rarely any mention of the issues that impact the people in the chairs or pews.

“Do they not see what we see?” I often ask myself.

Because of the passion that burns within me, I must continue to speak out against viewpoints that proclaim the church as the kingdom of Israel. I’m not sure I can endure another sermon that tells believers they will only realize their hope after they die.

The message that everyone in the congregation will eventually die is not what the New Testament teaches. In fact, the Bible directly contradicts it. (Yes, I have heard pastors in Bible-believing churches say all believers will die someday.)

The Bible directs our attention to Jesus and His appearing that can happen at any moment. Christ is the King that someday will sit on the throne of David. Amen!!!

Until then, we glorify our Savior as a body of believers that is watching and waiting for His glorious appearing.

Maranatha!!

My book, The Triumph of the Redeemed-An eternal Perspective that Calms Our Fears in Perilous Times, is available on Amazon. This book provides a great deal of biblical support regarding the restoration of a kingdom to Israel. It’s the basis of our hope in Jesus’ imminent appearing to take us to the place that He’s preparing for us.

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