All too often in these days, it is not uncommon to hear about people having a nagging problem concerning churches that would teach Bible prophecy. The root of the issue has everything to do with the clergy; it is not too difficult to come up with a comprehensive list of preachers who teach prophetic truths – there are really not that many when compared to the others!

Perhaps there is the argument that proper eschatology is a very tough topic that is ridden with controversies – so a lot of pulpits steer clear of this area. Over the past decades, there has been much sensationalism in this realm. A chunk of this is largely the over-emphasis on dreams, visions, astronomical movements, and dates. All this has given the topic of Bible prophecy a bad name. Then there is folklore about the so-called origins of the Rapture – many are probably familiar with the story of a certain young lady!

So a lot of pastors take the above-mentioned arguments as a basis for not even scratching the topic of Bible prophecy. A good enough reason? Definitely not the case; simply because all this noise and chatter has zero Scriptural basis – it is totally manmade! That which emanates from the fallen nature is as good as quicksand. Confusion as well as disputes often arise from believing in all that stuff. Our Heavenly Father certainly has no part in all this. “For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints” (1 Corinthians 14:33).

Who then is the author of confusion? The adversary, who else! Unfortunately, there is no doubt that a large number of pastors are blindsided by the evil one into the misnomer that Bible prophecy is difficult to teach, boring, and hard to comprehend. These preachers fail to take a long, hard look at Hebrews 4:12. “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than a two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

So there it is, a two-edged sword that will cut through all the misinformation and mayhem. When the Word of God takes the driver’s seat, potential train wrecks are avoided. The question is, how many people who call themselves servants of the Lord take this to heart. Those in the minority camp have done so and continue to do so. They bring great joy to many listeners around the globe; their conferences are often sold out, and live streaming has to be the next best option – all because of the insatiable hunger for the truth in the Living Word which is out there.

Why then is there so much reluctance on the part of many contemporary clergymen to get involved in an area of Scripture which is so relevant for the times? It has obviously reached a stage where one person’s meat has become the other’s poison. There it is again, another plethora of earthly excuses!

The wicked one who thrives on deceit and confusion is yet again at work. He feeds these feeble minds with the notion that the material in the prophetic truth is offensive to many. Unfounded fears of conflicts degenerating into strained relationships surface. Peace in the pews at whatever price, even if it brings in that which is not Biblical? Do these people of the pulpits ever read 2 Timothy 4:2. “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and teaching.”

A good number of these pastors would worry about the church coffers, and because of this, they choose to please the pews. A clear dereliction of duty! Do they trust the LORD for every need, including financial requirements? Unfortunately, not in this instance. Crowd pleasers – the Living Word has a lot to say about this in Galatians 1:10. “For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.”

At this juncture, it would do no harm to label this cohort of clergymen in the manner of a spade being called a spade – they are workers of iniquity who truncate the truth. At least a quarter of Holy Writ is prophecy in the true sense. Leaving it out wholesale can cause distortions in the understanding of Scripture; everything in the Living Word is closely interrelated! Distortions ultimately lead to misinterpretations which, in turn, cause disputes. There is undoubtedly a slippery slope here; the concern about conflicts ultimately gives cause for avoidance of the truth and subsequently misfocusing on the irrelevant. Just what the father of lies ordered – a sharp swerve that is far away from the truth but more in tune with fairy tales. What follows is the unthinkable and unspeakable in places of worship.

Surely this speaks volumes about the Woke revolution!

It should come as no surprise that what is exploding before many eyes matches that which is said about the last days. “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables” (2 Timothy 4:3-4).

Be not dismayed with these things. It will not be for long before they will disappear and be removed from memory at the twinkling of an eye. Right at this point in time, the minority is deemed by the masses to be on the losing end. Only an illusion! Before anyone knows it, all the longsuffering which is the very heart of sticking to the Living Word will bear everlasting fruits!

Maranatha

Edwin

Contact me at edwinuk13@gmail.com

From Matthew 24:6a-8; “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars…. 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.”

Luke 21:11 expands on this; “There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from Heaven.”

Going on to Luke 21:26-28, “people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” (ESV – all emphasis mine)

Even though we see what we believe are the “beginnings” of the above signs, they represent a part of the Tribulation/Wrath 7-year period of time spoken of in Daniel and Revelation. Some may try to say we are already in that time, but as 2 Thessalonians 2 tells us, the antichrist or “lawless one” cannot appear until the force that restrains this “mystery of lawlessness” is out of the way. He represents the actual time of the Tribulation that starts right after he gets a 7-year peace treaty signed with Israel and the rest of the world.

For those who are true believers in Jesus as their Savior, what we are seeing are signs that tell us we will be leaving here soon. The prelude that is taking place could be classified as insignificant compared to what will happen after we’re gone and when Satan’s forces are fully released on this earth. That movement is presently gaining ground, and the changes taking place are troubling. It’s difficult to imagine just how much worse it can get.

It has been said that the United States, which has been a considerably strong force in the world up to now, is not mentioned in end-times prophecies. Looking at the worldwide view of this country today, events that have taken place very recently have taken our reputation down. As our strength and status get less and less in the world’s eyes, this country is being prepared to be absorbed into a “new world order” led by a “one-world government” of which there will be no real lead nation. The really sad part is, our population that will be here will be ready for this to happen and will willingly accept the change.

It is no accident that the current administration of the U.S. is in office. God put them there and is not surprised by anything that is taking place. In fact, He is allowing it to happen according to His ultimate plan. In Philippians 4:6-7, we’re told, “do not be anxious about anything, but in prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Seems simple, but the Father knows all of our concerns. We need to realize Satan’s forces are constantly at work, and anyone who is a follower of Jesus is being called a “hater.” Because we do not accept the abominations that some lifestyles are indulging in, it does not mean we hate the people. Jesus told us to love all our brothers and sisters because each one has an immortal soul, but that does not mean we have to accept their lifestyles. He will accept anyone who will repent and call on Him to save them from eternal condemnation.

For all who have received and accepted Jesus as our Savior, our eternity is set. God does not make promises that He will not keep (Titus 1:2). An event described by the Apostle Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 and 1 Corinthians 15:51-53, commonly called the Rapture, will take place. It is to keep all the Shepherd’s flock from going through the coming wrath (1 Thessalonians 1:10, 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10, and Revelation 3:10). We were told this would take place before the Tribulation, and I, for one, am eagerly looking forward to it.

In the meantime, we do not need to be just waiting and doing nothing. We need to be in prayer daily, asking the Holy Spirit to touch the hearts of any loved ones who are not truly saved. It wouldn’t be too much to pray this more than once a day. Being a “prayer warrior” is special, and the effects can be amazing.

There will be those who will choose this world over all else. Jesus knew that more would accept their current lifestyle and not be prepared for eternity. He spoke of the two pathways in Matthew 7:13-14. He stated the path to eternal life is narrow, and there would be few on it. Our hope is that through our prayers, we may get some of those lost souls off the broad path that leads to eternal destruction.

The day is coming soon, and our Jesus will be calling us up to meet Him in the air. This will not be the occasion that takes place at the end of the Tribulation where they will “see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.” Actually, the Rapture will be over in considerably less than one second.

Jeremy Camp wrote and released a song in 2008 called “There Will Be a Day.” It is a testimony to the promise of the Lord to take us Home. It’s a day that all Jesus’ followers are waiting for, and the Father knows we are longing for it. Please consider the message.

1.) I try to hold on to this world with everything I have. But I feel the weight of what it brings and the hurt that tries to grab, The many trials that seem to never end. His word declares the truth that we will enter in this rest with wonders anew.

(ref) But I hold on to this hope and the promise that He brings, That there will be a place with no more suffering. There will be a day with no more tears, no more pain, and no more fears. There will be a day when the burdens of this place will be no more. We’ll see Jesus face-to-face, but until that day, we’ll hold on to You always.

2.) I know the journey seems so long; you feel like you’re walking on your own. But there has never been a step where you walked out all alone. Troubled soul, don’t lose your heart, ’cause joy and peace He brings, and the beauty that’s in store outweighs the hurt of life’s sting. (ref)

3.) I can’t wait until that day, where the very One I’ve lived for always will wipe away the sorrow that I’ve faced (wipe away the tears), to touch the scars that rescued me from a life of shame and misery; Oh, this is why, this is why I sing.

There will be a day with no more tears, no more pain, and no more fears. There will be a day when the burdens of this place will be no more. We’ll see Jesus face-to-face (x2). There will be a day He will wipe away the tears; He will wipe away the tears; He will wipe away the tears; and there will be a day.

For all who have received and accepted Jesus, we know that we will not be here much longer. As another song line stated, “All my trials, Lord, soon be over.” Once we’re Home, all this will be lost in the past.

For all who have not chosen Jesus as their Savior, please read Romans 10:9-13 for the simple steps to do so. Consider that the Son of the Living God, Creator of the heavens and the earth, has provided you with the opportunity to have eternal life with Him for the asking. He paid our passage in full with His precious blood shed on crucifixion day. He conquered sin and death on resurrection day.

The alternative is to be forever separated from Him in a place of darkness, and there will be no relief ever. He is available 24-7 to receive your call, and please know you have not sinned so greatly that He won’t forgive and accept you if you truly ask Him to be your Savior.

It’s absolutely each individual’s choice of where they will spend eternity. Please choose wisely; please choose soon. We are not guaranteed tomorrow, and that could be the day and time the Father has chosen.

Come, Lord Jesus!

huebshman46@gmail.com