John 14:26-27, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My Name, He will teach you all things, and bring to you remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” (all emphasis mine)

Jesus gave this instruction to His disciples just prior to His destiny at Calvary. He also gave them a commandment in John 15:12, “This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”

So that they would not be disillusioned, He told how they would be received by the world. John 15:18-19, “If the world hates you, know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” This is a direct statement of how the world viewed Jesus and any of His followers of that day. If you were to look with an unbiased eye, it’s that way today as well. The attitude worldwide against Christians is gaining ground daily.

Daniel 12:10, “Many shall purify themselves, and make themselves clean and refined; but the wicked will go on being wicked. None of the wicked will understand, though the wise will understand.” This is echoed by Paul in 1 Corinthians 1:18, “For the word of the Cross is folly to those who are perishing [unbelievers], but to us who are being saved, it is the Power of God.”

We need to know an absolute truth; “For the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men” (1 Corinthians 1:25). God has no illusions, and He is not taken by surprise by anything that is happening today. In fact, for those who study prophecy, and especially end-time prophecy, everything is going exactly according to the will of the Father. He’s putting everything in place as a prelude to Jesus calling all true believers Home before He spends His wrath on disciplining this evil world.

Believers need not fear the coming tribulation, as the Father has promised to take us away from here before it takes place (1 Thessalonians 1:10; 1 Thessalonians 5:9). People worldwide are being put in fear because of a virus. The new world order and the faux news media are playing it to the limit. Yes, the virus is serious; yes, precautions need to be taken; but what’s not being reported is all the ones that have had the virus and now are cured. However, this is being proclaimed as reason to declare a one- world government, supposedly to be able to handle all that’s happening.

All this, along with increasing frequency of earthquakes worldwide, plague of locusts, severe weather patterns and numerous other issues are part of the “birthing pains” spoken of by our Savior (Matthew 24:8). Isaiah 5:20 is in full force today, and the divide between good and evil is very distinct. “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter.”

Christians are being called “haters” because we don’t accept the alternate lifestyles of this world. We do not hate those who are living this way, but we will not accept this as being alright with God. There are some countries around the world where people are being martyred just for accepting Jesus as their Savior.

There is very little true “peace” in this world, and according to Bible Prophecy, this is how it will be all the way to the “step-foot on earth” second coming of the Savior. Even numerous evangelical religions are turning away from the true word to avoid telling people they are sinners in need of a Savior. They’re giving “happy messages” to lift people’s spirits, but they are very unbiblical.

Our assurance will be just as it was for the disciples after Jesus’ crucifixion. They were disillusioned because they did not understand the purpose of His first visit here. John 20:19-22, “On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the disciples had gathered together and locked the door of the place, because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Jesus came and stood among them, and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’. When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. [Now, they truly believed.] So Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. Just as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.’ After He said this, He breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’”

We’ve heard the part about Thomas not being there, and his pledge of disbelief. John 20:26-27, “Eight days later, the disciples were again together in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were again locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ Then He said to Thomas, put your finger here and examine My hands. Extend your hand, and put it into My side. Do not continue in your unbelief, but believe.’”

It’s not really that difficult to understand Thomas’ attitude. There are many people today who will not believe in a God that they cannot see or touch. They have not allowed their minds to be open to the Holy Spirit, who helps us increase our faith to accept and learn that all of God’s words are true. The battle is against Satan and his demons who are experts in deceit. Many people are enticed by the lure of this world’s “pleasures,” not realizing these are short-lived. They will have all of eternity to regret their choice to not receive and accept Jesus.

Our forever Home will be a paradise as we’ve never experienced. Our new immortal bodies and renewed mindsets will not have pain, and we will not experience death or be subject to sin ever again. Jesus Conquered this once and for all for those who truly believe in Him, and accept that He is our only true Savior (John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 8:1).

We are witnessing turmoil to a degree that is unprecedented. There are people turning to Jesus, but just as many have turned away from Him. He knew there would be more that would reject Him rather than be saved through His precious shed blood (Matthew 7:13-14). Still, He willingly fulfilled His destiny for all who would call on Him to be saved (John 10:18; Acts 2:21 and Romans 10:13).

We must remember that all prophecy is God-oriented; “for no prophecy was ever born of human impulse; rather men carried along by the Holy Spirit, spoke from God” (2 Peter 1:21). We are truly able to have a relationship with the Creator of the heavens and the earth, which in itself is absolutely amazing. When we have true faith, we can follow 1 Peter 3:15; “But set Christ apart as Lord in your hearts, and always be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks about the Hope we possess.”

We do not try to force our beliefs on anyone. The Father has given us free-will to accept or reject the true word. As Peter continues in 1 Peter 3:16-17, “Yet do it with courtesy, and respect, keeping a good conscience, so that those who slander your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame when they accuse you. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if God wills it, than for doing evil.”

Better to be a “peacemaker” than a war monger. Jesus could have forced us to worship Him in any way He would choose. However, our Father, Son and Holy Spirit are all about love, and that would not be right.

Jesus was asked about the greatest commandment in the law (Matthew 22:37-40); “And He said to him, you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and all your mind.” He didn’t stop there, but went on. “This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it; you shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.’”

Genesis 1:27 says, “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” Many people would rather make a god in the image they would choose. They believe that, this way, they could “tweek” all requirements to fit what they want. Satan is behind every one of these gods, and loves to lure souls away from our Jesus. It will end up as Revelation 20:10-15 tells us, that Satan and all his followers will be tossed into the Lake of Fire forever.

For your eternal peace with our Lord and Savior, call on Him today. The taking up of all true believers cannot be far off. We’re already witnessing end-time events described in the Bible in unprecedented frequency. Jesus could call any day, and 1 Corinthians 15:51-53 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 will happen.

The Left-Behind movies do not begin to describe the absolute horrible time the tribulation will be. Be of “Peace of Mind,” knowing that you are a part of the Savior’s flock. As stated in Philippians 4:6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God. And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

The only thing I can add is, “Come Quickly, Lord Jesus” (maranatha!)

huebshman47@gmail.com

Are there prophets today? Who are they? What message do they bring from God? Why don’t we hear from them or recognize their prophetic mantle?

I was speaking to a retired pastor recently who told me that back in the days of Hal Lindsay and The Late Great Planet Earth, he was all in. He preached the end times with the return of Jesus, and the signs of His coming. Lately, he’s filled a pulpit on an interim basis during a pastoral search, but despite his belief that Jesus is coming soon, he isn’t keen on preaching that message. He stated that since the Bible says God sends His prophets to warn of coming judgment, and there haven’t been such warnings, he prefers to wait to hear that message. The question is: Have there been no prophets or warning that the Rapture and the subsequent 7-year Tribulation are near?

I would argue that they’re here. It’s just that we haven’t recognized them.

First, why does God send prophets? Let’s look at several Old Testament verses.

“Yet he sent prophets among them to bring them back to the Lord. These testified against them, but they would not pay attention” (2 Chronicles 24:19).

“Draw near to me, hear this: from the beginning I have not spoken in secret, from the time it came to be I have been there. And now the Lord God has sent me, and his Spirit” (Isaiah 48:16).

“And he said to me, ‘Son of man, I send you to the people of Israel, to nations of rebels, who have rebelled against me. They and their fathers have transgressed against me to this very day'” (Ezekiel 2:3).

God sends His prophets to testify against people who turn from Him in rebellion, while calling those same people to draw near to Him. He is extremely clear in His message:

“You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are around you— for the Lord your God in your midst is a jealous God—lest the anger of the Lord your God be kindled against you, and he destroy you from off the face of the earth” (Deuteronomy 6:14-15).

What about in New Testament times? Has God changed the format of the messaging?

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (John 14:6).

“And he said to me, ‘These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place” (Revelation 22:6).

From these verses, we could certainly say that God has given us a different means of conveying His message. We hear it through the Holy Spirit, and we see it by means of His angel. Who is His angel?  Revelation tells us this angel of the Lord is Jesus. Jesus is also the Word (John 1:1).

How does the Holy Spirit operate? Differently among each of us, but He gives us truth. He counsels us and gives us direction.

If Jesus is the Word, and through Jesus—the angel of the Lord—we learn what must soon take place, then Scripture gives us prophetic knowledge.

Putting these two concepts together, faithful believers may hear from the Holy Spirit speaking through Scripture, giving them counsel and direction to carry out God’s will. Might that include speaking forthrightly about what God intends for this world? Might it include the message of warning and judgment? How about the encouragement and hope that those who love the Lord and follow Him won’t face the wrath to come?

This isn’t to say that God would entirely forsake the major prophetic voice as in the prophets of old.  However, in one sense, that could be a challenge. We have so much static today, so many different voices that pull us in different directions, so many distractions from the internet, TV, government overreach, and much more. That one person whom everyone hears and knows he is speaking God’s Word is likely a rarity. In addition, with so few people believing in God these days, how many would actually listen?

What we do have because of the internet and other mediums is the ability for multiple people speaking God’s Word, some to the same audiences, others to different listeners, to bring warning  Although they don’t call themselves prophets and would probably cringe at the implication, who is to say that God hasn’t called the likes of Jan Markell, Amir Tsarfati, Bill Salus, David Reagan, Dave Hunt, Gary Stearman, and others to bring His Word through different media in place of the single prophet of renown from times past?

As I said earlier, there’s a lot of static out there. One of the biggest sources comes from the so-called prophets and apostles who inhabit the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) movement. They aren’t shy about proclaiming their creds. And they use their presumed offices to amplify their voices.

What’s distressing to me is the message they bring. Among other misleading teachings, the general belief I’ve seen among NAR leaders is that worldwide revival is coming. A great new awakening of faith will sweep the earth, the seven cultural mountains throughout society will fall from secular control into the hands of God’s prophetic elites (and money will flow from these mountains into NAR coffers), and the NAR crusade will Christianize the world, making it ready to hand to Jesus when He returns.

This belief is completely inconsistent with Scripture. It minimizes or abandons the concept of the Rapture and seems to forget the Bible speaks of a 7-year Tribulation before Jesus returns. Yet, NAR prophets are revered and followed by many.

NAR encompasses thousands of churches worldwide, accounting for hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of believers. It has turned aside the majority of these from the literal Word of God. One tenet of NAR is that their apostles and prophets bring new revelation. They are the voices of this generation and are the ones who speak authoritatively about God with His (revised) plans and purposes.

Who to believe? The voices with little strength, but which have kept God’s Word, as in the church of Philadelphia? Or the booming voices that reach many and proclaim their intimate connection with God, yet veer drastically from Scripture but rationalize doing so?

Personally, I’m not looking for a major prophetic revelation to tell me that what the Bible says are the signs of the times are actually here. God’s Word already states the truth, and that which is happening in the world witnesses to that. Jesus said we’d see all these things as the birth pains came and intensified.  So we do.

Start practicing your Rapture leap. Soon we’ll be spring-boarding off this earth into the clouds to meet our Lord.

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Gary W. Ritter is a lay pastor, Bible teacher, and serves as Missions Director at his church.  He is also a prolific author.  His Whirlwind Series is comprised of three books: Sow the Wind, Reap the Whirlwind, and There Is A Time.  These books are contained in the collected volume of the Whirlwind Omnibus.  Gary has been given the Christian Redemptive Fiction award for two novels: The Tattooed Cat and Alien Revelation.  He has recently released a new novel on eco-terrorism called Green Dreams, and Looking Up – Volume 3, a non-fiction work that contains essays and devotions on end-times and prophetic events.  Gary’s intent in all his writings is to bring a strong Christian witness to what people read.  You can reach him at his website: www.GaryRitter.com or his Facebook Author page:  https://www.facebook.com/gritter3390.  You can also see his video Bible teachings on his Gary Ritter YouTube channel – look for the fish symbol.