God opened the door for me to speak on the subject of Bible prophecy at a small church in northwest Tennessee. A good friend who is a retired university professor showed up. He attends a very large nearby mainline church.

Prior to the service he asked me if I knew his pastor. My answer was, “Yes, he graduated from seminary about 40 years ago and has held several important positions in your denomination.”

My friend said:

I have learned many things from the Bible by teaching Sunday school for almost 50 years, but if I ask my pastor about the Rapture, the Tribulation period, the Millennium and things like that, he doesn’t know what I am talking about. How can a supposedly educated preacher know absolutely nothing about these Bible teachings?

The scribes and the Pharisees thought they found a way to ignore what the Scriptures say about honoring their parents without losing the respect of others in the community. Their solution was to tell everyone they were going to give their possessions to God (Matt. 15:1-5).

Jesus accused them of making the Commandment of God of none effect and He called them hypocrites (Matt. 15:6-7).

I think He said this because they were rejecting some of the Scriptures and they wanted to cover it up by pretending to be devoted to God.

Put another way, these religious leaders were unwilling to accept all of the counsel of God. But they didn’t want to be condemned by the public for just accepting part of it.

There is a good possibility that the time will come when they will regret this.

On his last trip to Ephesus Paul said, “I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God” (Acts 20:26-27).

He was determined to preach all that God said because he didn’t want to be held accountable for preaching just part of it. If people don’t know about the Rapture, the Tribulation period, the Millennium and things like that, it is not Paul’s fault and it is not God’s fault.

It is the fault of preachers and others that are shunning these things in the Bible.

Jesus told them to watch, but they refuse to be watchmen (or watchwomen). They refuse to admit that the modern watchman is the preacher. They refuse to preach on some subjects or to condemn some politically “correct” sins.

They prefer to ignore some of what God said and try to cover it up by pretending to be broadminded, loving and non-judgmental. In some cases one can almost hear their false piety gushing forth.

Not long ago, about fifty pastors read verses from the Koran and sang Muslim songs in their worship services.

I am not their judge, but I would hate to be in their shoes or to be responsible to God for what they have done in those churches. It is likely that they deliberately broke the First Commandment in their churches (Exodus 20:3).

It is even possible that some not only don’t know that the King is coming they also may not know the King as their Savior. They are in danger and they are placing their members in danger.

Reading from the Koran or singing Muslim hymns in a church may not have the effect on Jehovah’s ears that it has on the ears of the politically correct.

We should not ignore God’s admonitions to be faithful to the entirety of His teachings found in His Holy Word:

“Wherefore I testify unto you this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. For I shrank not from declaring unto you the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20: 26-27).

Prophecy Plus Ministries, Inc.
Daymond & Rachel Duck
duck_daymond@yahoo.com

The Bible uses terms (last days; latter times; latter years; time of the end; etc.) that mean different things when put in context, but some people take them out of context and use them like they mean the same thing. They don’t always mean the same thing.

Put another way: When someone is talking about the last days it is important to ask “last days of what” (last days of the week, the month, the year, the Church Age, the Tribulation period, the Millennium, last days of what, etc.).

One passage about the last days may refer to Israel during the Millennium (Isa. 2:1-5) and another passage may refer to the Church Age just prior to the Millennium (Heb. 1:2; II Tim. 3:1; James 5:3; II Pet. 3:3).

The idea that the last days refers to the Church Age comes from Barnabus, Irenaeus, Justin Martyr, the Jewish Talmud and, according to some, the Bible.

Some Christians believe that history will be divided into one week of God-days or seven 1,000 year periods (seven God-days; Psa. 90:4; II Pet. 3:8; Heb. 4:4-6; Rev. 20:7). They believe 4,000 years (4 God-days) passed from Adam to Jesus.

They believe the last 3,000 years (the last 3 God-days) started with Jesus (Heb. 1:2). These would include 2,000 years (2 God-days or days 5 and 6) of the Church Age and 1,000 years of rest (1 God-day; day 7; also called the Millennium; Heb. 4:4-10).

The point to notice is that the Church Age covers 2 of the last 3 days of a 7,000 (7 God-day) year period of history.

Through the prophet Joel God said, “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come” (Joel 2:28-31).

This prophecy can be briefly divided into two promises: One promise to pour out the Holy Spirit (it shall come to pass, but no time set) and another promise to show wonders in the sky and on the earth before the Tribulation period.

The first promise was fulfilled after the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus.

When the day of Pentecost was fully come 120 believers were gathered in an upper room in Jerusalem. The sound of a rushing mighty wind filled the room, cloven tongues like as of fire sat upon everyone, they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and they began to speak with other tongues (Acts 2:1-4).

Word of this great miracle quickly spread. A large crowd gathered. The 120 were accused of being drunk. Peter stood and preached.

Peter said, “these are not drunken, as ye suppose” (Acts 2:15). “This is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel.”

Peter tied the sound of wind, tongues of fire and speaking in tongues to the last days and the first promise in Joel’s prophecy. God had fulfilled the first promise in Joel’s prophecy by pouring out the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:17-18).

The Church had begun. Half of the prophecy (the first promise) was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost and it is now history.

The other half of the prophecy (the second promise) wasn’t fulfilled on the day of Pentecost, but it will be fulfilled before the Tribulation period.

In a sense, Peter was saying only part of Joel’s prophecy has been fulfilled, but that does not mean that the other part won’t be fulfilled. The rest of it (the wonders in the sky and the signs on earth; every jot and tittle of what Joel said) will be fulfilled before the Tribulation period.

We should not overlook this because the Rapture and the end of the Church Age will take place before the Tribulation period.

This is not a prediction, but the first part of Joel’s prophecy marked the beginning of the Church Age and it is very possible that the last part of Joel’s prophecy marked the end of the Church Age.

And all of it could happen as the world is nearing the end of 6,000 (6 God-days) years of history and before the seventh God-day (Millennium) begins.

Concerning the wonder in the sky, the Revelation 12 sign will be in place on Sept. 23, 2017.

Concerning blood, fire and smoke on earth, the sun being darkened and the moon turning into blood the Middle East is bathed in war, there is an unusual high number of volcanoes erupting with fire and smoke, there was a tetrad of blood moons in 2014 and 2015, there will be a total eclipse of the sun on Aug. 21, 2017 and if one of the super volcanoes should erupt we are told that darkness could cover part of the earth for 6 months.

Are we almost there? No one knows the day or the hour of the Rapture, but it is easy for some to believe that we could be on the brink of something big.

Prophecy Plus Ministries, Inc.
Daymond & Rachel Duck
duck_daymond@yahoo.com