All too often today, the word of God is abused, tweaked, misrepresented, and just plain changed to fit certain people’s agendas. It goes without saying, if anyone changes anything in the given word, those doing so will be false prophets, with some very stout consequences. This is being done more and more in pulpits today that previously were Bible-based organizations. The name tag on the evangelical group, or the name on the outside of the building, means nothing if the “True Believing Christians” are not a major part of that congregation. (ESV – all emphasis mine)
The warnings about adding to or taking away from God’s words in Revelation 22:18-19 were written by the Apostle John for that book of prophecy; however, I am confident that it applies from Genesis 1:1 through Revelation 22:21. For example, Deuteronomy 4:2, “You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you.” This was why Jesus was so frustrated with the Pharisees. They changed the commandments to fit their own selfish desires.
We must remember Hebrews 13:8; “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Jesus was not, and is not a created being like Satan and all the Heavenly host, including the fallen angels or demons. John 1:1 gives a clear picture of this, followed by John 10:30; “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” “I and the Father are One.”
There is no deity such as our Heavenly Father who could ever love us as much as He does. John 3:16-18 tells us that He sent a very special part of Himself to this earth to provide us our only pathway to be with Him forever, and verse 18 gives a specific warning; “Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe in Him is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”
The “turning away” that Jesus spoke of happening near the end of this age is in the open as never before. Isaiah’s 5:20 prophecy is all too evident today. “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.”
Satan and his demons are doing everything they can to convince people that God’s word is nothing but ancient history and could not possibly apply to our “modern world.” Sadly, many are falling for this concept and turning away from Jesus.
Looking at 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” Connect this with 2 Peter 1:21, and you have, “For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”
Our Heavenly Father has characteristics that are sometimes difficult to understand. He is “Omnipotent,” meaning all-powerful. He is “Omniscient,” meaning all-knowing and thus having infinite knowledge of everything. Also, He is “Omnipresent,” meaning He is everywhere at once and not bound by time as we humans are. He created time in the first chapter of Genesis for our benefit.
In Matthew 24 and Luke 21, Jesus tells of many signs that will be present at the end of this age. Much of the dialogue is about the 7-year tribulation, but there will be events leading up to the introduction of the ultimate antichrist, as given in 2 Thessalonians 2. Jesus tells us that when all the signs begin to take place, we are to prepare for Him to take His true believers up to meet Him in the air to keep us from the coming wrath. He compared all the events happening at once to “birthing pains.” We do not have the exact day or hour this will take place, but with the increasing evil and hate, it is evident that the Rapture is near.
Several prophecies had to be fulfilled before we could consider ourselves close to the end of this age. First, Israel became a sovereign nation on May 14, 1948, after almost 2,000 years, something that no other nation has ever done. That started the generation time clock ticking. Also, we’re told of the formation of a coalition of Turkey, Iran, and Russia that will be a prelude to an all-out attack on Israel. These countries have only recently formed such a coalition, as they were not friendly at all before. Today, they are all in financial distress and are forming a bond more and more each day. And Israel is such a small nation with a vast amount of wealth.
One other issue that is apparent is that the United States does not figure in as any formidable part of being a world power at the start of the tribulation. Just watching today’s news tells us we have fallen from being a superpower and are actually a laughing stock to other nations that really don’t like us. Our Congress has turned away from supporting Israel and has actually given aid to their enemies.
God does not go back on a promise, and His blessing on Abraham in Genesis 12 still stands today. He knows that only about 2% to 3% of His chosen people accept His Son as Messiah, but that will be corrected by the end of the 7-year tribulation. Zechariah 13:8-9 says that two-thirds of Israel will perish in the tribulation, but the remaining one-third will all believe in the Lord.
Today, more than ever, we need to read God’s word every day. A true translation, such as the King James Version, New King James Version, New American Standard, and English Standard Version are some examples. One suggestion would be that whatever translation you choose, get a “study Bible.” The notes included are a wealth of learning for passages that may sound confusing.
Please know there are so-called new-age bibles that are to be avoided. Messages have been left out or changed to “modernize” them, and there are even versions that address our Heavenly Father as “she.”
The book of John is a good place for a beginner to start, followed by Romans. Then, as time permits, start from the very beginning and read until you reach the very end. A chapter or two a day is priceless. One thing: ask the Holy Spirit to open your mind to what the Father wants you to learn from whatever passages you are reading. Before you realize it, you will have developed a good habit and will feel as if something is missing if you skip a day of reading God’s word.
Please know that Jesus is absolutely real and is one-third of the Holy Trinity. Also, please know Satan is real, a created being, and hell is absolutely real, which was made specifically for him and his demons or fallen angels (Matthew 25:41). All from the beginning of creation that were out of the will of God up to Calvary, and all who reject Jesus from Calvary to the end of the Millennial Reign of Jesus on earth, will join Satan in the lake of fire. That is found in Revelation 20:11-15.
The choice is for each person to make: Jesus or Satan, Heaven or hell. There are no other options. Today would not be too early to call out for Jesus to be your Savior. The steps are found in Romans 10:9-13. To delay could possibly cause you to have a terrible forever.
Jesus is waiting for all who would call out to Him, and He will turn no one away. No magic tricks, no special works or deeds, no amount of money to try and buy your Salvation. Jesus paid for all who will receive and accept Him through His precious sinless blood. No one has sinned so greatly that they cannot be forgiven. The unforgivable sin is to pass from this earth without having Jesus as your Savior. The only outcome for those will be the lake of fire. Jesus knows the line will be longer at the White Throne Judgment than at His Judgment Seat (Matthew 7:13-14).
Get into the pure word of God, and don’t distort anything that you believe needs changing. God gave us His “Love Letter,” which is valid throughout all of this earth’s existence. When the Trumpet of God sounds, and the call from the archangel takes place, you will be with all who received and accepted our Precious Shepherd, with new forever bodies. It will be a pleasure to see you there!
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus – Maranatha!