John 16:33; “I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 14:6; “Jesus said to him [Thomas], I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.” And then Acts 4:12; “And there is Salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under Heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (ESV – all emphasis is mine).

Changes taking place in this world today are at a pace that is almost impossible to keep up with. Many believe that Donald Trump’s winning the U.S. Presidency will be the answer to all our problems. He is expected to fix what the radical liberals put on us over the last decade or so. The thing is, the Bible is what’s up to date with all the end-time prophecies given to us by our Savior, Daniel, Paul, John, Peter, James, and many others throughout the Bible, both Old and New Testaments. All the so-called leaders of today are just following Bible prophecy as God intended.

Israel has definitely been a news frontrunner because of the deadly attack by the terrorist group Hamas on October 7 & 8, 2023. It was also found that citizens of Gaza joined the terrorists committing evil atrocities against the Jewish people. You might think that the world would totally condemn all that took place against God’s chosen people.

Hamas had established bases in Gaza from which they attacked Israel with the largest ever terrorist attack since Israel was formed. Over 1,100 Jewish citizens were killed, and at least 3,300 injured. There were also 251 people taken to Gaza by the attackers. What the captives have endured is almost worse than what the Jewish people went through at the time of WWII. It is reported that there are 73 hostages still in captivity, and at least 35 of them are dead.

At the time of the attack, our government fell way short of supporting Israel. In fact, there were demonstrations around our country praising what the terrorists had done, and Jewish citizens here had to be cautious to keep from being assaulted.

When Harry S. Truman recognized Israel as a sovereign nation on May 14, 1948, the United States became a faithful ally of that country up until about a decade or so ago.

In Matthew 7:13-14, we read, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow, and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” Anyone who believes our Holy Trinity – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – is not considered current with the events of today. God is not only aware, but He knows the exact second this world will end and eternity will begin for us.

The fact that there are false prophets and antichrists in our world was spoken of by Jesus, Paul, John, Peter, and others. In 2 Peter 3, he speaks of “scoffers” who will be here in the last days following their own sinful desires.

The hope that all true believers have is found in 2 Thessalonians 2, in the same chapter where Paul tells of the “man of lawlessness” who will be revealed, the “son of destruction.” This is the ultimate antichrist of the 7-year tribulation/wrath. Our promise from the Father is that he cannot appear until the One restraining him is taken out of the way (2 Thessalonians 2:3-7). The restrainer would be the Holy Spirit that indwells all true believers who will have to be removed with Him to keep God’s promise to keep us from that terrible 7-year period. We find evidence of this in 1 Thessalonians 1:10, 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10, and Revelation 3:10. Unlike so-called promises we get from politicians, Our Father cannot and will not lie.

Numbers 23:19; “God is not man that He should lie; or a son of man that He should change His mind.” Then 1 Samuel 15:29; “And also the Glory of Israel will not lie or have regret, for He is not a man that He should have regret.” Hebrews 6:18; “..so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the Hope set before us.” And then Titus 1:2, “…in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began.”

Going back to John 16:33, Christians worldwide are being persecuted to some degree for having Jesus as Our Savior. In some areas of this world, that persecution actually leads to martyrdom for receiving and accepting Jesus as Savior.

In 2017, the song “Love Has Overcome” was written by Colin Edge, David Binion, Israel Houghton, and Joshua Duframe. Please consider the message from this inspiring song.

1.) Now’s the time for all the world to know Your name; now’s the time for every heart to sing Your praise. No more silence in the church; no more standing to the side. By Your Spirit we’re empowered; let the darkness run and hide; yeah!

Ref.) Now Your church is rising up, and Your children are singing out. With Your praise our hearts erupt, and a song of love resounds. Be exalted, God of all, in the heavens and on the earth. By Your grace we are redeemed; love has overcome.

2.) Every day let us proclaim Your truth and love. In Your name we ask and pray, Your kingdom come. Wake us up so we can see; we’ve been sleeping long enough. Time to demonstrate Your power; we are called to overcome; yeah! (ref)

We do not know the day or hour that all believers will rise up to meet the Savior in the air because of the Rapture. What we can say is that through the reading of end-time prophecies in God’s Love Letter to us, we are about a breath away from going Home.

For any who are putting off calling on Jesus to be their Savior, please know that today would not be too early. Tomorrow could be too late, and when the Rapture takes place, it will be over in about the time you can blink your eye.

There are only two outcomes for our eternity: Heaven or hell. No matter what false prophets today are saying, that’s all there is. Our Heavenly Father leaves our eternal choice up to each of us and will force no one to accept His Son.

Make your free-will choice today to receive and accept Jesus as your eternal Shepherd. Please read Romans 10:9-13 for the ABCs of Salvation. Everyone has sinned (Romans 3:23), and we deserve punishment for what we have done (Romans 6:23). However, after receiving Jesus as our Savior, we have a free gift from God that cannot be earned or purchased (Ephesians 2:8-9).

The day could be today or any moment after that. We hope to see you in the presence of the Shepherd as part of His precious flock.

Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus!

huebshman46@gmail.com

…Jesus’ Crew of Ordinary Dudes

Matthew 10:1-4; Mark 3:13-19; Luke 6:12-16; Acts 1:8-11

Summary: Matthew 10 begins with the names of the twelve ordinary men whom Jesus chose to be His disciples. We start with Simon Peter.

In this chapter, we are introduced to the twelve men who will carry out the message of Jesus to the nation of Israel and, inevitably, to the world. None of them were scholars or religious officials. They were twelve ordinary men, some of whom were fishermen by trade and probably knew each other since childhood. One was a tax collector, the lowest of the low in the society of the times; one was a political zealot who would end up as the worst traitor in history. These were flesh and blood men charged with a great task. They are listed in both Mark’s Gospel (3:13-19) and Luke’s (6:12-16). They were given authority by Jesus to cast out demons, heal the sick, and preach the gospel message.

The first apostle listed in every account is Simon Peter. We will examine him and the others using the Scriptures and early church history as our guide. The “big fisherman” was from Galilee with two other fishermen, James and John. It was a lucrative business for all three. Simon was rash and impulsive, ready to give an opinion, impetuous, and always ready to get mixed up in the fray. In spite of these traits, he is what we would call “a born leader.” Later on in the Scriptures, he will be the spokesman for the group, but first he needed to be called and commissioned by the Lord Jesus. The earliest recording of Peter’s commission is found in Luke 5:1-11.

Jesus got into Peter’s boat and told him to go out into the middle of the Sea of Galilee and lower his nets down for a catch. Simon could have told Him that fish do not come out during the day. He could also have said that he was tired and ready to go home or could have told Jesus that, as a carpenter, He was an excellent builder of boats but not good at catching fish. Instead, he complies with Jesus’ request and lowers his fishing nets. The result was a huge catch of fish, a heart convinced of sin, and a new task; that of” catching men” (verses 6-10).

Simon Peter made the supreme declaration of faith in Matthew 16:13-20. His faith in Jesus was a foundation stone for the church. Simon would also receive a rebuke from Jesus for saying that Jesus didn’t have to go to the cross. It was typical of Peter to say things before he thought them out. We read about this in the account of the Transfiguration of the Lord (17:4-5). He asked questions about forgiveness (18:21-27) and was confronted with the awful truth that he would end up denying he knew Jesus and, after doing so, would weep bitter tears of repentance (26:31-35, 69-75).

John recorded that Peter was restored to fellowship and given the responsibility of tending to the flock of new believers in the early church (John 21). Acts 2 records Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost, which resulted in the salvation of 3,000 Jewish pilgrims from various parts of the Roman Empire. While Peter was a walking contradiction of various emotions, he was also someone who loved and was devoted to the Lord Jesus, writing two letters of support and encouragement to persecuted believers while he was waiting for his inevitable death. It can be said that Simon Peter is the patron saint of every Christian who walks the rugged path of life.

donaldwhitchard@outlook.com

https://ocosbe.org/donald-whitchard/