“Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence” (John 18:36).

This world seems to be getting darker and more wicked daily. In this world, we understand the need for leaders, and when we hear terms like “President of the United States” or “Prime Minister of England,” we understand these are world leaders who are concerned about their nation. The problem we face is these leaders are human and subject to sin. Like all of us, these people are unrighteous. If only there were a righteous leader, life for the citizens would be easier.

“When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn” (Proverbs 29:2).

One day, there will be a righteous King who rules; His name is Jesus, and we all have the opportunity to be a citizen of His Kingdom. A person has to choose to be a citizen of that Kingdom, and there are no national borders involved. No illegal immigrants are allowed, and no sin is found there. There’s only one way to be a citizen of God’s kingdom, and that is through true belief and faith in Jesus Christ.

A Bible teacher once described the difference between belief and faith by saying you can look at a chair and believe it will hold your weight, but belief becomes faith when you actually sit in that chair. When we make a choice to receive Jesus as our Saviour, our new life of faith begins, and our citizenship is in Heaven.

“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12-13).

I have chosen to be a part of the Kingdom of God; my sins are forgiven, and I’m righteous only through the blood of Christ. Jesus shed His blood to take my sins away, and I have turned to Him for salvation. I have repented and strive daily to live to please Him. You can do that, too.

Although we have to live in this world, we don’t have to be a part of it. As Christians, our true citizenship is in Heaven, and we need to obey God’s laws. Jesus is the King of kings and Lord of lords, and one day every knee will bow before Him.

“Look to me, and be ye saved All the ends of the earth: For I am God, and there is none else. I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, Every tongue shall swear” (Isaiah 45:22-23).

We must all remember this: even those who have been Christians for many years need to remember they too will stand before God and give an account of how they served Jesus. We need to be careful not to take pride in our own perceived righteousness.

“But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God” (Romans 14:10-12).

Christians are citizens of Heaven. We aren’t to judge and condemn our fellow citizens if they don’t live up to our standards, but we need to be sure of our own walk and live according to Scripture.

 Lately, there are many reports about some of the Canadian Provinces wanting to become US states. If those provinces change their national identity, some things will have to change. Things like their money system will change, laws will change, and they will no longer be “Canadians” but “Americans.” There are many other changes that will take place, but it’s all part of changing your citizenship.

The same is true for a person who has come to the realization that they are a sinner headed to eternity in Hell. Jesus is the only way to salvation, and in order to obtain eternal life, you must truly believe in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. You must understand that He is God and there is no other way to salvation but through Him.

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me” (John 14:6).

When you make that decision, your life is changed; you are now a citizen of Heaven but still living in this fallen world. You need to live by the laws of your new identity. Let’s be clear: there are no works we can do to bring salvation. We can’t be nice enough or sit in a pew often enough, or do anything else to be saved.

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

We are still walking among those who are dead in their sins, but our citizenship has changed. Now we need to follow God’s laws. Even though grace is a free gift, you cannot just continue living in your sin. The Holy Spirit lives in you now, so heed His guidance.

“This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

Therefore, putting away lying, ‘Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,’ for we are members of one another. “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil. Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice” (Ephesians 4:17-31, NKJV).

God will teach you to be a citizen of His Kingdom.

As we look back over history, we can see what trouble comes from having leaders who don’t honor God. “When the wicked rise, men hide themselves: but when they perish, the righteous increase” (Proverbs 28:28).

America has had a string of very corrupt leaders, and it has taken a toll on the national morality. Sin has been legalized to a level that would make Sodom and Gomorrah blush. Transgender people who dress like circus clowns are encouraged to read stories to children in public libraries, but Christians are banned from reading Christian-based books to children. Where’s the outrage?

Christians have dropped the ball, and we need to start defending our faith. Are we happy and content watching this world plunge deeper into the Satanic darkness of sin? Christians are not to have fellowship with evil, yet children are sent to public schools where they are taught that they can choose their gender, or that it’s OK to have two mommies or daddies.

“And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them” (Ephesians 5:11).

Citizens of Heaven know that we have to live in this world, but we aren’t to take part in its sin. We are to keep God first in our life.

If you claim to be a citizen of God’s Kingdom, then you need to live your life according to His laws. Start with the Ten Commandments. “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3).

That’s a good place to start when learning the laws of God. There’s only one God, and only He is worthy of our honor. In today’s world, we tend to put everything ahead of God Almighty. Work, money, school, friends, video games, and the list goes on. These can all become gods. Put God first in your thoughts, words, and actions. When you learn to do that, all of the other laws will fall into place. God’s law isn’t difficult to follow. The thing that makes it difficult is our sin nature.

The Holy Spirit dwells within all Christians, and He will guide us into all obedience. “Quench not the Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 5:19).

The Holy Spirit will never tell you to do anything that is contrary to Scripture, so study God’s word daily.

So, where’s your citizenship? If it’s in Heaven, then live accordingly, and be prepared to fight the spiritual battle for your King.

God bless you all,

Nathele Graham

twotug@embarqmail.com

Recommended prophecy sites:

www.raptureready.com
www.prophecyupdate.com
www.raptureforums.com

All original scripture is “theopneustos,” God-breathed.

If you would like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries, just drop me an email and let me know.

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee” (Psalm 122:6).

 

Many Christians who love Jesus are becoming very discouraged. When will God call us Home? The answer to that is “We don’t know.” For many generations before Jesus’ birth, those who loved the Lord knew the Messiah would come. Job is a prime example of a man who loved the Lord, and even in a time of great personal turmoil, he relied upon God. He had friends who were less than kind during his troubles and said some very discouraging things, but Job came through the Satanic attack stronger in his faith.

“For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me” (Job 19:25-27).

Job had faith in God, and although he suffered great loss, his faith stayed strong. He could have been discouraged and defeated had he listened to his friends, who said cruel things to him. Study Job and learn about strength through faith in God. Don’t be discouraged, but be encouraged.

Many Christians today yearn for Jesus to take us Home in the Rapture, but they listen to human “prophecy” rather than God’s prophecy. Unfortunately, when a person becomes discouraged that the Lord hasn’t acted according to human understanding, that person may become a poor witness for our Lord. They feel that the Lord has let them down, and that can lead to a lack of faith. I urge you to stand firm on Scripture and trust God to work all things for His glory in His time.

We can see that the whole world is steeped in sin, and evil seems to become stronger each day, even entering into congregations. It’s more important than ever to turn to Scripture and study prophecy in context. Interpretation of prophecy needs to be aligned with God’s word and not human ideas.

When Paul and Silas went to Berea, they encountered some very smart people who listened to the Gospel but searched Scripture to be sure it was true. “These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (Acts 17:11).

Remember, the Bereans only had the Old Testament Scriptures but were able to find the Gospel there. The Rapture is one of the most dividing truths we find today. Those who think Christians will go through the Great Tribulation haven’t been Bereans and studied Scripture. The pre-tribulation rapture is first seen in Genesis when Enoch was raptured prior to the Flood of Noah. “And Enoch walked with God: and he was not, for God took him” (Genesis 5:24).

Another example of the Pre-Trib Rapture is in Revelation. Chapters 2 and 3 of Revelation are letters dictated to John by Jesus. These letters describe various ages of the ekklesia (the church), from the first letter describing the first enthusiastic believers, to the last letter describing the apostate church of today. The first verse of the next chapter describes the Rapture.

“After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven and one sat on the throne” (Revelation 4:1-2).

The Greek words “meta tauta” describe a sequence. For instance, I went to first grade meta tauta second grade. That’s the sequence of schooling. In the above passage, after the letters (church ages), a door in heaven was opened, and John went through it. He was told he would be shown what must be hereafter.” Again, the words meta tauta are used and translate “hereafter.” So, first the church age, then the Rapture, then the Tribulation.

Don’t be discouraged as you see things getting worse and worse these days. Take encouragement that Christians won’t be on Earth for the worst seven years in all of history, the Great Tribulation. Praise God for His promise!!

An interesting point for naysayers to ponder is that the word “ekklesia” translated “church” or “churches” is used 118 times throughout the New Testament. In Revelation, it’s used 15 times in the first 3 chapters, but is never used in the verses describing the Tribulation. When studying the end times, you’ll discover that the Tribulation is about God dealing with Israel, not with Christians. The last place the word ekklesia is seen is in Revelation chapter 22. “I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star” (Revelation 22:16). 

This tells us three things. First, we are to study the book of Revelation. The second is, the Tribulation is not about Christians, and third, Jesus wins. Don’t be discouraged. Scripture is to be encouraging to us. We can’t be so obsessed with the terrible things happening in 2025 and into 2026 that we miss the big picture of God working all things together just as prophecy says.

Looking at news headlines through the lens of prophecy is very exciting, but it can lead to people seeing prophecy through our own hopes and desires rather than reality. There has always been horrific persecution of Christians. Saul, who would later be known as Paul and became the greatest evangelist of all time, made it his duty to arrest or kill anyone who had left the Jewish faith to embrace the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

The Roman persecution was very brutal and included the spectator sport of throwing Christians into an arena with hungry lions and burning Christians on crosses to light up dark streets. No wonder the believers in Thessalonica were discouraged and thought they had missed the Rapture and were in the Tribulation. When the Apostle Paul went to Thessalonica to spread the Gospel, he was there for a short time, but in that time, he introduced them to the Gospel and also taught them about the Rapture.

There were false teachers at that time, just as there are today, who placed doubt in the minds of the Thessalonians, who had seen much persecution because of their faith. They should have been more like the Bereans. Paul helped them, and us, understand the truth.

“Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God” (2 Thessalonians 2:1-4).

Paul fully believed in the pre-tribulation Rapture, so misinformed people today who say it is a new teaching need to study Scripture instead of parroting false teachers. We also learn from this passage that the Jewish Temple must be rebuilt in order for the man of perdition to stand there and proclaim that he is God. He isn’t, but he exalts himself above anything that is worshipped. So far, this hasn’t happened, but there is a big push to rebuild the Temple, and it will happen.

Today, there are many false teachers who seem to teach a specific date that the Rapture will happen. God doesn’t give a specific day in Scripture, so how can they know more than God? They can’t, so look at Biblical signs that Jesus gave and be ready. In speaking of the end times, Jesus told His disciples, “And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many” (Matthew 24:11).

Don’t be deceived or discouraged. I also hear of many people who claim to have had a near-death experience, and they claim God told them when the Rapture will happen. It’s amusing that each one has been given a different date. That’s not how God works. God hasn’t given anybody a specific day or hour, but He has given us clues. Remember, the signs to look for are those leading to the Tribulation. The Rapture will occur prior to the Tribulation, so as we see the signs happening (earthquakes, famine, pestilence, wars, etc.), we know the Tribulation is nearing, so the Rapture could happen at any moment.

After Christians are taken Home, God will turn His attention back to His chosen people, Israel, and their blindness to their Messiah will be lifted. We do live in exciting times, but don’t confuse man’s opinions with Scripture. Instead of relying on one prophecy teacher or your pastor, go to Scripture and believe what God says. When you study Scripture, don’t pull one verse out of context and build your theology upon that. Study all of Scripture, including the Old Testament.

Life has become very troubled, and sin is out of control. It seems worse than when I was growing up, or was I not aware of how bad things were? Barry McGuire sang about the “Eve of Destruction,” and Larry Norman wrote the song “I Wish We’d All Been Ready.” Maybe it was worse than I thought.

I do wish everybody were ready to be taken in the Rapture, and the only way to be ready is to be a born-again, God-fearing Christian. There are “pictures” of the Rapture throughout Scripture, and we can trust Scripture to give us truth. The problem is that humans like to put words in God’s mouth. Then, when He doesn’t do things according to our wishes, we say He was wrong.

For instance, some people said the Rapture would happen in 2012 because of the Mayan calendar. It didn’t, so people got discouraged. Some people give up hoping for the Rapture when various Jewish feasts come around and it doesn’t happen. Why? The feasts are about Israel and their relationship with God. It’s also a popular hobby for some people to guess who the Anti-Christ is. Is he the pope, or is the pope the false prophet? Maybe the Anti-Christ is a Muslim leader or even President Trump. Maybe he is John Doe from Alabama, or some other obscure person. Why even try to guess?

Instead of looking for a date for the Rapture or looking for the Anti-Christ, occupy until God calls us Home. That means go to work, get married, raise a family, and share the Gospel.

If you want the Rapture to happen soon, remember that God is waiting for a specific number of people to come to salvation before He calls us Home. “For I would not, brethren. that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in” (Romans 11:25).

Don’t be discouraged when dates come and go. Take a look at your own words and attitude. Would a non-believer listen to you if you shared the Gospel? Maybe your attitude of discouragement or your worldly ways would make them question what you say. You cannot change others, but you can prayerfully change yourself. Honor God in all you do.

Don’t be discouraged, but be encouraged because God has given us another day on this earth to share His love.

God bless you all,

Nathele Graham

twotug@embarqmail.com

Recommended prophecy sites:

www.raptureready.com
www.prophecyupdate.com
www.raptureforums.com

All original scripture is “theopneustos,” God-breathed.

If you would like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries, just drop me an email and let me know.

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee” (Psalm 122:6).